Auction 35

Sefer HaMidot by Naftali Hertz Weisel (Hartwig Wessely), a forefather of the Haskala movement. First edition, Berlin 1786. Pretty copy

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Sefer HaMidot, a work on mussar and spiritual wisdom, with some discussions on moral systems arising in Europe at the top. Well-known work by Naftali Hertz Weisel, printed by Chanoch Ne’arim in Berlin. Though the title page has printed the phrase “First Volume”, no additional volumes were printed. Includes the last page with the poem bearing niqqud. [6], 113, [1] leaves. 15cm. Very good condition.
Naftali Hertz Weisel (known as Hartwig Wessely in German; 1726-1805) was a Hebrew philologist and poet, a forefather of the Jewish Haskala movement. His work “Divrei Shalom v’Emet”, which proffered a comprehensive change to Jewish education, caused a storm among the first Maskilim and among rabbis in Europe. His book of poems on Moses (“Shirei Tiferet”) influenced generations of poets after him, and some researchers see him as the first of the new Hebrew literary movement. Among his books: Gan Na’ul Levanon, an exegesis Yan Levanon on Pirkei Avot, Ruach Chen (an exegesis on Chochmat Shlomo), and more. He is mentioned in the Malbim, the Rashar Hirsch, the Natziv of Volozhin, the Chafetz Chaim, the Aruch Laner, Rabbi Yehuda Asad, the Mashgiach Rabbi Shlomo Wolba, and more