Talmud Bavli, complete set, including the Hilchot Rav Elfas (the Rif), “published by the Vaad Agudat HaRabbanim in the American Zone of Germany, with the support of the US army and the Joint Committee in Germany”. Munich-Heidelberg, 1948. Each volume has two title pages. The first title page is in yellow with red lettering —designed especially to mark the printing of the Shas on German soil after the Holocaust. At the top is an illustration of a Jewish village with the inscription משעבוד לגאולה מאפלה לאור גדול" (from slavery to redemption, from darkness to the great light). At the bottom is an illustration of barbed wire fences and a labor camp, above which is an inscription: "כמעט כלוני בארץ ואני לא עזבתי פיקודיך" (They had almost consumed me upon earth; but I forsook not Thy precepts.) The second title page is partially with red lettering.
Background: at the end of World War II, when the remnants of the Jewish communities of Europe gathered in DP camps, a lack of gemarot and other sifrei kodesh became obvious. Beginning in 1946, the Union of Rabbis in Germany, with the support of the American military and the Joint, embarked on a mission to print the Shas for the surviving Jews. At first, some masechtot were printed in a variety of formats. In 1948 this edition was published, the first edition of the complete Shas.
On verso of the title page, the publisher wrote an emotional foreword from which one can reach conclusions about the difficulties faced by the publishers to gather a complete set, as well as about the great joy they felt when finishing the job: “Baruch Shehechyanu v’Kiyemanu v’Higiyanu Lazman HaZeh, printing the Shas…! After the horrible destruction, the days of loss and devastation we experienced…the evil people who destroyed and burned the Jews of Europe and attempted to prevent any remnants of Hebrew text from surviving, and that the Jew be burned wrapped in his Sefer Torah…the risk of death was expected by anyone hiding a single book…over time we hoped to print the Shas in its entirety but that required a great expenditure…so we approached the American military in Germany…and today we have good news for the Jewish people…in the name of Haredi Jewry we express our deep thanks to the American military, and the Joint for this.”
19 volumes. Some original bindings and some other. Partly incomplete or blemished spines or with taping. Tears and blemishes in several places, sometimes affecting the text. Possibly, there are missing leaves, has not been examined on a leaf-by-leaf basis. Stains and some moth perforations. Varied ownership stamps and signatures.
Some glosses in several places – have not been studied. Good overall condition.
