Auction 22
Lot 032:
On the 613 mitzvot and their laws with the book Over Orech. The book KitzurSamag is the product of Rabbi Moshe of Kotzi, known as the “Sar of Kotzi”, one of the Tosafot, a leader of Jewry in Kotzi (France) of the 13th century (1230s). The book appeared for the first time in Karlsruhe, published by Rabbi Shimshon bar Meir of Karlsruhe—in his introduction to the book he writes that it was written by the Sar of Kotzihaving been drawn from the original Sefer Mitzvot Gadol, and had lain in geniza for 500 years. Despite his testimony, there is testimony from a non-Jew named Sebastien Minster who learned Hebrew from Rabbi Eliyahu Bachur, a great medakdek of the time. Minster seems to have been an anti-Semite, and in 1633 he published in Basel a book called Mitzvot HaTorah, including the 613 mitzvot and their explanations with translation into Latin. At the beginning of the book is an introduction in Latin in which he insults the benighted Jews for their Oral Torah and their traditions, and he explains why they do everything. So it’s another source for the existence of the book KitzurSamag. This book is identical to the KitzurSamag printed in Karlsruhe in 1763 from the manuscript, and for which the publisher testifies that the Sar of Kotzi himself wrote, despite the void testimony of a goy. In his introduction he gives excuses for the difficulties there are regarding the authorship of the book. HaHida “in the name of gedolim” accepted his testimony, and writes that the “book printed in our time seems to be an abbreviation drawn by the author himself of the Samag.” But it seems that the first edition from Basel in 1633 he hadn’t seem, only the endorsement and introduction from the edition from his era. There are other believes that this goy was for a time a Christian priest and put Christian ideas into the book in order to lead Jews astray. | Printer: Wilhelm Friedrich Later. 188 [supposed to be 187], [5] pages. 13cm. Book Over Orech of Rabbi Yaakov Naftali Ben Rabbi Yehuda Leib includes short laws for travelers. Same printer. 124-188 [supposed to be 187], [5] pages. 13cm. Generally ok to good condition. Moth damage.
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