SEFER

This volume contains a number of works bound together, including the rabbinic text Pirḳe de-rabi Eliʿezer (Prague, 1661). At the back of the volume is an illustrated copy of the Haggadah (Amsterdam 1662),  the traditional text that commemorates Israel’s exodus from Egypt, and which is a guide for the Passover Seder. The images illustrate various topics that are discussed in the Haggadah.

Citation: 3. Haggadah,
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#525

This volume, printed in Amsterdam in 1701, contains a reprinting of a famous medieval work known as Menorat Ha-Ma’or (Candelabra of Light) by the Sephardic rabbinic writer Isaac Aboab. Inside the cover is a beautiful illustration of a large menorah, underneath which is listed in Hebrew the place of publication.

Citation: 5. Menorat Ha-Ma’or (Candelabra of Light),
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#526

Moses ben Nachman—also known as Nachmanides or Ramban—was one of the most important rabbinic figures in medieval Judaism (b. 1194). This volume, printed in Lisbon in 1489, contains Ramban’s commentary on the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. The decorative border on the title page is attributed to Alfonso Fernández de Córdoba. The volume also has hand-written homiletical texts at the front and back, written in a cursive Hebrew script. For more on this unique book, see
this report from Dr Javier del Barco.

Citation: 6. Commentary on the Torah, by Moses ben Nachman,
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#528

The medieval rabbi David Kimḥi, known also as Radak (b. 1160), was a prolific writer and commentator from Provence. This volume is a printed version of Kimḥi’s lexicon or dictionary of Hebrew terms from the Bible (Sefer ha-Shorashim, ‘Book of the roots’). It was printed in Venice in 1511 by Daniel Bomberg, a Christian printer who played an important role in printing Hebrew books.

Citation: 7. Hebrew Lexicon, David Kimḥi,
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#529

This prayer book (seder tefilot) was printed in Amsterdam in 1696, and was aimed at Yiddish speaking Ashkenazi Jews (those associated with Germany, France, and other parts of northern and eastern Europe). The prayers are printed in Hebrew, but the instructions and title page are given in Yiddish. The prayers are drawn from the Psalms as well as other ancient traditions.

Citation: 8. Ashkenazi Prayer Book,
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#530

Ancient rabbinic commentary on the Torah, a form of interpretation known as midrash, was collected and passed down over centuries. The printed forms of these midrashim became known as the Midrash Rabbah. Some early printed versions of this collection were called the Sefer Rabbot, which is the title given to this volume printed in Frankfurt in the early 1690s. The woodcut title page has several interesting images, including Moses holding the Ten Commandments. These midrashim include commentary, folklore, and stories from the rabbis that offer a unique interpretation of the first five books of the Bible, including Genesis (see below).

Citation: 9. Sefer Rabbot (Midrash Rabbah),
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#531

In the 1500s and 1600s, scholars began to rediscover the ancient languages that had been so important in the development and transmission of the Bible and other sacred texts in antiquity. One way this can be seen is in the development of Polyglot Bibles which incorporate several ancient languages in one place to facilitate study and comparison. This particular Polyglot was created and printed in London in 1657, running to six volumes. Under the leadership of Brian Walton, an Anglican priest, and assisted by many others including James Ussher, the volume presents the Old Testament in nine languages: Hebrew, Aramaic (Targum), Samaritan, Syriac, Arabic, Persian, Ethiopic, Greek, and Latin. Not only were the Polyglots of this era impressive works of scholarship, but they are beautifully presented and creatively formatted, as can be seen in the images below.

Citation: 10. Walton Polyglot,
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#532

Books containing only the Psalms were common in Christianity, where they became known as Psalters. Such collections of the Psalms were also printed in Hebrew (Sefer Tehilim). This volume, published in Isny, Germany, in 1541, includes the biblical text along with commentary from the medieval rabbi David Kimḥi, known also as Radak (b. 1160). In the image below, the biblical text is the larger material near the top of the page. Radak’s commentary, which draws on other parts of Jewish tradition and commentary, fills the rest of the page.

Citation: 11. Book of Psalms (Sefer Tehilim),
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#533

The Talmud is one of the most significant collections in Judaism, incorporating teaching, instruction, and theology from the ancient rabbis dating back to the first centuries of the common era. The Jerusalem Talmud (also known as the Palestinian Talmud) was given this name because it was thought to have been compiled in the land of Israel, rather than in the diaspora, where another collection would take shape (the Babylonian Talmud, which would become the more famous of the two). This particular volume was printed in Krakow in 1609, and was part of Narcissus Marsh’s own collection. An annotation states that he acquired it in 1690, while Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin.

Citation: 12. Jerusalem Talmud (Talmud Yerushalmi),
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#534

The author of this volume, Shaul Levi Mortera, was a rabbi of the Jewish community in Amsterdam in the mid-seventeenth century. Significantly, Mortera was also a teacher of Baruch Spinoza (b. 1632), one of the leading thinkers of the early modern period. Giveat Shaul is a book of sermons from Shaul Levi Mortera, and the title is a play on the biblical king Saul, who was from a place called Gibeah. This volume was printed in Amsterdam in 1645.

Citation: 13. Giveat Shaul (Saul’s Gibeah),
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#536

This volume (Amsterdam, 1681) is significant not because of its content, but because of the handwritten inscriptions in the front and back, which add to our picture of Jewish life in early modern Dublin. The handwritten note in the front mentions the name of the owner, Jacob son of Gedalya. The end of the book has a longer inscription which mentions Dublin. The text reads: “I weep and my eyes overflow with tears on my father, Gedalya son of Jacob / of the holy community of Lublin who died. / I weep and my eyes overflow with tears on my brother Hirsh son of Gedalya / who died on the second day of Passover in the year 5464 (=1704) and was buried in Dublin in the land Ireland.” As Schlomo Berger noted in his exhibition “From Lublin to Dublin”, “This is probably the oldest copy of a book with a glimpse into a Jewish Dublin couleur-locale.”

Citation: 4. Sefer olat tamid, with reference to Dublin,
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#537

Shevet Yehudah was written by Solomon ibn Verga (b. 1460), a Jewish historian and physician from Spain. Verga witnessed first-hand the persecution of Jews in Spain and Portugal, and so wrote Shevet Yehudah as a history of the persecution of Jews in various times and places throughout history, offering 64 different accounts. First printed in Turkey, this edition was printed in Amsterdam in 1655.

Citation: 14. Shevet Yehudah (Sceptre of the Jews),
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#538

Shabbethai ben Joseph Bass (b. 1641) first published Sefer sifte yeshenim in 1680. The book lists over 2,200 Hebrew works arranged alphabetically by title, along with other details including author and date, and includes a brief summary of each work. This catalogue was a monumental achievement and was the first detailed Hebrew bibliography to be published.

Citation: 15. Sifte Yeshenim (Bibliographic work),
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#539

This small prayer book (approx. 4 inches tall) follows the traditions of Sephardic Judaism, that is, those Jews who came from Spain and the broader Mediterranean world. It was printed in 1627 by Menasseh ben Israel, the first Jew to print a Jewish book in Amsterdam.

Citation: 16. Seder Tefilot (Sephardi Prayer Book),
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#540

The Book of Beliefs and Opinions was written by Saadia Gaon in 933, and was originally composed in Judeo-Arabic. This work is considered one of the first systematic accounts of Jewish beliefs, and would become very influential. Among other things, the work defends rabbinic Judaism from various criticisms, particularly those of the Karaite Jews, who had rejected the oral Torah (Talmud and Mishnah). This edition, which was printed in Amsterdam in 1647, follows the Hebrew translation made by Rabbi Judah ben Tibbon in the twelfth century.

Citation: 17. Sefer emunot ve-de’ot (The Book of Beliefs and Opinions),
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#541

This volume, published in Amsterdam in 1692, explains rulings on a number of Jewish legal matters, including slaughter, kashrut (kosher dietary laws), and kosher or non-kosher wines. It was authored by Hezekiah da Silva (b. 1659), a Jewish rabbi and teacher who spent time in both Jerusalem and Europe—indeed, the printing of this work began during his stay in Amsterdam. This edition has a number of interesting illustrations, including an ornately illuminated title page.

Citation: 18. Sefer peri hadash (The Book of New Fruits),
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#542

Isaac ben Judah Abravanel (b. 1437) was a medieval Jewish philosopher and commentator on the Bible from Portugal, who was well known for his wide-ranging writings as well as his involvement in affairs of state. This volume is a commentary on the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, using Abravanel’s method of listing particular questions or difficulties in the text which he then addresses. This volume was printed in Venice in 1579, and may be from the first printing of this famous work. The book retains a beautiful leather binding, as well as metal clasps, as can be seen in the images below.

Citation: 19. Perush HaTorah (Commentary on the Torah, Isaac Abravanel),
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#543

Although the Jewish Scriptures were first written in Hebrew, at a very early stage they began to be translated into other languages. The translations into Aramaic became very important, and were known as Targums. The Targums would become an important part of Jewish tradition, particularly in rabbinic Judaism. This volume, printed in Strasbourg in 1546, is a Latin translation of one the Targums of the Pentateuch (known as Targum Onqelos). The first page of text, showing the initial verses of Genesis, has a detailed illustration of the creation scene in the Garden of Eden. The work is ascribed to Paul Fagius, a German renaissance scholar of Hebrew from the sixteenth century.

Citation: 20. Latin Version of Targum Onqelos,
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#544

In the 14^th century, the Jewish writer Levi ben Gershom (b. 1288) penned a volume known as The War of the Lord, a work that combines theological, philosophical, and astronomical reflections. This edition was printed in Riva di Trento, Italy, in 1560 – the first and only printed edition of Gershom’s work until 1863. What is striking is that the book contains evidence of both Hebrew annotation and Catholic censorship, including the names of well-known counter-reformation censors from this period in Italy. For more on this example of censorship, see this description from Dr Javier del Barco.

Citation: 21. Milhamoth ha-Shem (The War of the Lord, Levi ben Gershom),
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#545

This work was written in the 11^th century by the Jewish rabbi Baḥya ben Joseph ibn Paḳuda. Drawing on biblical and rabbinic wisdom, it explores principles of spiritual life. The work was originally written in Judeo-Arabic by Baḥya ibn Paḳuda, and later translated into Hebrew by Rabbi Judah ben Tibbon in the 12^th century. This printed edition was created in Mantua, Italy, in 1559, with an ornately decorated title page (the library also holds the 1692 edition). The book also bears evidence of censorship; an inscription on the final page reads ‘visto per mi fra Luigi da [Bologna] 1601’.

Citation: 22. Sefer Ḥovat ha-levavot (Duties of the Heart),
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#546

This volume is a copy of Isaac ben Jacob Alfasi’s (b. 1013) commentary on Seder Nezikin, part of the Mishnah. This edition was printed in Basel in 1602. However, what makes this particular book interesting is that printed waste has been used in the binding of the book. Specifically, the printers used sections from the book of Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth) printed in Yiddish, as can be seen on the first image. In the book, the waste page appears rotated, as in the final image.

Citation: 23. Reused Yiddish Bible (Commentary on Seder Nezikin),
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#547

This volume is one of three copies which the Library holds containing several books from the Old Testament Minor Prophets (sometimes called the Book of the Twelve Prophets). This particular volume contains Hosea, Joel, Amos, and Obadiah. What makes this book interesting is that it contains more than just the Hebrew text of these prophetic works; it also includes the Aramaic translation (known as the Targum), as well as commentary on these books from the renowned rabbinic sources of the medieval period, Rashi, Abraham Ibn Ezra, and David Kimhi. This volume was printed in Geneva in 1556 by the well-known printer Robertus Stephanus (Robert Estienne).

Citation: 24. Hebrew Minor Prophets with Targum and Commentary,
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#548

This beautiful edition of the Hebrew Bible was printed in Amsterdam in 1635 by Menasseh ben Israel, a Portuguese rabbi who was the founder of the first Jewish printing press. The volume includes the use of red ink for both design and rubrics, as can be seen on image 2 below, depicting Genesis 1. Another interesting feature of this volume is that there are several annotations in Arabic (see images 4 and 5, below). At the end of several sections we find the phrase al-ḥamdu li-Llāh (praise be to God), though we do not know in whose hand it is written.

Citation: 25. Hebrew Bible (with Arabic annotation),
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#549

A type of biblical interpretation that emerged in ancient Judaism was known as midrash, a method used by the rabbis that draws out and explores the various ways in which biblical texts can be understood. This book represents one collection of midrash, known as Midrash Tanhuma; it is named after Rabbi Tanhuma, who is quoted in the collection. Midrash Tanhuma incorporates narrative (aggadah) and legal (halakah) material in its engagement with the first five books of the Bible, the Torah. The collection draws on generations of rabbinic teaching, and was likely collected in late antiquity. This edition, which has a lovely woodcut title page, was printed in Frankfurt in 1701.

Citation: 26. Midrash Tanhuma,
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#550

Elijah Levita (b. 1468) was a Jewish philologist and grammarian who was born in Germany but spent much of his life in Italy. One of his most important works was the Sefer Masoret ha-Masoret. In this volume Levita offers an explanation of the biblical masorah, those signs and comments that were added to the Hebrew texts of the Bible over time. One of Levita’s remarkable observations was that the vocalization and accents in the Masoretic tradition did not go back to Moses and the revelation at Mount Sinai, as was assumed in rabbinic tradition. This edition was printed in Basel in 1539. It has a number of unique features, including the use of manicules—symbols in the shape of a pointing hand that highlight a particular portion of a text.

Citation: 27. Sefer Masoret ha-Masoret, with Manicule,
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#551

This work (housed in three volumes) is a translation of the Hebrew Bible into Yiddish by Yaakov ben Yitschak. It includes the Hebrew text, a Yiddish translation, and a paraphrase of Rashi’s commentary on all the Hebrew Scriptures apart from the Torah (image 3, below, is from the beginning of the book of Joshua). This work was first printed in Lublin in the 1620s, and a later printing was made in Prague—this is the 1692 Prague edition. This particular volume has several annotations, including a note indicating one owner or reader, Yaakov bar Gedaliah, from Lublin (see image 2, below). On the binding, you can also see the remains of metal clasps.

Citation: 28. Sefer HaMagid,
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#552

Beyond Jewish and Hebrew texts, there are other aspects of the collection in Marsh’s Library which show that Archbishop Marsh and his successors were aware of issues relating to Judaism and Jewish people in the seventeenth century. One such example is a broadside published in London in 1656 by the Quaker William Tomlinson, entitled ‘A bosome opened to the Jewes holding forth to others some reasons for our receiving them into our nation’. Tomlinson argues that Jews should be re-admitted to England, and this assertion was made on both theological and patriotic grounds. Jews had been expelled from England beginning in the 13^th century, an edict that was only overturned in 1657. This broadside was published during Marsh’s time as a student in Oxford.

Citation: 29. A Bosome Opened to the Jewes,
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#553

Throughout history, there have been various attempts to identify specific groups of people with the lost tribes of Israel—that is, those Israelites who were taken away after the Assyrians destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel as recounted in the Hebrew Scriptures. One example of this was the attempt to identify the Native Americans in North America as being of Jewish descent—this became a popular idea of the early Spanish colonizers in particular. In 1650, Thomas Thorowgood, a Puritan minister, wrote a book entitled Jews in America, or Probabilities that those Indians are Judaical. The volume pictured here was a response by Hamon L’Estrange, published in London in 1652, with the title Americans no Jewes, or improbabilities that the Americans are of that race.

Citation: 30. Americans No Jewes,
Marsh's Library Exhibits,
‘SEFER: Jewish Books in Marsh’s Library’,
curated by Brad Anderson, accessed December 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/jewish-books#554