Commentary on Talmudic Legends, Isaac ben Jedaiah, [15th century]

This volume contains an unpublished commentary on Talmudic legends on the tractates Ketubbot, Gittin, Yevamot, Sotah, Nedarim, and Niddah by Isaac ben Yedaya (Provence, thirteenth century). The beginning of the commentary on Ketubbot and the end of the copmmentary on Niddah are missing. Another part of this commentary on tractates from Seder Nezikin is found in Madrid (Escorial ms. G-IV-3), in a different hand. Marc Saperstein identified the author of the text in the Escorial manuscript in Revue des Etudes Juives, 138 (1979), pp. 17-45 and in his book, Decoding the Rabbis (Cambridge, 1980). A comparison of the texts in either manuscript shows that many idiosyncratic expressions and formulations are found in both and that there are references from each text to the other. The commentaries on Avot and Horayot in the Escorial manuscript have been published, but without attribution to the true author. On the front flyleaf, a previous owner, Shalom Aflalo of Gibraltar, suggested that the author was Samuel ibn Senah Zarza, an obviously incorrect conjecture. This early owner further states that he bought this book “for myself so that it should not get into someone else’s hands because its contents lead to heresy.”

Sotheby’s is grateful to Menahem Schmelzer z”l and Benjamin Richler for cataloguing this manuscript.

Provenance

Shalom Aflalo of Gibraltar (owner’s inscription, inside of front flyleaf) — Solomon Halberstam (shelf no. 336)

Physical Description

112 leaves on paper and parchment, 7 ¼ x 5 inches; 184 x 127 mm, written in brown ink in Sephardic semi-cursive script; browned, stained, and remargined throughout, one-third to one-half of text lacking in fols. 106-112, paper leaves generally very fragile with internal shredding and fraying, causing numerous losses to text, repairs to worm trails in fols. 17-23, 31-36, 39-43 and 82-86 with losses to text. Later stiff vellum, manuscript title on spine.

Literature

Hirschfeld (ms. no. 79)