SEFER AMMUDEI GOLAH (LISTING OF COMMANDMENTS IN FORCE IN THE DIASPORA), RABBI ISAAC BEN JOSEPH OF CORBEIL, [CONSTANTINOPLE: SAMUEL IBN NAHMIAS, CA. 1510]

The first edition of an influential legal treatise.

This concise halakhic compendium by Rabbi Isaac ben Joseph of Corbeil (d. 1280) is an abridgment of Rabbi Moses ben Jacob of Coucy’s Sefer mitsvot ha-arokh/ha-gadol (Semag; see lot 14). In order to distinguish it from that work, Sefer ammudei golah is frequently referred to as Sefer mitsvot ha-katsar/ha-katan (Semak). The occasional haggahot (annotations) of Rabbi Perez ben Elijah of Corbeil (d. c. 1295), a student of R. Isaac, are set off in indented text columns. The title Sefer ammudei golah (Pillars of the Diaspora) alludes to the organizational structure of the book, which is divided into seven sections, called ammudim (pillars), corresponding to the seven days of the week. In order to enhance the work’s appeal, the author included numerous aggadic passages, moral maxims, and ethical teachings. Sefer ammudei golah thus gained broad popularity (especially in Germany) and was accepted as an authoritative halakhic source, frequently cited by later decisors.