Bidspirit auction | MOSHE BEN MAIMON (Ramba’m /

MOSHE BEN MAIMON (Ramba’m / Maimonides).  Mishneh Torah - Sepher Mishpatim & Sepher Kinyan [code of Jewish law]. Hebrew Manuscript, Yemenite semi-cursive hand written in black ink on paper. Text comprises: Sepher Mishpatim and Sepher Kinyan, lacking only Hilchoth Melachim 3:9-5:5, 7:3-12:12; and Hilkhoth Mechira 1:1-12:8, 28:7- 30:2. ff. 116. Corners rounded, few wormholes, some staining and occasional expert paper repairs with minimal loss of text. Modern blind-tooled morocco, with slipcase. Sm. folio. Yemen, 14th century. Provenance: i. The brilliant Maimonides scholar, R. Yosef Kapach (1917-2000). ii. Sold at Sotheby’s New York, Important Judaica, 4th December, 2014, lot 101. Moses Maimonides (1135–1204) was the most illustrious figure in Judaism in the post-talmudic era. Referred to as Ramba'm (an acronym for Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon), Maimonides, was born in Cordoba, Spain but was forced to flee in 1148 as a result of religious persecution. Maimonides eventually settled in Egypt, where he was named court physician to al-Qadi al-Fadil. In 1177 he was recognized as the official head of the Fostat Jewish community. It was during this exceptionally productive period of his life he wrote the two monumental works upon which his fame chiefly rests, the Mishneh Torah (c. 1180) and the Guide to the Perplexed (c. 1190). The Yemenite origin of this manuscript is significant as Maimonides maintained a special relationship with the Jews of Yemen. When a false messiah arose, existentially threatening the survival of the Yemeni Jewish community, they turned in their hour of need to Maimonides, who replied in a consolatory epistle entitled Iggeret Teiman. This literary tour de force not only inspired the Jews to withstand the current crisis; it left an indelible impression on the Yemenite Jews and afforded Maimonides a nearly saint-like status in their eyes. This led, even in Maimonides lifetime, to widespread promulgation and copying of the sage’s written works among Yemenite Jews. These early Yemenite manuscripts provide us with the most authoritative and most accurate versions of the Rambam’s words. The late Rabbi Yosef Kapach was one of the foremost leaders of the Yemenite Jewish community, first in Yemen and later in Israel. He is best known for his editions and translations of the works of Maimonides, primarily his restoration of the Mishnah Torah from ancient manuscripts. His personal collection of antique manuscripts of Maimonides’ works, from which this volume emanates, is legendary.