Bidspirit auction | Sefer Yesod: Sefer Akeidas Yitzchak

Sefer Yesod: Sefer Akeidas Yitzchak – Rare Bomberg Edition, Venice 1547 - Sefer Akeidas Yitzchak, Venice 1547. Printed at the press of the famed Daniel Bomberg. Second edition, although with great improvement over the first edition, which appeared in Salonika in 1522.  Sefer Akeidas Yitzchak is a fundamental 15th-century philosophical and homiletic commentary on the Torah, authored by R. Yitzchak Arama (c. 1420–1494), a prominent Spanish rabbi and teacher. Composed during a period of immense intellectual and religious pressure on Spanish Jewry, the work was designed to bolster the faith of Jews who were being challenged by secular Aristotelian philosophy and Christian missionary efforts. Unlike traditional verse-by-verse commentaries, the Akeidas Yitzchak is organized into 105 distinct She’arim (Gates). Each gate functions as a structured Derasha, beginning with a philosophical inquiry into a specific theme or problem, followed by a masterful reconciliation of those ideas with the literal and allegorical meaning of the Pesukim. The work is celebrated for its unique synthesis of the Spanish rationalist tradition with a fierce commitment to the primacy of Jewish revelation. Rabbi Arama, often referred to as the Ba'al Akeidah after his masterpiece, argues that while human reason and philosophy are valuable tools, they are ultimately subordinate to the divine wisdom of the Torah. His writing style is remarkably rich, blending Talmudic legal analysis, Kabbalistic allusions, and classical logic into a cohesive worldview. Because of its profound influence on the art of Jewish preaching, the Akeidas Yitzchak became a foundational text for later generations of rabbis and thinkers, including many early Chassidic masters, who frequently drew upon its allegorical depth and moral insights to explain the relationship between God and the individual soul. A fine copy with nice margins; page edges tinted green. Occasional stains due to age; minor old paper restorations to first five leaves. Bound in original vellum binding, heavily worn and damaged. Spine partially damaged.  [1], 309 pp.  Page size: 37cm