Bidspirit auction | A Wondrous Discovery: a Copy

A Wondrous Discovery: a Copy of First Edition of the Responsa of the Mabit, seemingly signed by the ex-Converso, Son of the Duke, Who Became a talmudic Sage, the Friend of the Maharit!!! - Responsa of the Mabit Halachic responsa by Rabbi Moshe Trani, the close disciple of Rabbi Yaakov Beirav, ordained by him together with his disputant, Maran the Beit Yosef of blessed memory. Venice 1620/1630 – the first edition published by the author’s sons, Rabbi Shlomo Trani and his brother, the Maharit. One of the fundamental works of responsa literature, cited thousands of times in the books of the halachic authorities! [2], 159, [7] leaves, good condition, several leaves at the beginning and end underwent artistic restoration, upper edges trimmed twice with a minute touch to the headers, magnificent new leather binding (does not open perfectly). Stefansky Sifrei Yesod no. 285 This copy seems to have belonged to the Maharit's contemporary and friend, the wondrous Rabbi Yaakov Ibn Yaish, son of the wealthy forced convert who returned to Judaism and became close to the Sultan, who was sent by his father to the Land of Israel to build the city of Tiberias – and immersed himself there in Torah. Ownership inscription: Yaakov ben Yaish. Shlomo ben Yaish was born in Portugal as a forced convert under the name Alvaro Mendes. His son, later Rabbi Yaakov, was called Francisco Mendes. Shlomo was a great merchant who became one of the richest men in the world, and through his trade he developed connections with the rulers of the age. He engaged in international diplomacy and became one of the most influential figures on the political stage, with personal connections and great influence at the court of the Queen of England – primarily through his brother-in-law Rodrigo Lopez, the chief physician of the Queen’s court, the King of Portugal, and the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, then at the height of its power. Extensive research has been done on the initiatives and diplomatic maneuvers of Alvaro Mendes in that era. And then… Alvaro discovered Judaism, emigrated to Constantinople, and returned to the faith of his ancestors. In Constantinople he became a confidant of the Sultan, who even granted him a title of nobility and the position of “Duke of Mytilene, ” and Alvaro, whose name became Shlomo, received authority from the Sultan over Tiberias and its surroundings, with the aim of continuing its development begun by Don Yosef Nasi who had passed away, whose place Shlomo filled as the Sultan’s Jewish confidant. To Tiberias he sent his son, Yaakov, to supervise its construction. If his expectation was that his son would turn Tiberias into a source of income and taxes, this expectation was not fulfilled. Yaakov indeed engaged in building the city, but his aims were different. Of this his father writes, with frustration mingled with admiration, in a letter to his brother-in-law Rodrigo Lopez in London: “My son, who now resides in this Holy Land, persists in his madness and zeal. He has caused me great expenses without any benefit because he did not understand the spirit of the people living there. He is an upright man with a pure conscience, and he devotes all his time to reading and study, and he concerns himself with his soul and eternal life more than with temporal life; may the Lord be with us all”… Rabbi Yaakov indeed succeeded in his learning. The Maharit, son of the Mabit, directed to him a question in which he struggled regarding the understanding of a Mishnah in Tractate Ohalot. It is a complex mathematical problem, and it is possible that Rabbi Yaakov had a background in mathematics from his years as a forced convert in Portugal. The Maharit turns to him with awe and respect: “נחל נובע מקור חכמה ולא יבצר ממנו מזמה החכם השלם כמה”ר יעקב נר”ו”. He concludes the question: “ואין לי שולחני להרצות ספקותי זולתי האדון, אשר בגודל חכמתך תאיר עיני בהלכה זו, וכסא תורתך לעולם יכון כנפשך החכמה ונפש נאמן למצותך, יוסף מטראני”. Signed in reply to the Maharit: “הצעיר יעקב ן' יעיש”. This book is a copy of the Responsa of the Mabit – published by his son the Maharit – and it belonged to Rabbi Yaakov ben Yaish, almost certainly he who was formerly known as Francisco Mendes, who left the splendors of power and immersed himself in Torah – to the point that the Maharit addressed him with a halachic query! And perhaps he received the book from the Maharit himself as a token of esteem…