Handwritten Compilation by the Karaite Fraudster, Avraham Perkowitz - Copied from an Ancient Manuscript of Sefer HeAruch

Handwritten Compilation by the Karaite Fraudster, Avraham Perkowitz - Copied from an Ancient Manuscript of Sefer HeAruch

39-page kuntress handwritten and signed by the famous Karaite researcher, Avraham Perkowitz, whose discoveries (or at least, his forgeries), are considered groundbreaking in Karaite research. Sent to Betzalel Stern, principal of the most prominent school in Odessa, with a request that he send the kuntress to Rabbi Shlomo Yehudah Leib Rapoport, av beit din of Prague, known as Shi"r. Crimean Peninsula (under Russian rule), 1842.

The first part of the manuscript consists of a copy of the introduction to Sefer HeAruch, from an ancient manuscript from the 15th century that was bought by the Czarist public library along with many other manuscripts by Perkowitz. This collection is called "The first Perkowitz Collection."

The introduction was printed for the first time by Simchah Pinsker in the sefer Likkutei Kadmoniyot (Vienna, 1860).

The bottom of the manuscript features over 120 comments (some lengthy) by Perkowitz. His famous signature  "אב"ן רש"ף" (אברהם בן רבי שמואל פירקוביץ') appears at the end of this section.

Short comment on page 6 signed "Dinard" - apparently this is handwritten by the renowned researcher Ephraim Dinard, who engaged in polemics with Perkowitz with regard to the latter's historical assertions about the Karaites.

The second part of the manuscript consists of several additional passages connected to Sefer HeAruch and its various versions, apparently from that same ancient manuscript: The introduction by Rabbi Shmuel Jama; textual differences between Sefer HeAruch in the manuscript and the Venice Press edition, column by column; a small four-page study by Perkowitz about the author of HeAruch.

Signed 3-page letter by Perkowitz at the end of the volume in Rash"i script, addressed to rabbis and sages in general, in which he explains this important discovery. There was a lot of hatred against Perkowitz as a result of his book, Massa U'Merivah (1838) in which he besmirches traditional Judaism vs. that of the Karaites. Perkowitz hints at this in this letter, "And if I was mistaken in what I wrote and published, one who confesses and forsakes (his sins) will find mercy. May the good God grant atonement to all who turn their hearts to Him, because only He can forgive ... from me, Abe"n Rasha"f ..." A passage from this letter was printed as early as 1855.

The manuscript appears in several different writing styles, all by Perkowitz.

[39] written pages, [20] leaves. Approximately 18 cm.

Moderate condition. Tears and minor blemishes in the margins of several leaves. Most of the leaves are bound in such a way that the binding hides and damages the text in the inner margins. Some of the tears are repaired.