Bidspirit auction | Kol Bo. Venice, 1567. Attributed

Kol Bo. Venice, 1567. Attributed Copy - Kol Bo – Laws for the Entire Year, Halachot and Customs. By an unknown author. Venice, 1567 (Shin-Kaf-Zayin). Attributed copy. A foundational halachic work from the era of the Rishonim, frequently cited in Beit Yosef and the Shulchan Aruch. The identity of the author remains unknown. An early edition printed during the lifetimes of Maran the Joseph Karo (Beit Yosef) and the Rema, Moses Isserles, both of whom cite the work extensively. Kol Bo is a comprehensive halachic compendium composed in the period of the Rishonim. It served as a major source for later halachic authorities, who quoted it frequently. The volume also contains one of the earliest known commentaries on the Passover Haggadah. The authorship of Kol Bo is uncertain and has been the subject of longstanding scholarly debate. The Shalshelet HaKabbalah attributes it to the Rivash, while the Chida rejects this identification. Some suggest that Rabbi Aharon HaKohen of Lunel authored Kol Bo as an early version of his well-known Orchot Chaim, composed several years later. The work Korei HaDorot records an opinion that a learned woman authored the book, though it concludes from the internal evidence that it reflects “the wisdom of a man rather than the wisdom of a woman.” In terms of content, Kol Bo was heavily influenced by Orchot Chaim of Rabbi Aharon HaKohen of Lunel, and for this reason some attribute the composition to him. The printer’s device on the title page is that of Giorgio de Cavalli: a war elephant bearing a turret with armed warriors (see: Hebrew Printer’s Marks, no. 34). Provenance Signatures: “HaKatan Hirsch L’KAB” – Rabbi Naftali Hirsch Katzenellenbogen (1749–1823), author of Shaar Naftali, one of the leading rabbinic authorities of his generation. He served as Rabbi of Frankfurt an der Oder following the passing of the Pri Megadim, and later as Av Beit Din of Winzenheim and Chief Rabbi of the Upper Rhine region. At right, the signature of his son, noting that he received the book from his father. At center: “HaKatan Isaac son of … the holy Rabbi Itzik Ettlingen.” [4], 158 leaves. Approx. 29 cm. Good condition. Minor worming to the inner blank margins, not affecting text. Contemporary wooden boards covered in leather, with remnants of clasps.