Bidspirit auction | Ho’il Moshe. Venice, [1597] Only

Ho’il Moshe. Venice, [1597] Only edition - Ho’il Moshe. Homilies on the excellence of the Torah and aggadic passages concerning the Giving of the Torah and the commandment of circumcision. By Rabbi Moshe Alfales. Venice, [1597] Only edition. An important early book of sermons by Rabbi Moshe Alfales, among the prominent Sephardic preachers active in the late sixteenth century. The work addresses the supreme value of the Torah, interprets aggadic passages dealing with the Revelation at Sinai, and expounds on the spiritual significance of the commandment of circumcision, combining learned exposition with refined rhetorical style. It should be sold. On the title page appears an extended, ornate statement defining the purpose of the book: “The book Ho’il Moshe, intended to make known the precious splendor of the Torah through intellectual and rational demonstrations; inspired further by a spirit from on high, wondrous in counsel and wisdom, to proclaim the excellence of circumcision in letters most faithful—these words issued from the mouth of the consummate sage, our master Rabbi Moshe Alfales, may his light shine.” Printed at the behest of Daniel Zaniti, this is the sole edition of the work. The author — Rabbi Moshe Alfales (ca. 1540–ca. 1620): A Moroccan-born preacher, apparently a native of Marrakesh, who delivered sermons throughout numerous Sephardic communities. In his youth he preached in Marrakesh, later serving as a preacher and teacher in Tetouan, where several sermons preserved in this book were composed as models for instructing his students in the art of homiletics. He traveled widely among Jewish communities of the Ottoman Empire—Ragusa, Belgrade, and Skopje—preaching his sermons there. He spent several years in Salonika, serving as preacher and lecturer in the Talmud Torah community. He later resided for a number of years in Venice, where he preached, including a sermon delivered at the founding of the Levantine community’s yeshiva. In 5355 [1595] he completed Ho’il Moshe in Tetouan. In 5357 [1597] he returned to Venice, where he printed in the same year both Ho’il Moshe—devoted to the virtues of the Torah—and Vayakhel Moshe, a collection of sermons on diverse topics. During his time in Venice he served as preacher to the Levantine community and became acquainted with the city’s leading sages. In the introduction to Parashat ha-Kesef (manuscript), it is recorded that Rabbi Judah Aryeh of Modena consulted him regarding that work. He was also active as an editor of Hebrew books, including Kodesh Yisrael and Kehillat Moshe (5359 [1599])—philosophical works engaging the thought of Maimonides and Gersonides by Rabbi Baruch ben Baruch; Midrash Shmuel on Avot (5360 [1600]) by Rabbi Samuel Uceda; Torat Moshe on the Torah by Rabbi Moshe Alshich (5360 [1600]); and Olat Tamid by Rabbi Moshe Aldabida (5361 [1601]). On 4 Kislev 5365 [1604], he married his daughter Beruriah (Chiara) to Judah ben Eliezer of Lavidia; on that occasion, his friend Rabbi Judah Aryeh of Modena composed a poem praising Rabbi Moshe’s sermons. 139, [8] leaves. 20 cm. Condition: Very good. Minor age staining. A few isolated wormholes. Binding: Attractive original wooden boards covered with vellum. A rare and early homiletical work, in its only edition, by a Sephardic–Moroccan preacher active at the heart of Venetian and Salonikan Jewish intellectual life—an item of notable historical and bibliophilic interest.