Bidspirit auction | Tevuot HaAretz – The Author’s

Tevuot HaAretz – The Author’s Personal Copies with Extensive Autograph Corrections, Additions, and Annotations by Rabbi Yehoseph Schwarz. Jerusalem, 1843–1862 - A rare and exceptional set of Tevuot HaAretz, one of the foundational works on the geography, history, and halachic aspects of the Land of Israel, authored by the renowned scholar, kabbalist, and pioneering researcher of the Holy Land, Rabbi Yehoseph Schwarz. The volumes were printed in Jerusalem at the press of Rabbi Israel Bak between 1843 and 1862. The extraordinary significance of the present set lies in the fact that these were the author’s own personal copies, containing numerous corrections, additions, and annotations in his own handwriting. The second and third volumes are filled with autograph notes in a clear square Hebrew script, in which Rabbi Schwarz revised printed passages, incorporated newly acquired information, corrected earlier assumptions, and added important historical and geographical observations. These annotations provide a rare glimpse into the working methods of one of the foremost pioneers of Jewish scholarship on the Land of Israel. They reveal a careful and critical researcher who continuously reassessed his conclusions in light of new evidence. For example, in a section discussing the land of Abyssinia (Ethiopia), the printed text states that many descendants of Israel lived there under their own ruler. In a lengthy autograph correction, Rabbi Schwarz revised this statement, explaining that he had subsequently learned from a firsthand source that the kingdom in question was not Jewish but Christian. He further notes that he had personally met a visitor from that land in Jerusalem and thereby verified the accuracy of the information. Similar additions and corrections appear throughout the volumes, addressing the identification of biblical sites, geographical boundaries, settlements, and local traditions. Rabbi Yehoseph Schwarz (1805–1865) was among the most influential scholars of nineteenth-century Palestine and one of the earliest systematic researchers of the Land of Israel. Born in Germany, he studied under Rabbi Abraham Bing of Würzburg. Even in his youth he devoted himself to the study of the geography of the Holy Land and produced maps based on his research. In 1837 he immigrated to Jerusalem, where he joined the circle of scholars associated with the renowned Kabbalistic yeshivah Beit El. Alongside his Torah studies, he dedicated himself to extensive field research, identifying locations mentioned in the Bible and rabbinic literature and documenting the geography and Jewish settlement of the country. His works remain fundamental references in both traditional Jewish scholarship and modern historical and geographical research. Collation: Volume I – Tevuot HaShemesh: [6] leaves (lacking title page and first leaf of the introduction), 69 leaves, [6] leaves. Volume II – Tevuot HaAretz: [2], 156, 52, [3] leaves. Volume III – Teshuvot: [4], 170, [1] leaves. 14–16 cm. Elegantly bound in matching red leather bindings and housed in a custom-fitted case. Condition: Very good overall. A few detached leaves in one volume. Minor age wear and light staining. The author’s own annotated copies, filled with autograph corrections and additions—an exceptionally rare and important artifact for the history of the Land of Israel, Hebrew printing in Jerusalem, and nineteenth-century Jewish scholarship.