Bidspirit auction | Halichot Olam – One of

Halichot Olam – One of the Foundational Works for Talmudic Study. Mantua, 1593. With an Early Contemporary Manuscript Inscription - Halichot Olam, by the renowned scholar Rabbi Yehoshua HaLevi, including his commentary on the Thirteen Principles by which the Torah is interpreted and on the Divine Attributes of Mercy, together with the celebrated introduction to the Talmud by Rabbi Samuel HaNagid. Mantua, printed by the brothers Isaac and Solomon ben Rabbi Samuel Norzi, 1593. An early edition of one of the most important foundational works in the history of Talmudic study. For centuries, Halichot Olam served as a primary introduction to the methodology of Talmudic analysis, principles of halachic decision-making, and the foundations of the Oral Torah, and was studied extensively in academies and yeshivot throughout the Jewish world. The author, Rabbi Yehoshua HaLevi (1430–1510), was among the leading sages of North Africa. Following persecutions and upheavals, he settled in Toledo, Spain, where he composed his renowned Halichot Olam, a work that achieved wide circulation and profoundly influenced generations of scholars and authors. Bound with the volume is the classic introduction to the Talmud by Rabbi Samuel HaNagid, one of the most significant compositions ever written on the subject. The present copy is distinguished by an early contemporary manuscript inscription, in which the writer records an event or occurrence in his own words. Such personal annotations add a unique historical and human dimension to Hebrew books, offering valuable insight into the lives of their owners and the ways in which books were used and treasured in earlier centuries. Printed at the famous Norzi press in Mantua, one of the foremost centers of Hebrew printing in late sixteenth-century Italy. 40 leaves. 19 cm. Good to very good condition. Stains. Original simple binding.