Bidspirit auction | Derashot HaTorah – Padua, 1567.

Derashot HaTorah – Padua, 1567. Among the Earliest Hebrew Books Printed in Padua - Derashot HaTorah, homiletical discourses on the weekly Torah portions, sermons on repentance, and a discourse for Yom Kippur, by the renowned scholar Rabbi Shem Tov ibn Shem Tov. Padua, printed by Lorenzo Pasquato, 1567. An exceptionally early and exceedingly rare edition of one of the important works of Jewish homiletics printed in sixteenth-century Italy. The volume is printed in attractive square Hebrew type and contains sermons on the Torah portions, themes of repentance, and Yom Kippur, reflecting a style that combines Jewish thought, homiletics, and philosophy. The present work is among the earliest Hebrew books printed in Padua. In fact, it is one of only two Hebrew books known to have been printed in the city during this early period. Its bibliographical importance is considerable, as regular Hebrew printing activity in Padua began only decades later, and Hebrew books produced there in the sixteenth century are exceptionally rare. The author, Rabbi Shem Tov ibn Shem Tov, belonged to the generation of Spanish Jewish scholars following the Expulsion from Spain. His writings reflect the intellectual world of Sephardic Jewish thought at the close of the Middle Ages and the dawn of the early modern era. His works enjoyed relatively limited circulation, and copies of their first editions are today extremely scarce. The present copy bears several early ownership inscriptions, including: “Amarti Achkamah VeHi Rechokah Mimeni, Mordechai Partzul…” as well as additional signatures: “I, Shlomo Valobra Kogi, year 1790,” and “Shmuel Valobra Kogi.” These inscriptions add a fascinating historical dimension to the volume, documenting its passage through the hands of scholars and book owners over the course of centuries. A rare work of bibliographical, historical, and scholarly importance—one of the earliest Hebrew imprints of Padua and a significant survivor from the formative period of Hebrew printing in Italy. 81 leaves. 30 cm. Condition: Very good. Contemporary vellum binding.