Bidspirit auction | Exceptionally Rare Sefer HaMasa'ot of

Exceptionally Rare Sefer HaMasa'ot of Rabbi Binyamin of Tudela Lithographic Edition Baghdad, 1866 * ‘Sefer Masa’ot shel Rebbi Binyamin’ – The Book of Travels of Rabbi Binyamin – is the travel diary of the famed Jewish traveller Rabbi Binyamin of Tudela, offering a fascinating account of his journeys across the continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and his vivid descriptions of Jewish life and communities in the Middle Ages. One of the most important Jewish travel works, and a primary historical source for numerous Jewish communities of that era. The sefer was printed in Baghdad using stone printing (lithography), and is one of the first sefarim ever printed there. The choice to print Sefer Masa’ot in Baghdad was no coincidence — it was done so deliberately, for this travelogue is one of the earliest and most important sources for the history of the Baghdad Jewish community, which Rabbi Binyamin visited during his journey! In fact, the city to which Rabbi Binyamin devotes the longest description — longer even than his accounts of Jerusalem and Constantinople — is none other than Baghdad! His description of Baghdad spans six pages. He reports that about a thousand Jews reside there, and he vividly portrays the grandeur of the yeshivos of the Geonim and the heads of those institutions, among them Rabbi Shmuel ben Ali. He also offers an extensive account of the Reish Galusa (leader), Rabbi Daniel ben Chisdai, and the great honor shown to him by both Jews and Muslims alike. He later describes the burial site of the prophet Yechezkel and the order of prayers recited at his grave. At the end of the sefer, the song ‘Adonenu Yechezkel HaNavi’ is printed here for the first time. Exceptionally rare. Baghdad, 1866. Page Count: 80 pages. Size: 15.4 cm. Condition: Good. Minor loss to two leaves, crease on final leaf. Old binding. Provenance: William Gross Collection, Tel Aviv. Bibliography: Ya’ari, The Hebrew Press in Eastern Lands, list of books printed in Baghdad, no. 2.