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Printed at the Behest of the Vilna Gaon! Sefer Kaneh HaMiddah on the Science of Astronomy Including the Rare Folding Charts! Prague, 1784 * Sefer Kaneh HaMiddah, a work on the computation of triangles — both planar and spherical — as a tool for understanding the heights of the heavens, the distances of the stars and their movements, translated by Rabbi Baruch Schick of Shklov, author of Amudei Shamayim. The sefer was translated into Lashon HaKodesh by direct instruction of the Vilna Gaon! In 1778, Rabbi Baruch visited the luminary of the generation, the Vilna Gaon, and they spoke at length about the vital importance of secular sciences as a necessary and complementary aid to the study of Torah. The Gaon instructed him to extract from the works of non-Jewish scholars and “translate whatever possible into our holy tongue, ” for “Torah and wisdom are inseparable.” Indeed, Rabbi Baruch went on to translate two scientific works into Hebrew. The first was Sefer Euclides, printed in The Hague in 1780; four years later, he printed Sefer Kaneh HaMiddah, as presented here. The story of the Gaon’s directive is recorded by Rabbi Baruch himself at the beginning of Sefer Euclides, and is also cited by Rabbi Avraham Simchah of Mstsislaw (a nephew of Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin), who writes: “It is already known among trustworthy G-d-fearing individuals, that our great and holy master, the pious genius, a saint as of old — our master and teacher Eliyahu of blessed memory of Vilna — yearned that the necessary works of sciences for understanding the sacred words of our holy prophets and our holy sages of the Talmud and their cryptic sayings in many places, be translated into our holy language, and he urged the distinguished sage, Rabbi Baruch of Shklov, to translate them to the best of his ability.” It is noteworthy that the Vilna Gaon himself authored a treatise on this very discipline, which was published from his autograph manuscript under the title Eil Meshulash (Vilna 1834). The Rare Charts Bound at the end of the sefer are three folding charts containing diagrams and illustrations for calculating distances and angles between celestial bodies and the earth. On the third chart, three illustrated flaps are affixed above three diagrams, designed to be lifted, transforming the chart into a magnificent three-dimensional display! The sefer itself is rare, the charts are exceedingly rare, and the third chart is not recorded at all in some bibliographic sources! The third chart does not appear in the scanned copy in Otzar HaChochma, and even in Winograd’s Otzar HaSefer HaIvri only two charts are listed. The calculations presented in this sefer are “the very soul of astronomical wisdom and the laws of Kiddush HaChodesh, ” as the Nodah B’Yehudah wrote, and “they are of great necessity for understanding the profound reasoning of our Talmudic sages in various places throughout Shas” (from his approbation, found in some copies - see below). Rabbi Baruch Schick of Shklov (1744-1808) was a scion of the illustrious Schick family of Shklov. A genius and kabbalist who was versed both in Revealed and Hidden Torah and secular wisdoms, he received semichah from Rabbi Avraham Katzenellenbogen, Av Beis Din of Brisk, and served as Dayan in the community of Minsk. In addition to the present work, he also edited and published the sefarim Yesod Olam, Euclides and Derech Yesharah. His descendants include the brilliant brothers, authors of Mishkenos Yaakov and Keren Orah. Prague, 1784. First edition. Page Count: [2], [1] 3–12 leaves + [3] folding charts. Size: 20.3 cm. On the front flyleaf is a handwritten note that the sefer was given as a gift for the bar mitzvah of Reb Daniel, son of the dignitary Rabbi Michael Steinschneider, by Rabbi Gavriel Bindlish. (Rabbi Michael Leib Steinschneider was likely a cousin of Rabbi Daniel Prostitz-Steinschneider, Av Beis Din of Pressburg. See Alei Zikaron, no. 63, p. 7.) An unusual antique binding, featuring an embossed monogram: D.S.S. [Daniel Steinschneider]. Provenance: William Gross Collection, Tel Aviv. Variant The first leaf was printed twice by the author. In the initial printing, on the verso of the title page, he included a foreword in which he explained that he did not seek approbations for this sefer, as had been done by other authors of similar works. Apparently, shortly afterward he changed his mind and requested the approbation of the Nodah B’Yehudah, and he reprinted the first leaf, omitted the foreword, and replaced it with the approbation. The present copy contains the first printing of the opening leaf, with the foreword. This variant is not recorded in the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book!