Bidspirit auction | Purim Parody First Edition. Breslau,

Purim Parody First Edition. Breslau, c. 1800 * A humorous composition for Purim, containing poems, songs, and even mock ”selichos” and ”prayers”. The work is constructed with clever rhetoric about Purim customs, particularly about those who are concerned with fulfilling the mitzvah of ”a person is obligated to become intoxicated on Purim until he cannot distinguish between Mordechai and Haman.” First edition of this work. From early times, humorous compositions for Purim have been widespread among Jews, such as Maseches Purim (Venice 1552), Haggadah for the Night of the Drunkards and the like, containing sharp, witty and elaborate nonsense, purely for jest and entertainment. Breslau, circa 1800. Page Count: 12 leaves. Size: 17.9 cm. Condition: Good, hole in final pages. New binding. Provenance: William Gross Collection, Tel Aviv. (This copy is the one photographed in Otzar HaSefer HaIvri – Winograd.) The work was published anonymously but the consensus is that the author is the grammarian Yehuda Leib ben Ze'ev (1764-1811) , who was living in Breslau around this time and printed several of his works there.