Bidspirit auction | Sefer Yesod of Jewish Thought:

Sefer Yesod of Jewish Thought: Sefer HaKuzari Venice, 1547. Early and Fine Edition. * Sefer HaKuzari, by the sage and poet Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi, is a work of faith and philosophy that discusses the fundamental principles of Judaism. The sefer is written in the form of a debate between the king of Khazar and a Jewish scholar referred to as “chaver.” Sefer HaKuzari is one of the foundational and most significant works of Jewish thought and was embraced in every generation. The Vilna Gaon said of Sefer HaKuzari that it is “holy and pure, and the foundations of the faith of Yisrael and the Torah depend upon it” (Tosefes Ma'aseh Rav, Jerusalem 1896, leaf 21b, section 61). The Pri Megadim established a fixed study schedule to study it and stated: “Every person who gazes into it sees how delightful it is to gain understanding in faith in Hashem… yet it is impossible to acquire it even for great sums of money” (in his approbation to the Berlin edition of 1795). Rabbi Avraham Zacuto writes about the sefer in Sefer Yuchasin: “In the year 4500, there was the matter of the king of Khazar, who conducted a debate and investigation with three scholars, one Christian, one Muslem, and one Jew. At its conclusion, the king converted to Judaism together with all his ministers and servants. The debate was recorded in the Sefer HaKuzari, concerning matters of faith, and it was composed by Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi.” The sefer was originally written in Arabic, and its translation into Lashon HaKodesh by the sage Rabbi Yehuda Ibn Tibbon spread to all Jewish communities. Sefer HaKuzari and the Moreh Nevuchim of the Rambam are often mentioned together, as for example in the approbation of the Pri Megadim cited above, although Sefer HaKuzari preceded the composition of the Moreh Nevuchim by several decades. The present sefer is the second edition of the sefer. It is an early printing with fine margins. The first edition, printed in Fano in 1526, is exceedingly rare. Venice, 1547. Page Count: 50 leaves. Size : 18.6 cm. Condition : Good, with a few stains; otherwise, a fine copy. Fine new binding. Bibliography : A. M. Habermann, Hamadpisim Bnei Yaakov Prentzoni, no. 3, in Areshet, vol. I, pp. 67–68. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The title page features a large illustration of the Menorah of the Beis HaMikdash, lit and shining, which is the emblem of the printer Meir Ish Frentz, alluding to his name, “Meir.” (See: Yaari, Diglei HaMadpisim HaIvri’im, p. 128, illustration 14.) It is evident that the illustration was executed by a Jew knowledgeable in the precise halachic details, or under his instruction, for the six lamps are directed toward the central lamp, in accordance with Rashi on Bamidbar, chapter 8, pasuk 2. On the final page, there is a poem in praise of the sefer by the publisher, with each line totaling the gematria of 1547, the year of the sefer’s printing.