Bidspirit auction | Miniature Tehillim Proofread by Rabbi

Miniature Tehillim Proofread by Rabbi Menashe ben Israel and Printed by His Son Rabbi Joseph ben Israel Amsterdam, 1646 * The complete 150 chapters of Sefer Tehillim by Dovid HaMelech, with vowels and ta’amim (cantillation marks). A miniature edition measuring just 10.2 cm! This edition was published according to the corrected text prepared by the renowned Rabbi Menashe ben Israel, as stated on the title page in Latin wording. It was printed at the printing press of his eldest son, Rabbi Joseph ben Israel, whose name appears on the title pages of books printed in Amsterdam between approximately 1646 and 1648. In practice, this was the very same printing establishment founded by Rabbi Menashe ben Israel. During this period, however, Rabbi Menashe had withdrawn from its commercial management and devoted himself primarily to proofreading, editing, and the like, while the business itself was managed first by his son Joseph and later by his son Shmuel. Rabbi Menashe ben Israel (1604–1657) was born in Lisbon, Portugal, to a family of conversos who fled to Amsterdam to escape the Portuguese Inquisition. From an early age, he devoted himself to bringing the descendants of these forced converts back to Judaism. Having lived for years as secret Jews, many had lost their familiarity with Lashon HaKodesh, and Rabbi Menashe made the Torah and Jewish faith accessible to them in their own language. To facilitate the publication and distribution of his works, he established the first Hebrew printing press in Amsterdam. Amsterdam, 1646. Page Count: 131 leaves. Miniature format: 10.2 cm. Condition: Fair to good. Tiny holes to some leaves, stains, and light wear. Antique vellum binding; beneath the vellum, traces of earlier Latin lettering are visible. Bibliography: Copenhagen, Menashe ben Israel – Bibliography, p. 118, no. 6