Tikkunei Shabbat – Illuminated Manuscript on Parchment, by Scribe-Artist Jacob ben Judah Leib Shamas of Berlin – ...

Tikkunei Shabbat – Illuminated Manuscript on Parchment, by Scribe-Artist Jacob ben Judah Leib Shamas of Berlin – Hamburg, 1723

Tikkunei Shabbat, according to the teachings of R. Isaac Luria Ashkenazi – the Arizal. Illuminated manuscript on parchment, created by the scribe and artist Jacob ben Judah Leib Shamas of Berlin. Hamburg, 1723.

Ink and paint on parchment.

A small-format manuscript, written in Ashkenazic square script and semi-cursive (Rashi) script. The texts in square script are fully vocalized. On several leaves, Yiddish translations appear in Ashkenazic semi-cursive script (Vaybertaytsh / "Tz'enah Ur'enah"). All pages are bordered with gold frames and feature wide margins. Small floral illustrations are interwoven throughout the manuscript, serving as dividers between different sections, and also appear in the colophons as full lines.

The Text and Colophon

The title page details the manuscript's contents: "Tikkunei Shabbat, according to… R. Isaac Luria Ashkenazi… Additionally, included is the order for Motza'ei Shabbat and the Blessing of the Moon". Indeed, the manuscript contains the following texts: Seder Kabbalat Shabbat, Kiddush for Shabbat, customs for the Shabbat meal and the order of the first meal, Shabbat evening zemirot, Torah study portions for Shabbat day, Shabbat day zemirot, Mincha for Shabbat, zemirot for Motza'ei Shabbat, Havdalah, and the customs for the Blessing of the Moon.

The scribe signed his name twice: the first signature appears in a detailed colophon on p. [61]b: "By the hand of the writer, Jacob ben R. Judah Leib Shamas of Berlin, at present a Stam scribe in Hamburg, in 1723"; the second signature appears in a shorter colophon on the final page (p. [63]b): "Jacob, Stam scribe from Berlin, in 1723".

Illustrations and Ornamentation

The manuscript opens with a fully illustrated title page in black and white. At the top, two angels blow golden trumpets, surrounded by five biblical scenes, each accompanied by a relevant verse (clockwise): The Revelation on Mount Sinai (Giving of the Torah), Elijah ascending to heaven in his chariot, Isaac sowing his field, Joseph in the house of his Egyptian master, and Samuel anointing David as king. These illustrations are modeled after an engraving that first appeared as the title page of the Amsterdam Bible, printed by Joseph Athias in 1659-1660.

Additionally, the manuscript contains five more illustrations, depicting:

P. [10]a: A miniature illustration of King Solomon seated on his throne (accompanying the Song of Songs).

P. [21]a: Illustration of a festive meal (accompanying the Kiddush for Friday night).

P. [35]a: Illustration of a festive meal (accompanying the Kiddush for Shabbat).

P. [47]a: Illustration of a festive meal (accompanying the blessings for the third meal).

P. [58]a: Illustration of the Havdalah ceremony (accompanying the Havdalah blessings).

Large initial words, illustrated or gilt decorated, on pp. [3]a, [5]a, [7]a, [21]b, [35]b, [48]a, [55]b, [59]b, [62]a and [62]b.

The scribe-artist, Jacob ben Judah Leib Shamas of Berlin, is considered one of the most prolific scribes of the "Hamburg-Altona School" of the first half of the 18th century, which also included the scribe-artists Joseph ben David Leipnik and Uri Feivish ben Isaac Segal. Between ca. 1717 and 1741, he produced over 35 Hebrew manuscripts, including prayer and custom books for circumcision, Passover Haggadot, Tikkunei Shabbat, Perek Shira, Tehillim, and more.

Five of his manuscripts, preserved in the Rosenthaliana Library, Amsterdam, have been extensively studied and described by Emile Schrijver (see below). His work has also been thoroughly researched by Iris Fishof (see below).

Another seven manuscripts of "Tikkunei Shabbat" by Jacob Shamas are known, including: a 1728 manuscript, kept in the Jewish Museum, London (Barnett, no. 627); a 1730 manuscript, kept in the Rosenthaliana Library (Ms. Rosenthaliana 661); two manuscripts kept in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem (B81.0935; Ms. 180/097 and 180/010); a 1719 manuscript, kept in the Hamburg State and University Library (Ms. Levy 60); two additional manuscripts in private collections.

[64] leaves. 14.3X8.7 cm. Overall good condition. A few stains. Stains to first parchment leaf (before title page). Some loose leaves. Original red leather binding with gilt-tooling, placed in original cardboard slipcase. Damage to spine (peeling leather). Small tears and creases to slipcase edges. Ownership inscription dated 1782 on second endpaper: "Purchased from Polack for 14 Reichsthaler… 15th Shevat 1782…". Lengthy Yiddish ownership inscriptions from 19th century on both sides of leaf [1] (parchment leaf before title page).

References:

This manuscript is documented in Iris Fishof's book, Jüdische Buchmalerei in Hamburg und Altona (Hamburg: Christians, 1999), no. 310 in the catalogue of Yakob Sofer's works (p. 296, with additional references on pp. 301, 309, 329, 342, 346-347).

See further:

1. Iris Fishof, Yakob Sofer mi-Berlin: A Portrait of a Jewish Scribe, Israel Museum Journal 6 (1987), 83-94.

2. Emile G.L. Schrijver, 'Be-ôtiyyôt Amsterdam' Eighteenth-century Hebrew manuscript production in Central Europe: the case of Jacob ben Judah Leib Shamas, Quærendo 20,1 (1990), 24-62.