Auction 11
Rare Hebrew Books & Manuscripts, Rabbinic Letters and Judaica
By Taj Art
Contact auction house
Dec 24, 2023
Jerusalem, Israel
The auction has ended
|
LOT 50:
Chamisha Chumshei Torah. Prague 1686. A Rare and Valuable Copy in its Original Binding.
more...
|
|
|
Sold for: $10,000
Start price:
$
2,500
Estimated price :
$5,000 - $8,000
Buyer's Premium: 25%
More details
VAT: 17%
On commission only
Users from foreign countries may be exempted from tax payments, according to the relevant tax regulations
|
Chamisha Chumshei Torah. Prague 1686. A Rare and Valuable Copy in its Original Binding.
A significant Chumash that has never before appeared in public auction.
'And it shall be for lights, according to tikkun 'Sefer Torot.'
Chumash with Haftarot and the Five Megillot, printed by Sons of Yehuda Bek in Prague.
The Prague Chumashim were relatively common, and were widely used, so very few complete copies of this version have survived.
The Jewish community of Prague was one of the ancient and important communities in the Jewish world. It was the center of Judaism in Bohemia (later Czechoslovakia). The city was known for its prominent rabbis and served as a center for the Jewish enlightenment movement in Europe.
After the Thirty Years War during the rise of Emperor Charles VI, the government began to undermine the status of Jews and their sources of livelihood. One of the most severe measures taken was the law allowing marriage only for the firstborn son in a Jewish family. Others were forced to remain single or leave Bohemia.
In 1680, over 3,000 Jews in Prague perished due to a plague and arson. Nine years later, 300 Jewish houses and 11 synagogues were destroyed by fire. Authorities aimed to relocate the remaining Jews to the village of Liban north of the city, and the Church led its own incitement against the Jews.
This copy is offered for the first time in a public auction.
