Sefer HaRoke’ach. Cremona 1557. Early Edition, Corrected and Proofread

Sefer HaRoke’ach. Cremona 1557. Early Edition, Corrected and Proofread

 With Handwritten Glosses Penned by the Saintly Ya’avetz.

Complete copy of the Roke’ach. Authored by Rabbi Eliezer son of Yehuda of Worms. Includes Halachic and ethics writings, alongside Halachot of prayer, Holidays, Issur V’Heter, Nashim. These are combined with words of repentance and fear of G-d.

Sefer HaRoke’ach is considered a primary composition of 13th Century Chasidei Ashkenaz in Germany.

It was first printed in Fano in 1505 and is famed as the first Hebrew book to be printed with a title page.

This prominent edition was intended to rectify the many errors that exist in the Fano edition.

In the introduction, the printers sharply criticize the proofreader of the Fano, 1505 edition, who left many errors in the book. Occasionally, entire lines were deleted. Some speculate, that this was the doing of the non-Jewish printers.

This edition, printed in Cremona, is regarded as a proofread edition.

Within the book are four glosses penned in the Ya’vetz’s saintly handwriting. Three of these appear in the Ya’avetz’s’ own sefarim.

1. A particularly lengthy gloss with a commentary on the Roke’ach’s words in the introduction. The commentary is according to Remez model of elucidation. This commentary is printed in the book, She’eilat Ya’avetz, Vol. 2, Question 86.

2. Halachic note on the laws of marriage and mourning, printed as a responsum in Sefer She’eilat Ya’avetz, Vol. 2, Question 183.

3. Additional Halachic note, mentioned in Mor U’Ketziah Ch. 51.

Stamps of the Kloiz Beit Medrash of Altona, where the Ya’avetz resided.

Two additional glosses in two different handwritings.

Owners’ signatures on the title page.

Cremona, 1557. Vincenzo Conti Press.

[4] 91 leaves. 28 cm. Very good condition. Title page is from a different copy. Splendid, new, leather binding with gilt lettering and embellishments.

Meir Benayahu, HaDefus HaIvri in Cremona 8.

Vinograd, Cremona 14.