Especially Rare: Machzor for the Yamim Nora'im for Spanish Anusim. Amserdam, 1726. Spanish

Especially Rare: Machzor for the Yamim Nora'im for Spanish Anusim. Amserdam, 1726. Spanish

Orden de Ros-Asanah y Kipur - machzor for Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. Amsterdam, Aharon Hisquia Querido Press, 5486/1726.

On the title page: Orden de-Ros-asanah y Kipur: por estillo corriente y seguido sin bolver de una aotra parte, como se uza en este Kahal Kados de Amsderdam. The entire machzor is written in Spanish only, without the Hebrew original. The machzor was printed for Spanish anusim who returned to Judaism but were unfamiliar with Lashon HaKodesh.

Background to printing this machzor: Towards the end of the 16th century, there was a wave of immigration from the Iberian Peninsula, generally referred to as the Western Spanish Diaspora. The immigrants were children of families of New Christians or conversos - Jews who chose to convert to Christianity - some in pretense only, as they lived as anusim. Many of them worked in local or international trade. During that same period, the merchants received support from the local authorities and received permits to leave the area of the Iberian Peninsula and settle in the new areas, especially in Western European port cities such as Amsterdam.

Some of the New Christians who left Spain and Portugal at the time decided to return to Jewish life. These families were cut off from the Jewish world for over a century. In fact, none of the people who left Spain or Portugal in the 16th and 17th centuries were born Jewish, and all of them - even if they kept Jewish traditions in secret within the family - grew up and were educated as Christians for all intents and purposes. In a gradual process that lasted several decades, the Jewish communities in the Western Sephardic diaspora became established, some of them even became very important centers in the Jewish world of that time. The Amsterdam community led this diaspora, and became one of the most important centers of Hebrew and Jewish printing of the 17th century.

Despite the impressive integration of these communities into the Jewish world, the prolonged disconnection of their members from Jewish life resulted in unfamiliarity with Jewish customs and even with Lashon HaKodesh. This machzor was printed in Spanish only especially for this population. [Mitoch Segulah, an Israeli history magazine, issue 130, Nissan/April 2021].

This rare sefer was recorded by Samuel Van Straalen: Catalogue of Hebrew Books in the British Museum Acquired during the Years 1868 -1892, no. 152. London, 1894.

[2], 470, [1] pp. Approximately 18 cm. Thick, high-quality paper.

Fine-very fine condition. Aging stains. Page 340 has a restored tear without lack. New binding.