Seder Meah Berachot – Amsterdam, 1687 – Illustrated Title Page

Seder Meah Berachot – Amsterdam, 1687 – Illustrated Title Page

Seder Meah Berachot – blessings, prayers and piyyutim, including the Passover Haggadah, with Spanish translation. Amsterdam: Albertus Magnus, 1687. Approbations by R. Yitzchak Aboab, R. Yaakov Sasportas and R. Shlomo de Oliveira.

Prayers for various occasions, such as circumcision of converts and slaves, blessing upon the purchase of a slave, redemption of a vineyard, prayer for Marranos burnt at stake in Spain and Portugal, flogging, and more. Also includes laws of shechitah in rhyme, tables for calculating tekufot and festivals, and chronological list of events in the history of the Jewish people until the 1648-1649 Chmielnicki massacres (in Spanish).

Hebrew text and Spanish translation on facing pages (with corresponding pagination).

The editor of the book, Binyamin Senior Godines, writes in his introduction that he found the manuscript of the book in the library of R. Yitzchak son of Matityahu Aboab (mentioned in the Spanish preface as the translator of the book).

Two title pages, the first copper-engraved with illustrations of the blessings over the moon, incense (for Havdalah), Birkat HaMazon, blessings on the shofar and circumcision.

Additional engraved title page, depicting various blessings.

[11] leaves, [1], 303, 304; 54, [11], 7, [20] pages. Approx. 12 cm. Colored edges. Overall good condition; some leaves in good-fair condition. Stains. Worming to title page and many other leaves, affecting text and illustrated title frame, repaired with paper filling (small part of illustrated title frame replaced by hand). Marginal open tear to illustrated title page, repaired with paper. New parchment binding.

According to Fuks, the printer Albertus Magnus did not have his own press (although his name is mentioned on the title page of this book and several others), and the book was likely printed at the press of David de Castro Tartas, due to his experience printing bilingual books. See further: L. Fuks and R.G. Fuks-Mansfeld, Hebrew Typography in the Northern Netherlands, Leiden 1987, Nos. 606-607.