Mishnayos Seder Zeraim Constantinople 1584. Fine copy. Extremely Rare!

Mishnayos Seder Zeraim Constantinople 1584. Fine copy. Extremely Rare!
Mishnayos. Seder Zera’im. Constantinople 1584. Fine copy. Extremely Rare!

In 1553, subsequent to the burning of the Talmud, there was a dearth of volumes of the Talmud available. To fill this need, the brothers Yoseph and Shlomo Ya’avetz undertook the publication of a new edition. Although they did not succeed in printing an entire set, they published a number of tractates, in addition to Mishnayos Seder Zera’im. The format was based upon the Bomberg edition, as evidenced by the layout of the pages, which mirrors the Bomberg edition, albeit with the inclusion of the marginal cross-references to other tractates, an innovation introduced in the Giustiniani edition of 1545-1551.

In order to defray the costs of printing, this edition of the Talmud was published in sections which were distributed weekly to subscribers who obligated themselves to acquire the complete edition. In their introduction to the first tractate, the brothers describe the manner of sale: “Every Shabbos we brought sections of the Talmud and distributed them... the sections were paid for [during the following week], in a manner that will enable, with the help of God, everyone to have a Talmud within a short time, paid for little by little in an easy manner that is not burdensome. We estimate, according to the number of pages..., that the entire sum will be twenty-five florins”.

This innovative system explains the scarcity of complete copies of this edition.

Vinograd Constantinople 285. Shlomo and Yosef Ya’avetz press. 86 pages. 34.5 cm. Very fine-excellent condition. Some staining and trace worming. Markings on the title page. Magnificent leather binding.

Opening bid $1500