Kohelet with the Commentary of Moshe Mendelssohn - Berlin, 1770 - the First Book that was Printed with the "Bi'ur" ...

Kohelet with the Commentary of Moshe Mendelssohn - Berlin, 1770 - the First Book that was Printed with the "Bi'ur" (Commentary) - the First Days of the Enlightenment Movement! - Extremely Rare
The scroll of Kohelet with a short commentary for understanding the literal meaning of the text. Berlin, 1770. First edition.
Hebrew-Teitch (Yiddish) translation and the "Bi'ur Te'amim" commentary.

Mendelssohn's Bi'ur (Commentary)
The book before us is actually the first of Mendelson's commentary. This is the first volume printed of his commentary, a commentary that caused a heated debate.
As Mendelssohn explains in the title page of the book, the goal of the commentary is "to explain to students the literal meaning of the text". At the end of his introduction, he writes: "the reader will do as he pleases and if he finds this composition reliable, I will continue to write my commentary on Tehilim, Mishlei and Job…" Before us, then, is the author's attempt to see how his commentary will be accepted by the readers.
Indeed, thirteen years later, in 1783, Mendelssohn continued to write his commentary, titling it "Netivot Shalom".
Mendelssohn's enterprise - his Hebrew commentary and German translation of the Torah, Psalms and Song of Songs- was one of the most important enterprises of the Jewish Enlightenment Movement. After his death, the intellectuals continued his enterprise and wrote a translation and commentary on the five scrolls and all the Haftarot.
According to certain testimonies, Mendelssohn intended to distribute his commentary and translation in order to bring Jews closer to the Enlightenment movement and to the German language and culture.
The most prominent rabbis of the time, such as Rabbi Raphael of Hamburg and Rabbi Yechezkel Landua, the "Noda Bi'Yehuda", strongly condemned the commentary. The "Noda Bi'Yehuda" feared that the translation will not assist Jews in studying Torah but vice versa; it will turn the Torah into a tool for learning German. His fear was indeed justified when future generations, especially in Eastern Europe, used Mendelssohn's commentary to study German.

The approbations
The book was approbated by Rosh Av Beit Din of Berlin, Rabbi Aharon ben Rabbi Moshe Zvi and by Rabbi Yoel ben Rabbi Yekutiel of Glogow. It is interesting to note that Mendelssohn's name does not appear in the book - not on the title page and not in the approbations.
An additional approbation is by Rabbi Aharon Ha'Levi Horowitz, Av Beit Din of Skuodas, who writes among others that "it is little in quantity and high in quality … and he is about to write commentary on the book of Psalms which surely every wise person will happily accept".
Another surprising and unknown point appears in this approbation: "This wise man did not want at first to publish his composition, yet after I spoke with him … to publish his composition … he thanked me and asked me to approbate the book when it is published … and he will probably receive retribution from Heaven"
It is interesting that here, in the book before us, Mendelssohn asked for approbations whereas, he did not ask for them for his next books.

At the beginning of the book, a long, interesting introduction in which Mendelssohn reveals a little of his method of commentary.

[9], 41 leaves. 16 cm.
Condition: Very Good.