Mechilta / Sifra / Sifre – Venice, 1545 – Annotated Volume from Yeshivat Mizrayim of Rabbi Betzalel Ashkenazi and ...

Mechilta / Sifra / Sifre – Venice, 1545 – Annotated Volume from Yeshivat Mizrayim of Rabbi Betzalel Ashkenazi and his Disciples – Glosses Handwritten by Rabbi Chaim Havraya, Rabbi Menachem de Lonzano (Ramdal), and Other Writers

Three books bound together: • Mechilta, Halachic Midrash on Shemot. Venice: Daniel Bomberg, 1545. Second edition. • Sifra, Halachic Midrash on Vayikra. Venice: Daniel Bomberg, 1545. Second edition. • Sifre, Halachic Midrash on Bamidbar and Devarim. Venice: Daniel Bomberg, [1545]. First edition.
Annotated volume, with hundreds of handwritten glosses on Sifra and Sifre, by several writers. This volume was annotated within the framework of the annotation enterprise undertaken by the yeshiva of Egyptian Torah scholars in the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries (see adjoining article), which was headed by R. Betzalel Ashkenazi author of Shita Mekubetzet, and where the Arizal and other disciples of R. Betzalel Ashkenazi studied. The annotators whose handwriting was identified with certainty are R. Chaim Havraya – disciple of R. Betzalel Ashkenazi and one of the authors of Shita Mekubetzet, and R. Menachem de Lonzano, author of Shtei Yadot. Apart from their glosses, there are additional glosses by other writers who were not identified.
Hundreds of glosses, including dozens of glosses handwritten by R. Chaim Havraya (by comparison with his established handwriting). In Sifre, p. 8b, one gloss is signed: "Havraya" (as he customarily signed – see below).
On pp. 38b and 46b of Sifra, and on pp. 22a, 31b, 32a, 55a, 56a and 57a of Sifre – glosses in a handwriting ascribed to R. Menachem de Lonzano.
The contents of the writing correspond with the style of glosses written by Egyptian Torah scholars, and include textual variations, corrections and additions, based on accurate manuscripts in their possession. The glosses of R. Chaim Havraya also contain some of his original commentaries.
Apart from these two writers, there are glosses by other writers, mostly from one writer which we were not successful in identifying (one gloss reads: "…so says the writer, so it is written in Ot Emet, but I say…". Regarding the Ot Emet book, see adjoining article).
On p. 36a of Sifre, a lengthy gloss appears, signed: "Yehuda ibn Moreli", quoting amongst others teachings in the name of R. Astruc Sangi: "…Though I heard from the holy mouth of R. Astruc ibn Sangi, who offered the following explanation…" (R. Astruc ibn Sangi, born ca. 1570, a disciple of the Maharshach in Salonika. He began serving as rabbi of Sofia around 1590; in ca. 1640, he immigrated to Eretz Israel and settled in Jerusalem, where he passed away in 1643. His halachic responsa were published in Responsa of R. Astruc son of R. David ibn Sangi, Moshe Amar edition, Ramat Gan 1982). Two other lengthy glosses by this writer were found in the book.
Ownership inscription on the title page of Sifre: "Yeshivat R. Avraham HaLevi". In Sifra, p. 23a, at the beginning of Parashat Shemini, ownership inscription: "R. Avraham HaLevi" (presumably, referring to the yeshiva of R. Avraham HaLevi author of Ginat Vradim,
rabbi of Egypt).
R. Chaim Havraya, an Egyptian Torah scholar in the 17th century, close disciple of R. Betzalel Ashkenazi author of Shita Mekubetzet. R. Chaim studied in his yeshiva in Egypt, recorded his teacher's lectures, and was a co-author of Shita Mekubetzet. R. Chaim was also proficient in Kabbalah, and copied some homilies of the Arizal's kabbalah (See: Avivi, Kabbalat HaAri, Index of Key Figures).
Several compositions he authored are known to us, including his book of sermons, which contains sermons from 1608-1612, and serves as an exceptional documentation of the Egyptian Torah center in the times of the Shita Mekubetzet, the Arizal, and the local Torah scholars. Reputedly, he delved into Halachic Midrashim, and wrote commentaries to Sifra and Sifre, as he writes in the preface to his commentary on Sifra: "And I named the composition I wrote on Sifre – Sefer Chaim, and this commentary on Sifra – Chever Kohanim, and the commentary which I composed on Haftarot and a bit of verses from the Torah – Chever HaKeini, and the commentary I authored on a few teachings and verses – Etz Chaim…" (HaMaalot LiShlomo, in his entry). The Chida saw the composition Chever HaKeini and mentions it in his book Shem HaGedolim (Maarechet Sefarim, Chet). The manuscripts of these books were in the possession of R. Avraham Gadilia, and he quotes excerpts of them in his commentary to Yalkut Shimoni. Some of these compositions did not survive, and some are extant in manuscript and have not yet been published.
In Shita Mekubetzet on Tractate Chullin, published by the Ahavat Shalom institute (Jerusalem 2003, vol. II), remnants of novellae from R. Chaim Havraya to Tractate Ketubot were printed, from the time when he studied in the yeshiva of R. Betzalel Ashkenazi. The colophon he wrote was transcribed there: "I praise G-d who granted me the merit of studying in the yeshiva of my teacher R. Betzalel Ashkenazi, yeshiva dean in Egypt, from after Sukkot until Parashat Tazria, and I only missed one day under duress…", "This is the booklet of Chaim Havraya which I composed from what I learnt in the yeshiva of my teacher R. Betzalel Ashkenazi, light of the Diaspora". The contents of these novellae appear with variations in the printed Shita Mekubetzet on Tractate Ketubot, which indicates that R. Chaim was involved in the writing of Shita Mekubetzet (see: foreword to Shita Mekubetzet, Ahavat Shalom edition, by R. Elazar Horowitz).
In Beit Aharon VeYisrael, 79 (year 14, I; Tishrei-Cheshvan 1999, pp. 5-8), Torah thoughts from a manuscript of R. Chaim Havraya were printed, where he signed: "the aforementioned Havraya", in a similar style to the signature of one of the glosses in this book.
R. Menachem de Lonzano (1550?-before 1626; known as Ramdal), foremost Torah scholar and kabbalist in the time of the Arizal. He was born in Italy and migrated extensively throughout his life. In 1575, he published his work Derech Chaim in Constantinople, and close
to that time immigrated to Eretz Israel, where he met and became close to the disciples of the Arizal. He first settled in Jerusalem, and then moved to Safed. In 1587, he published there Midrash Agur (Midrash Shloshim UShtayim Midot) which he edited. He later settled in Egypt, and then returned to Jerusalem, from where he reached Damascus, and subsequently returned to Italy. At the end of his life, he returned to Jerusalem, and passed away there. In 1618, he published in Venice his book named Shtei Yadot, comprising ten of his compositions (corresponding with the fingers of both hands). These include: Or Torah, Maarich, Avodat HaMikdash, Derech Chaim, Tova Tochachat and others. For lack of funding, he did not complete the printing of all ten compositions at that time. Over the years, his many works were reprinted in new editions, yet some remained in manuscript form (see a detailed list of his compositions in the foreword to Derech Chaim, Ahavat Shalom, Jerusalem 2012).
R. Menachem de Lonzano toiled extensively over establishing correct texts, whether in Written or Oral Torah, based on early manuscripts, and some of his compositions are built on this study. His book Or Torah, which establishes the text of the Masorah, has become a fundamental reference book for the accurate text when writing a Torah scroll. Likewise, he corrected and edited some of the Midrashim and the Zohar, and wrote glosses on other compositions.
R. Menachem de Lonzano was a kabbalist, he authored several kabbalistic compositions. While in Eretz Israel, he met the disciples of the Arizal and studied from them, as he wrote in his glosses to the Levush (quoted in Matzat Shimurim by R. Natan Shapiro), in relation to the structure of the Tefillin knot: "This knot was concealed from many, and in my youth I found it difficult… and I was not satisfied until I immigrated to Eretz Israel and the disciples of the Arizal fashioned for me a knot in the form of a double Dalet…".
R. Menachem de Lonzano resided for a while in Egypt, presumably around 1610, and he then copied the homilies of the Arizal's kabbalah. In one place, he relates of an argument on kabbalistic topics which he held with R. Chaim Capusi, a leading Egyptian Torah scholar, and he copies teachings of R. Yisrael Binyamin, also an Egyptian Torah scholar and kabbalist of that period. There is another documentation of his stay in Egypt: R. Yosef Sambari in his book Divrei Yosef (Ahavat Shalom edition, p. 53) related that he found a gloss handwritten by R. Menach (to the book Tikun Yissachar, Venice 1579), in which R. Menachem de Lonzano recounted that while in Cairo, he went to the Ben Ezra Synagogue, and personally inspected the Torah scroll attributed to Ezra. In his book Or Torah, he mentions the version he found in Egypt (Parashat Vaera: "And so I found in Egypt"), and in another place he writes: "…and so I found also in the printed Rambam which was edited in Egypt" (ibid, Parashat Yitro).
Three books bound together. Mechilta: 2-37 leaves. Title page torn and mostly lacking. Sifra: 59 leaves. Sifre: 63 leaves. Page size varies, 28.5-29.5 cm. Condition varies: First book in fair-poor condition, with numerous stains, open tears and worming. Two other books in fair-good condition. Stains and minor traces of past dampness. Worming. Many detached leaves and gatherings. Old, damaged binding, detached.

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The Annotation Enterprise of the Egyptian Torah Scholars

In the 16th century, as Hebrew printing became well established, the prevalence of printed books increased and they began replacing manuscripts. The transition between manuscript and print generated an interesting phenomenon amongst Oriental Torah scholars: the correction of mistakes and errors in printed books, based on accurate texts of manuscripts in their possession. One of the renowned projects from that time was the anthology of glosses printed under the title of Ot Emet in Salonika 1565. This book is a compilation of hundreds of corrections to the printed editions of the Midrash books being printed in those days - the early years of the printing press, in Constantinople, Salonika and Venice, based on accurate manuscripts and texts.

The Torah scholars of Eretz Israel and Egypt were particularly engaged in this project, headed by R. Betzalel Ashkenazi and his group, including the Arizal. These scholars worked systematically, with the goal of correcting the error-ridden printed books. The books they chose to correct were generally basic books, such as the printed editions of the Babylonian and Jerusalemite Talmud, the Mishna, the books of the Rif and Rambam, as well as books of Halachic and Aggadic Midrashim. Foremost Torah scholars, including the Arizal, R. Avraham Monson, R. Chaim Havraya and others, sat in the yeshiva of Egyptian Torah scholars, headed by R. Betzalel Ashkenazi, and corrected the printed books, consulting the rich library of manuscripts at their disposal. This study hall also produced the Shita Mekubetzet, written in part by R. Betzalel Ashkenazi and partially by his disciples, including the Arizal and his colleagues. Shita Mekubetzet is an anthology on Talmudic tractates, containing the various opinions of the Rishonim, which these Torah scholars compiled from the host of manuscripts at their disposal. That large library of manuscripts also served as basis for the annotation project. The products of the annotation project survived only in part. Of R. Betzalel Ashkenazi's corrections to the Babylonian Talmud, which originally covered the entire Talmud (as the Chida attests in Shem HaGedolim, in the entry on R. Betzalel), only the glosses to Order Kodashim are extant, and they were printed in the Vilna edition, at the foot of the page of Gemara, under the name Shita Mekubetzet (this composition was arranged for print by his disciple R. Shlomo Adani, who originally named it Melechet Shlomo LeChochmat Betzalel). Corrections to other tractates as well as other works were also published in several places, sometimes only partially. Glosses which are not extant are mentioned in books of leading Torah scholars, such as Sefer HaMugah on Mishneh Torah by the Rambam, which is mentioned in Kesef Mishneh by R. Yosef Karo ("Sefer Mugah, which came from Egypt"), or the glosses to Masoret HaTorah, which are mentioned extensively in Kesef Mishneh and in the books of R. Menachem de Lonzano on matters of Masorah, and others.