Hilchot Rav Alfas - Riva di Trento, 1559 - Two Volumes - Many Glosses from the Period Following the Burning of the ...

Hilchot Rav Alfas - Riva di Trento, 1559 - Two Volumes - Many Glosses from the Period Following the Burning of the Talmud
Hilchot Rav Alfas, on Order Nashim, Order Nezikin and Tractate Chulin, including Halachot Ketanot, with Rashi, the Ran and Nimukei Yosef. Riva di Trento: [Antonio Bruin, 1559]. Two volumes.
Both volumes contain hundreds of lengthy glosses in Italian script (by several writers), from the time of printing [second half of the 16th century]. In those times, a decree banning Torah books was in effect in Italy, having begun with the burning of the Talmud in Rome on Rosh Hashanah 1553. Jews were prohibited from owning, studying and printing the Talmud, yet the books of the Rif were allowed. Therefore, the primary texts studied by Italian Torah scholars in those years were the books of the Rif, on which they attempted to reconstruct the words of the Talmudic sages, based on the teachings in the books of Rishonim and other sources (regarding the decree on Torah books in Italy, see: Introduction to Chiddushei R. Moshe Cases, Machon Yerushalayim, 1988; A. Yaari, Serefat HaTalmud BeItalia; M. Benayahu, HaDfus HaIvri BeCremona; and others). These glosses contain many passages from the Talmud, Rashi and Tosafot, quotations from the teachings of the Rishonim (such as the Ramban, Rashba and Rosh) and from other works, together with the writers' original thoughts. Many of the glosses are trimmed.
This edition originally comprised three volumes. The present volumes are the second and third.
Halachot Ketanot was bound at the end of the volume on Order Nashim, leaves 853-872. These leaves were originally bound in the first volume of Hilchot Raf Alfas, on Tractate Berachot and Order Moed (not included here). This section is followed by 21 leaves with a separate title page: "Novellae of Rabbenu Nissim, with a table of all the laws". Riva di Trento, 1558. An abridgment of the Ran's novellae in his commentary to the Rif, compiled by R. Yosef Ottolengo.
Vol. I (Order Nashim and Tractate Chulin, Halachot Ketanot and indexes of the Ran): 2-3, 6-268 leaves (lacking 3 leaves: title page and leaves 4-5); 853-872 leaves (Halachot Ketanot); 21 leaves (novellae of Rabbenu Nissim). Final leaves bound out of sequence. 27.5 cm. Vol. II (Order Nezikin): 2-5, 8-302, [8] leaves (lacking 3 leaves: title page and leaves 6-7). 31 cm. Overall fair-good condition. Stains and wear. Extensive wear to some leaves, especially in vol. II. Many tears and damage affecting text, repaired with paper, especially to first and final leaves of vol. II (with partial handwritten text replacements) and to first leaves of vol. I. Leaves trimmed in several places close to text, slightly affecting text. Several detached leaves. Worming to several leaves. Old bindings.