The First Astronomical Work Composted in the Holy Language - 'Tzurat Haaretz.' Basel, 1546. First edition. Sefer ...

The First Astronomical Work Composted in the Holy Language - 'Tzurat Haaretz.' Basel, 1546. First edition. Sefer Yesod. Hebrew and Latin.

'Tzurat Haaretz' is a book on astronomy in Hebrew by Rabbi Avraham bar Hiyya HaNasi. It covers various topics such as the motion of the moon, solar and lunar eclipses, the movement of the planets, a description of the constellations, the division of the Earth into climate zones, the size of the Earth, and the debate about the motion of the planets on the Sabbath.

The book is one of the earliest dealing with astronomy and celestial science in the Holy Language. It was produced during a period dominated by Ptolemy's 'Almagest, ' a Greek astronomer from the 2nd century who advocated a geocentric model. 'Tzurat Haaretz' predates the revolutionary models proposed by Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo by about 300 years (in 1133), about 13 centuries later than Ptolemy. Being the first work in its field written in the Holy Language, 'Tzurat Haaretz' gained widespread popularity. Even among the nations, this book achieved great success, as it brought together schools of thought that differed among themselves on various topics in the field of astronomy. Notable figures mentioned in the book include Ptolemy, Ben Rashad, Al Ma'mun, Abraqsh, and more.

Along with it, the book 'Kitsur Melachet HaMispar' by Rabbi Eliyahu Mizrahi (HaRe'em) was printed: ' Sefer Melachet HaMispar' deals with the wisdom of arithmetic, computation, and engineering (first printed in Constantinople in 1534). The purpose of this book is to teach every person the fundamentals of arithmetic and the four arithmetic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, with whole numbers, fractions, and fractional exponents. The book was published by his son, Rabbi Yisrael, after his passing. It is written in Hebrew and was translated into Latin, gaining significance and serving as a foundational book for teaching arithmetic.

The book also includes a chapter on the study of chess.

The edition before us was printed in Basel in 1546 by the Hebraist and linguist Sebastian Münster. In this edition, Münster added marginal notes in Latin and additional drawings based on handwritten manuscripts. The book also includes a Latin translation.

On page 41 of 'Tzurat Haaretz, ' there is a Latin marginal note.

Includes numerous attractive astronomical illustrations depicting the Earth and the celestial sphere.

The Sefardi Rabbi Avraham HaNasi bar R' Hiyya: One of the greatest sages of the early Jewish period, he lived in the 11th century. His contributions to mathematics, celestial science, and geography, written in Hebrew for the first time since antiquity, laid the foundations for these disciplines, and the terms and concepts he introduced have become rooted in these fields. Scholars who were influenced by and used his books include Maimonides, Ibn Ezra, Radak, Rabbenu Bechya, and the Meiri.

However, it wasn't just Jewish scholars who studied his work; it was also translated into foreign languages, and many non-Jewish scholars around the world derived fundamental knowledge of astronomy from it.

Rabbi Eliyahu Mizrahi (HaRe'em; 1435–1526): An halakhic authority, scientist, and Jewish-Turkish politician. The chief rabbi of the Ottoman Empire Jewry and its leaders, head of a yeshiva, and one of the three main interpreters of Rashi's commentary on the Torah. He educated many students in Torah wisdom, other sciences (and was proficient in Arabic and Greek, being the first to discover a method for finding square roots).

Basel, 1546. First edition. Fundamental book. 

[9], 207, [1]: [5] + [1 partial leaf], 351, [1] leaves. Two title pages on the right and left, and a partial title page for the abridged work on the right side, printed in red ink. 19.5 cm. Very good condition. Original cardboard binding.

Stepansky, Sifrei Yesod No. 507.

The first book in astronomy written in the Holy Language.