16th century. Tzror HaMor on the Torah, by Rav Avraham Saba. Venice [1567]. This work was buried by its author ...

16th century. Tzror HaMor on the Torah, by Rav Avraham Saba. Venice [1567]. This work was buried by its author during the expulsion from Spain and then was rewritten from memory!

Tzror HaMor, expansive commentary on the Chamisha Chumshei Torah by Rav Avraham Saba, Spanish Gaon from the era of the expulsion.

This commentary, based on pshat, drash and sod,   quickly became one of the most important, fundamental works on the Torah - as proven by the fact that even in the 16th century, it was printed no less than 4 times!

This sefer represents an exceptional historic episode:

Rav Avraham authored this work during his stay in Portugal. During the expulsion, ownership of Hebrew books was outlawed, so Rav Avraham smuggled his sefarim to Lisbon. However, when capital punishment was proclaimed as punishment for owning Hebrew books, Rav Avraham painfully buried his manuscripts and was unable to recover them.

Later, when he settled in Morocco, he rewrote the entire work from memory! Including, reference and quotes from other seforim! (Refer to his Eshkol HaKofer commentary on Megillas Rus).

In his works, the author often documents the history of the expulsion of the Jews of Spain and Portugal with moving words.

Venice, [1566-1567], the title page and other embellishments in the book feature the printer's mark of Giorgio de Cavalli, an elephant with a turret.

Pagination: 105 leaves. Size: 30.5 cm.

Fine condition. Tear with loss (not affecting text) in the margins of leaf 60, supplied. A few stains and usage marks. Nice, leather binding.