Beis Yosef Choshen Mishpat
First Edition. Sabbioneta, 1557-1559
One-of-a-kind title page!
Sefer Yesod
Fundamental Sefer on Laws of Finances
Tur Choshen Mishpat by Rabbeinu Yaakov son of the Rosh, bordered by the Beis Yosef commentary by Rabbi Yosef Karo. This first edition Bais Yosef was published by the author himself!
Rabbi Yosef Karo’s (1488-1575) Beis Yosef supercommentary established the foundations of halachah for all generations. In his monumental work, he compiled sources of all halachos and rulings of the Poskim, along with the debates among the Rishonim, and according to his conclusions in the Bais Yosef he determined the halachic ruling in the Shulchan Aruch.
“And it spread throughout all of Yisrael, finding favor and acclaim in the eyes of all who saw it. And all the wise men and Rabbis exalted it and placed it as a crown on their heads, and elevated it above all the sefarim that preceded it…Our eyes see that anyone who delves into it, determines and teaches the law from it, and does not lift a hand to decree the law or teach the straight path without it…”
Rabbi Yosef Karo authored his magnum opus over the course of 20 years, and then devoted approximately 12 more years to edit and prepare it for print. He named his work Beis Yosef at the instruction of the Maggid, an angel that visited him and taught him Torah. [See Maggid Meisharim, Vezos Habrachah.]
Singular Title Page!
Unique title page! there is no other known identical title page
Printed only on this title page is a lengthy paragraph regarding the dispute between the printers of Sabbionetta and Rabbi Moshe ben Shushan who had been appointed by Rabbi Yosef Karo to oversee the printing of his sefer (see printed declaration that appeared in Genazym Catalog 10 #249). The printers here accuse Rabbi Moshe ben Shushan of deliberately delaying the printing of the Bais Yosef unjustly.
The disagreement between the printers and Rabbi Moshe ben Shushan grew to such proportions that the Rabbanim of Tzfas and Mantua were forced to intervene and eventually lead the parties to a compromise. Apparently, the concessions led to the omission of the present title page from other copies, leaving only the present copy as testimony to its creation.
This controversy is mentioned and discussed by rabbi Yoseff Karo himself see Shu”t Avkas Rochel Ch. 193 by Rabbi Yosef Karo. Yosef Bachiri Press, p. 46 and abovementioned Genazym Catalog 10.
Additional differences in this unique title page, is the mention that the sefer was printed in 800 copies which is not mentioned in any other source, also in this title page the date of the beginning of printing is noted “And the beginning of the work was …on the 15th day of Mar Cheshvan, 5518 (1559)” while in in the other title pages the printing date is recorded a few months later (Rosh Chodesh Adar, 5419 [1559]), making this sefer from the first copies produced.
In 1931, Yeshaya Sonne purchased a copy of this sefer with a similar title page (but with variants) for the Bodleian Library in Oxford and published it in his article entitled “Rabbi Moshe ben Shushan and the Sabbionetta Printers” (Kiryat Sefer Vol. 8 Jerusalem, 1931 pps. 513-519).
Sabbioneta, 1559. First Edition. Page Count: 332 leaves.
Page Size: 37 cm. Condition: Complete, good copy with minor water stains and several pages with small marginal holes. Leather-bound antique wood binding. Printer’s emblem of Tuvia Poa appears in the margin of the last page.
Bibliography: Stefansky, Sifrei Yesod #152
Provenance:
The owner signs his name on the title page: “This is my portion from my labor, Yekusiel son of my father and master Menachem Katz z”l Rapa [=Rappaport].” The owner was presumably the son of the author of Minchah Belulah, It later passed by inheritance to his son Avraham Katz.
Yechiel Poa
Nesanel Poa (Nesanel son of Yechiel Poa was a Jewish printer in Amsterdam between the years 1602-1615, see Mechkerei Sefer p. 368).
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