Never Seen In Public Auctions: Zeved HaMelitzah. Prague 1794

Never Seen In Public Auctions: Zeved HaMelitzah. Prague 1794

Single Edition- Copy Belonging to Rabbi Nachum Berenyu of Sadigura. 

Zeved HaMelitza is an imitation of Sefer Tachkemoni by Rabbi Yehudah Elcharizi.

Authored by Zev Wolf Cohen Buchner of Brody, son of Rabbi David Cohen, author of Mar’eh Cohen and Nefesh David, grandson of Rabbi Moshe Cohen, Av Beit Din of Belz.

With prominent endorsements.

On the title page appear the famed stamp with the words ‘Minchat Shai’ testifying that this book was received by Rabbi Nachum of Sadigura as a gift. At the base of the title page is part of the stamp of Rabbi Menachem Nachum Dover Friedman of Sadigura, owner of the renowned, massive library. The page has been trimmed therefore only part of the stamp appears.

Zev Wolf son of David HaKohen Buchner (Known as The Razbad) 1750-1820 was a Galician poet and grammarian. He is considered one of the forerunners of the Haskalah movement.

Zev lived most of his life in Brody, but travelled with Hebrew books around Germany, Galicia, Poland and Lithuania. He occasionally made some money from drafting letters for illiterate individuals, and writing his own publications. Zev corresponded with Baruch Jeiteles (son of the Noda BiYehudah) and Ber Ginzburg, a Galician poet who was a confidante of Nachman Krochmal.

Zev suffered many ailments due to his travel, and in Germany a wound cost him his eyesight in his right eye.

Rabbi Menachem Nachum Dover Friedman (1843-1883) referred to as Rabbi Nachum Berenyu, was a most prominent 19th Century Hebrew Book Collector. A scion of the illustrious Ruzhin Chassidic family, his father was Rabbi Shalom Yosef Friedman, oldest son of Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzhin. Following the passing of both his father and his grandfather, he was raised by his older brother Rabbi Yitzchak of Bohush. He was the son-in-law of the founder of the Sadigura dynasty, Rabbi Avraham Yaakov Friedman of Sadigura.

Rabbi Menachem Nachum Dover Friedman was famed for his erudition in Torah. His passion for Jewish books and manuscripts led him to build up an extensive and prominent library with thousands of items, including most rare and valuable pieces. It morphed into one of the largest private and rare collections of that era with over 4000 titles.

Rabbi Nachum marked his ownership of his books in a unique way: He inscribed his name in his books in a special way along with his personal stamp in Hebrew and German. In the center of this stamp was the picture of a lion. In addition, Rabbi Nachum had 3 stamps which he used to categorize the book’s origin.

“Nachlat Avot” - Inheritance, “Minchat Shai” – Received as Gift, and “Kinyan Kaspi” – Fiscal Purchase.

Prague, 1794. Single edition.

[5], 64 leaves. 17 cm. Very good condition. Slight worming on the spine. Small part at the bottom of the title page is trimmed. Lovely, leather binding – detached.

Exceedingly rare book, likely never been in Public Auctions.