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Sulzbach Editions: Red (1755–1763) and Black (1766–1770) chapter 11 Sulzbach Editions: Red (1755–1763) and Black (1766–1770) Sulzbach, in Bavaria, located 50 km east of Nuremberg, was Austrian government prohibited importing Hebrew books home to a Jewish community dating to the Middle Ages, into Austria.3 with settlement recorded as early as 1305. The community Printing Hebrew books in Sulzbach began in the was persecuted in 1337, likely destroyed during the Black seventeenth century in 1669 when Christian Augustus Death in 1349, and not reestablished until 1666 during the (1622–1708), Count Palatine of Sulzbach, permitted Jews to reign of Duke Christian Augustus of Pfalz-Sulzbach.1 After open a Hebrew print-shop due to his interest in mysticism the expulsion of the Jews from Vienna in 1670, additional and Kabbalah. Somewhat prior to this opening, Abraham Jews relocated to Sulzbach. By 1682 the community had Lichtenthaler, a Lutheran, had been given permission an organized school; by 1685 a charter of privileges, which to operate a press. The books that Lichtenthaler pub- was renewed in 1712; and by 1699 fifteen resident Jewish lished were primarily in Latin, but several had content of families, increasing to twenty-two families by 1745.2 Jewish interest. Assisted by Isaac ben Judah Katz (Yitzhak Sulzbach has a rich history as a printing center. Yuedeles) of Prague, Lichtenthaler, first printed Alphabeti Nevertheless, Sulzbach would seem to be an unlikely verè naturalis Hebraici (1667), an illustrated pedagogic location for the disruption of the plans of an Amster- work for instructing deaf-mutes—based on the concept dam press to print the Talmud, particularly one as that Hebrew is the primordial language—by Franciscus prominent as that of the Proops’s press. Although Sul- Mercurius van Helmont (1614–99), a physician, kabbal- zbach and its presses were significant, they did not ist, Rosicrucian, and Quaker. Lichtenthaler also published compare with Amsterdam, a leading entrepot and Jewish Knorr von Rosenroth’s Kabbala Denudata, a translation center. Amsterdam’s print-shops were sufficiently pres- of volumes of the Zohar and related works (1677–78), tigious that other locations often noted on their title with two additional volumes printed in Frankfurt on the pages in a large font that their books were printed with Main (1684). “Amsterdam,” then in a smaller font, “letters,” and then The immediate Jewish impetus for opening a give the place of printing, also in a smaller font. Neverthe- Hebrew press in Sulzbach was the Imperial closure of less, as noted in the previous chapter, competition from the Hebrew press in Prague. Jacob Bak left Prague, tak- the Sulzbach press did cause a temporary cessation in the ing his compositor, the above-mentioned Isaac ben Judah publication of the Proops Talmud. Katz (Yuedeles) of Prague, other workers, and typographi- The above notwithstanding, Sulzbach’s presses, active cal equipment with him to Sulzbach. They began printing for 180 years, had a fine reputation, printing over seven in 1669 with a Yiddish Birkat ha-Mazon and accompany- hundred varied titles: primarily liturgical works, siddurim ing Haggadah with woodcut illustrations, followed by and mahzorim; Bibles; and ethical works. About fifty R. Isaac ben Eliakim of Posen’s ethical Lev Tov, and sev- books were published before 1700. The Sulzbach press eral other works.4 The partners separated the following ceased printing in the mid-nineteenth century, primar- year, partially due to the requirement that they work with ily due to competition from Wolf Heidenheim’s press in Lichtenthaler and partially for personal reasons. Yuedeles Roedelheim and the partial loss of its market when the printed only one work in 1670, an Ashkenazic-rite prayer book, and moved on to Wilhermsdorf. 1 The Principality (Duchy) of Sulzbach, originally part of the Duchy of Pfalz-Neuburg, was separated from that Duchy in 1614 and gained complete independence in 1656. Both states were created to provide branches of the Wittelsbacher family, rulers of Bavaria and the Pala- 3 Aaronson, People of the Book, 69–70; Friedberg, Central Europe, tine, with a subsistence for their princes through tax income from 69–70; Habermann, History of the Hebrew Book, 150–51; Schmelzer, their subjects. This income, in addition to Duke Christian Augustus “Hebrew Printing and Publishing in Germany,” 373. of Pfalz-Sulzbach being a tolerant ruler, was one of the reasons for 4 R. Isaac ben Eliakim of Posen’s Lev Tov (17th cent.) is a popular ethi- the admission of Jews—additional subjects to help pay the Count cal work, one that encompasses all aspects of a pious and observant (Duke) of Sulzbach’s bills (Willie Glaser, “The Hebrew Printers of life. The Bet Eked Sefarim (lamed 59) records thirty-three editions Sulzbach in Upper Palatine,” http://www.rijo.homepage.t-online from the first Prague printing (1620) through the Vilna edition .de/pdf/en_by_ju_sulz.pdf), 2. (1865). Included are three Sulzbach editions ([1669?], 1692, and 2 Jacob Rothschild, “Sulzbach,” EJ, vol. 19: 306–7. 1703). © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2019 | doi:10.1163/9789004376731_013 166 chapter 11 edition (Figure 11.4), based on a complete and corrected manuscript, was published at the expense of Knorr von Rosenroth. Bloch ordered new letters from Amsterdam and in 1687, printed R. Judah ben Nissan of Kalisz’s Beit Yehu- dah, novellae on tractates of the Babylonian Talmud, and R. (Nissim) Solomon ben Abraham Algazi’s Ta’avah la- Einayim, an exposition of difficulties in the aggadic por- tions of the Talmud in the Ein Ya’akov of R. Jacob ibn Habib. Among Bloch’s other titles was R. Bahya ben Joseph ibn Paquda’s Hovot ha-Levavot (1691). One of two compositors for this work was the zetzeren Reichel, Yitzhak Yuedeles’s daughter, the other compositor was Abraham ben Eliezer Katz.6 Bloch planned to publish a new edition of the Baby- lonian Talmud, fifty years having passed since the last printing of that work, namely, the Benveniste Talmud (Amsterdam, 1644–47/48; see Chapter 2 as to the date of completion). Preparations were made for this ambitious undertaking, but Bloch died before any tractates could Figure 11.1 be published. He was succeeded at the press by his sons Feibush, Samuel, and Meir, whose intent was to bring their father’s project to fruition. They began to publish In 1682 Moses ben Uri Shraga Bloch (Phoebus Bloch) individual tractates, beginning with Bava Metzia (1694), established a second Hebrew press in Sulzbach, and in completed on 17 Elul 5454 (Tuesday, September 7, 1694). 1684 he began printing with a fine edition of the Zohar, one It was followed in 1695 by tractates Betzah, Hagigah, Rosh that greatly enhanced the press’s reputation. That edition Ha-Shanah, Ketubbot, Bava Kamma, and Makkot; the was partially subsidized by Duke Christian Augustus and exact number of tractates is uncertain. Rabbinovicz notes includes, in some copies, a Latin introduction by Bloch in that these tractates lack the place and date of printing. He which he justifies this introduction by noting that there includes Megillah (Figure 11.3, with the place of publica- is nothing new in it but a page for the Duke, a practice tion) in this list and notes that Sanhedrin gives the printer approved by our sages. Due to the fine quality of this edi- as R. Aaron but lacks the date.7 He also informs that the tion of the Zohar, authors and financiers were attracted to section referring to Ben Satda (Sanhedrin 67a) has been the press, bringing their works to it for publication.5 restored as has material on Bava Kamma 38a and Rashi on In the same year, R. Abraham Reuben ben Hoeshke Hagigah but that in Sanhedrin 43a, there is a blank where Katz published two small works, Davar she-bi-Kedushah expurgated material is omitted.8 and Oneg Shabbat. The first was a popular kabbalistic work to arouse repentance; the second included kabbal- istic ruminations on the halakhot of Shabbat, as well as 6 Yaari, “Women in the Holy Craft,” 261. Reichel and her sister Rivka a selihot and prayer books. In the following years Bloch had worked previously in Wilhermsdorf (1677–82). Reichel set published a number of titles, new works and reprints, Hovot ha-Levavot for Moses Bloch in 1691 and, in the same year, as well as additional liturgical works. Among those titles we find her in Fuerth at the press of Hirsch ben Joseph ha- Levi Katz. is Hesed le-Avraham (1685), kabbalistic discourses by 7 Rabbinovicz, Ma’amar al Hadpasat ha-Talmud, 96. Rabbinovicz R. Abraham ben Mordecai Azulai (c. 1570–1643). Immanuel writes that among the tractates he had, which did not have the Athias published this work independently in the same year place of printing, was Megillah. Given that the title page of Megillah in Amsterdam. It is not certain whether the Amsterdam (Figure 11.3) provides the place of publication, a possible explana- tion is that the tractate was published twice in a short period of or the Sulzbach edition was printed first. The Sulzbach time. R. Aaron refers to R. Aaron ben Benjamin Porges. 8 The prior appearance of this text and the meaning of the name Ben 5 Friedberg, Central Europe, 71. Satda are discussed in Chapter 2, “Amsterdam: Benveniste Talmud.”.
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