Judah Gedalia

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Rabbi Judah Gedalia
Antique printing press, now at the National Library, Jerusalem
Born15th century
Lisbon
Died1526
Known forPrinting

Rabbi Judah Gedalia (Hebrew ר' יהודה גדליה) (also spelled Guedalia or Gedaliah) was a Portuguese Sephardi Jew who was a rabbinic scholar and a printer. Born in Lisbon in the 15th century, he moved to Salonica after the expulsion.[1] Gedalia died about 1526 in Salonica. His printing press was continued by his children and produced some thirty works.[2]

Biography[edit]

Rabbi Judah Gedalia was the son of Moshe Gedalia. While in Lisbon, Gedalia was engaged as the foreman in the Eliezer Toledano Hebrew printing-house press, between the years 1489-95 until the expulsion in 1497.[3] Driven out of Portugal, he settled in Salonica, and about 1504 set up the first Hebrew printing press established in that city, using the type which he had taken with him from Lisbon. One of the first works printed was the "En Ya'aḳob" of Jacob ibn Ḥabib, whom Gedalia held in high esteem.

Judah Gedalia brought type fonts with him from Portugal, with which he began to print the Talmud (1519-1523). In this edition Rashi's commentary are included, but not the Tosafot. The Gemara is in square type and the commentary in Portuguese Rashi lettering, apart from the tractate Rosh Hashana of which the Gemara and the commentary are in Rashi type. This tractate was not printed in Salonica but in Fez.

Rabbi Yaakov ibn Habib testifies in his introduction to Ein Yaakov. He speaks of the highly important and valuable quality of printing found in the Gedalia printing press:

"A worthy and reputable artist, elderly, of a kindly disposition and trustworthy, is this eminent and wise man, the honorable Rabbi Yehuda Guedalia - may the Lord protect him and give him long life. I knew him in his earlier days in Lisbon at the home of the eminent and humble sage - the honorable Rabbi Eliezer Toledano, of blessed memory, who was like a son and brother to him. Gedalia took charge of the holy work which was done at Toledano's house. After reaching this city Gedalia expended much money to accomplish this work to perfection with great effort, and his sons and other members of his household devoted themselves wholeheartedly to this work"

Judah Gedalia was noted as being a scholar and very knowledgeable with regard to the lettering and proofing. His high quality proofing work is noted during his lifetime as well as in the present day.[4] In 1697 Rabbi Naftali Ashkenazi wrote of Gedalia in his book "Zohar and the Hidden Midrash":

"Who spent his entire life engaged in the work of Heaven to study, teach and proof his books, and to build upon them with fine grammar" [5]

Selected list of books printed by the Gedalia Printing Press in Salonica[edit]

  • "En Ya'aḳob" of Jacob ibn Ḥabib. The first two sedarim were published in 1516, but the author died before completing all six sedarim. His son Levi Ben Habib completed the publication [6][7]
  • The Talmud, printed in 1519-1523 [8]
  • Pentateuch, 1520 [9]
  • "Aḳedat Yiẓḥaḳ" by Isaac ben Moses Arama, 1522
  • "Meir Job" by Rabbi Meir Arama [10]
  • "Arba Turim" by R. Ya'akov Ben Asher, before 1540 [11]
  • "Ot Emet" by Meir Benveniste, 1565 [12]
  • "Mashmia'a Yeshua'a" (The Song of Salvation) by Isaac Abarbanel (first edition), 1595 [13]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ The Ot Emet's Scholia to the Midrash on the Five Scrolls /הגהות "אות אמת" למדרשי המגילות ארנון עצמון and Arnon Atzmon Sidra: A Journal for the Study of Rabbinic Literature /סידרא: כתב-עת לחקר ספרות התורה שבעל-פה Vol. כז/כח (תשע"ג / 2013), pp. 211-222 Published by: Bar Ilan University Press [1]
  2. ^ His children working in the printing press included his son Moshe and his daughter (whose name has not been found). The literacy of woman in Hebrew texts at this time period is examined in Kraemer, Joel L. “Spanish Ladies from the Cairo Genizah.”Mediterranean Historical Review 6 (1991): 237–266.
  3. ^ Eliezer Toledano, who was not a printer himself, rather a wealthy scholar, intent on spreading sacred Hebrew books. Offenberg, Adri, and A. K. Offenberg. "Peregrine printers." Studia Rosenthaliana 35.2 (2001): 157-171.
  4. ^ See "Ot Emet" Gedalia's notes on the publication. ע"כ מה שמצאתי מספר ר, תנחומא ז"ל מכתיבת יד שזמן לי הש"י שהגהתי זה הלשון עם לשונות אחרים. ואילו לא אתינא לעלמא כי להגיה זה הלשון דייני...כמה ימים עמדתי מועיד עליו ואין מבין...וראה בעין החלמה מה שעשיתי בספר הזה כי אין לו ערך... מתוך אות אמת ר' מאיר בנבנישתי שכ"ה הקדמה שלוניקי 1565
  5. ^ עצמון, ארנון, and Arnon Atzmon. “The Ot Emet's Scholia to the ‘Midrash’ on the Five Scrolls / הגהות ‘אות אמת’ למדרשי המגילות.” Sidra: A Journal for the Study of Rabbinic Literature / סידרא: כתב-עת לחקר ספרות התורה שבעל-פה, כז/כח, 2013, pp. 211–222. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24174708.
  6. ^ עצמון, ארנון, and Arnon Atzmon. “The Ot Emet's Scholia to the ‘Midrash’ on the Five Scrolls / הגהות ‘אות אמת’ למדרשי המגילות.” Sidra: A Journal for the Study of Rabbinic Literature / סידרא: כתב-עת לחקר ספרות התורה שבעל-פה, כז/כח, 2013, pp. 211–222. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24174708
  7. ^ Gotthard Deuts, Bernhard Friedberg "Ḥabib, Jacob (Ben Solomon) Ibn"
  8. ^ Heller, Marvin J. "The Bath-Sheba/Moses de Medina Salonika Edition of Berakhot: An Unknown Attempt to Circumvent the Inquisition's Ban on the Printing of the Talmud in 16th-Century Italy." The Jewish Quarterly Review (1996): 47-60
  9. ^ Allan, Nigel. "Catalogue of Hebrew Printed Books (1491-1900) in the Wellcome Institute, London." Journal of semitic studies 39.2 (1994): 183.
  10. ^ Rabbi Meir Arama's Letter of Censure against Isaac Abravanel – A Riddle Solved /איגרת ר' מאיר עראמה נגד ר' יצחק אברבנאל והתקבלותה: חידה שבאה על פתרונה יוסף הקר and Joseph R. Hacker, Tarbiẕ (2007), vol. 76, issue 3-4, (תרביץ כרך עו, חוברת ג/ד, ניסן-אלול תשס"ז), pp. 501-518, Published by: Mandel Institute for Jewish Studies /המכון למדעי היהדות ע"ש מנדל
  11. ^ What Makes Antique Books So Rare? /סיבות לנדירות ספרים עבריים ישראל מהלמן and I. Mehlmann Proceedings of the World Congress of Jewish Studies /דברי הקונגרס העולמי למדעי היהדות Vol. ה, Volume V, Division V: Research Projects-Reports and Articles Based on the Projects' Findings; Jewish Demography / כרך ה, חטיבה ה: מפעלי מחקר בתחום מדעי היהדות: דינים-וחשבונות ומאמרים מדעיים, המבוססים על תוצאות מפעלי המחקר; מאמרים בדמוגרפיה יהודית (תשכ"ט / 1969), pp. 57-65 Published by: World Union of Jewish Studies /האיגוד העולמי למדעי היהדות
  12. ^ עצמון, ארנון, and Arnon Atzmon. “The Ot Emet's Scholia to the ‘Midrash’ on the Five Scrolls / הגהות ‘אות אמת’ למדרשי המגילות.” Sidra: A Journal for the Study of Rabbinic Literature / סידרא: כתב-עת לחקר ספרות התורה שבעל-פה, כז/כח, 2013, pp. 211–222. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24174708.
  13. ^ Winner Auction March 2012
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