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Bidding Information
Lot #    10089
Auction End Date    4/19/2005 11:05:00 AM (mm/dd/yyyy)
          
Title Information
Title (English)    Sefer ha-Berit
Title (Hebrew)    ספר הברית
Author    R. Phinehas Elijah Hurwitz
City    Vilna
Publisher    Menahem Mann
Publication Date    1818
          
Collection Information
Independent Item    This listing is an independent item not part of any collection
          
Description Information
Physical
Description		    [2], 191; 101, 101-104 ff., 206:120 mm., light age staining. A very good copy bound in contemporary half leather boards, rubbed.
          
Detailed
Description		    R. Phinehas Elijah Hurwitz (1765–1821), was born in Lvov, Hurwitz wandered through Poland, Hungary, Germany, and England. He gained extensive secular knowledge without even knowing a single European language (it seems that a friend acted as translator), and wrote Sefer ha-Berit (1797), the first part of which was an anthology of the sciences, while the second half dealt with metaphysical questions. Sefer ha-Berit went into many editions since it was a source of basic scientific information for Jews who knew no European languages. The author condemned the fact that Jews engaged only in study and commerce which could not provide them with the proper livelihood and which exposed them to anti-Semitism and urged that they turn to manual labor.

The first edition (Brunn 1797) was published without the Author's name. He writes "if the Al-mighty returns my eyesight I will publish it with my name" - he did so in the second edition.

          
Paragraph 2    הזה מדבר מענין ז' רקיעין, וי' גלגלים, והכוכבים... ולקות החמה והלבנה, ומהות האור, וענין החומר והצורה... ונסיונות... בחכמת הטבע... וכדור הארץ... <יעגראפיע>... ועל הדומם, ועל הצמחים... ועל בעלי החיים... ועל האדם וה' חושיו... וכל כחותיו הגופניים... הנפשיים... ובנין גופו... וכל אבריו... ועל שכלו... וכל בחינת נפשותיו... וכל המדות... ודרך האמונה... וחכמה... ביראת ה'... וענין השארת הנפש... וסוד הנבואה... ומלבד כל החכמות הנזכרות, שלא היו עד הנה... כי אם בספרי האומות... מדבר הרבה מחכמות הקבלה... ומוסר... (חלק א-ב).
          
Reference
Description		    CD-EPI 0137515; EJ
        
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Listing Classification
Period
19th Century:    Checked
  
Location
Russia-Poland:    Checked
  
Subject
Other:    Science
  
Characteristic
Language:    Hebrew
  
Manuscript Type
  
Kind of Judaica