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Bidding Information
Lot #    7588
Auction End Date    7/13/2004 12:58:00 PM (mm/dd/yyyy)
          
Title Information
Title (English)    Pesikta Zutarta
Title (Hebrew)    פסיקתא זוטרתא
Author    [First Ed.] Tobias b. Eliezer
City    Venice
Publisher    Daniel Bomberg
Publication Date    1546
          
Collection Information
Independent Item    This listing is an independent item not part of any collection
          
Description Information
Physical
Description		    First edition. 93 ff., 265:182 mm., title in facimile, trimmed affecting several running titles, bound in modern half leather boards.
          
Detailed
Description		    Late 11th-century Midrash on the Pentateuch and Five Scrolls by Tobias b. Eliezer. The author called it Lekah Tov ("good doctrine") on the basis of its opening verse (Prov. 4:2): "For I give you good doctrine" which he chose with allusion to his name (for the same reason he begins his interpretations of the weekly portions of Scripture and of the Scrolls with a verse containing the word tov, "good"). The book was called Pesikta by later scholars, and also, in error, Pesikta Zutarta. Tobias lived in the Balkans, and his Midrash contains allusions to contemporary historical events and specific reference to the martyrs of the First Crusade of 1096 (in the portion Emor and in his commentary on the verse "Therefore do the maidens love thee": Song 1:3).

The work contains hundreds of explanations, some in the style of the midrashic literature and some giving the literal meaning. He expounds the keri and the ketiv, the masorah, gematriot, and notarikon and also gives many mnemotechnical devices in the manner of the rabbis. His literal explanations are based on the rules of grammar, vocalization, accentuation, etc. It is noteworthy that he explains anthropomorphic verses and statements as parables and frequently repeats: "The Torah speaks in the language of men."

          
Paragraph 2    או רבתא ... (טוביהו ברבי אליעזר זצ"ל אמר) מילי מעלייתא ... דספרי וספרא והלכתא גברוותא ... [על ויקרא, במדבר, דברים].

קולופון: והיתה השלמת זאת הפסיקתא זוטרתא בערב הפסח שנת רננ"ו צדיקים ביי', ונדפס על ידי קורנילייו אדיל קינד בויניציאה רבתי ... אתא לידנא על ידא דבחור נהיר באורייתא כמה"ר זרחיה בן הזקן ונשוא פנים כמ"ר מלכיאל קזאני איש קנדיאה רבתא.

          
Reference
Description		    CD-EPI 0178030; EJ
        
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Listing Classification
Period
16th Century:    Checked
  
Location
Italy:    Checked
  
Subject
Other:    Midrash
  
Characteristic
First Editions:    Checked
Language:    Hebrew
  
Manuscript Type
  
Kind of Judaica