Physical Description

Only edition. 32 ff. quarto 188:148 mm., nice margins, light age staining. A very good copy bound in modern leather over boards.

Detail Description

Ethical discourses on achieving a good name by R. Eliakim ben Naphtali (15th cent.), an Italian rabbi and kabbalist. The title page states that Tov Shem is for on

Who is occupied in achieving a good name (shem tov) through Torah and good deeds (ma’asim
tovim) in this world in order to acquire the world to come which is all good (tov).

Written by R. Eliakim ben Naphtali to guide a person to go on the way that is good (tov). Brought to
cress by R. Joseph, son of the aforementioned gaon, and edited with great care by the sage R. Isaac
Gershon.

The date is given in the frame above the text of the title page; the printer’s name is lacking. The framem however, is characteristic of the Zanetti press and Benayahu records it as a Daniel Zanetti imprint Next is Eliakim’s introduction (2a-3a), the text, and at the end indexes. The introduction begins with the title and theme of the book:

"A good name (tov shem) is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of
one’s birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting; for that is
me end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart” (Ecclesiastes 7:1-2). King Solomon comes
to teach us with these two verses the complete virtues as to how and with what a person is able to
achieve and to attain them. The first verse instructs as to the complete value of the acquisition of
a good name, in and of itself good in two worlds, this world and the world to come. This is why it
says “A good name (tov shem) is better than precious ointment” for precious ointment is only in this
world, whereas a good name is good in this world and to come, as it says by Abraham, “I will make
our name great” (Genesis 12:2) even in this world and all the more in the world to come ....

Elakim also writes in the introduction that he intends to speak on the essence and quality of death and how the righteous conducted themselves before, close to, and at the time of death. After he will address the burial of the body, punishment and reward, Gehinnom, Gan Eden, the soul and resurrection, in order to continuously arouse one’s soul to serve the Holy One, blessed be with awe and love.

Tov Shem, set in a single column in rabbinic type, is comprised of eleven chapters and is based on the Talmud, Midrashim, works of early sages, particularly the Sha’ar ha-Gemul of R. Moses ben Nahman (Ramban), the Zohar, and other kabbalisitc texts. The text is made up of several type faces csed interchangeably between leaves and with large rabbinic letters followed by smaller letters The headings also vary in size. It has been suggested that the variances may be due to
portions of the book being printed at different presses, which would also explain the absence of a printer’s name on the title page. This is the only edition of Tov Shem, Eliakim’s only published work.  He refers to another title (25b), Even Shetiyah, no longer extant.

Hebrew Description

ספר טוב שם : ... בענין קניי' שם טוב ע"י תורה ומ"ט ... / חברו ... כמוה"רר אליקים בכמה"ר נפתלי ... הביאו אל הדפוס ה"ר יוסף בן הגאון הנזר ...

מוציא לאור לא ידוע

References

Heller, 17th Century Hebrew Book, p. 188-9; CD-NLI 001198056