Physical Description

First Edition 47 ff., quarto, 258:178 mm., wide margins, each page skillfully cleaned and extended, old hands. A good copy bound on modern full leather over boards,             

Detailed Description   

Novellae to several tractates by R. Solomon b. Abraham ibn Aderet (c. 1235–c. 1310), Spanish rabbi and one of the foremost Jewish scholars of his time, whose influence has remained to this day. The Rashba belonged to a well-to-do family of Barcelona where he lived all his life. His principal teacher was R. Jonah b. Abraham Gerondi and Rashba always refers to him as "my teacher." He also studied under Nahmanides, being considered one of his outstanding students and principal exponent of his "school" in the interpretation of the Talmud. The Rashba headed a yeshivah to which students flocked, even from Germany and other countries. Among his distinguished students were: R. Yom Tov b. Abraham of Seville, R. Shem Tov ibn Gaon, and R. Bahya b. Asher. According to the Rashba , his academy housed valuable manuscripts of the Talmud brought from the Babylonian academies or which had been checked in the academies of Kairouan. It appears that he composed his famous novellae to the Talmud in connection with his lectures to his students. His novellae to 17 tractates of the Talmud have been published: Berakhot (Venice, 1523); Shabbat (Constantinople, 1720); Eruvin (Warsaw, 1895); Bezah (Lemberg, 1847); Rosh Ha-Shanah (in part, Constantinople, 1720, and in a complete, critical edition, 1961); Megillah (Constantinople, 1720; complete edition, 1956); Yevamot (Constantinople, 1720); Gittin (Venice, 1523); Kiddushin (Constantinople, 1717); Nedarim (ibid., 1720); Bava Kamma (ibid., 1720); Bava Mezia (in part, Jerusalem, 1931); Bava Batra (ibid., 1957); Shevu'ot (Salonika, 1729, and in full, Jerusalem, 1965); Avodah Zarah (in part in Jerusalem, 1966); Hullin (Venice, 1523); Niddah (Altona, 1797 and a complete edition, Jerusalem, 1938).

The Daniel Bomberg Press is praised by R. Abraham ben Meir de Balmes (c. 1440-1523) In his introduction, to Mikneh Avram (unpaginated) (Venice 1523),

And behold there came to me Daniel Bomberg, a man greatly beloved of whom glorious things were spoken. . . . He was a Christian and feared his God. . . . The feet.of his father did not stand at the foot of Sinai but to him did I turn all my fountains, for he was one of those who spend their money freely in the service of G-d. . . to print Bible, Mishnah and Decisions beyond all other printers. He also studied Hebrew and crowned himself therewith and all his deeds shine like the splendor of the sky...

Hebrew Description

 מהרב הגדול הרשב"א זל ... שמנו מגמ’ פנינו לציין בראש כל דיבו’ ודיבו’ ... באי זה דף הוא בא בתלמודנו זה שהדפסנו ...

קולופון: נשלמו חדושי הרשב"א אלו ... כו לחדש אדר שנת רפ"ג לפ"ק בבית דניאל בומבירגי ...

נדפס יחד עם "חידושי בבא בתרא מהרב ... הרמב"ן", ועם "חידושי גיטין מהרשב"א" ו"חידושי מסכת חולין מהרשב"א".

References

Bibliography of the Hebrew Book 1470-1960 #000105588; BE het 209