Autori Vari - Sefer Ha-Tikunim - 1695

IL SEFER HA-TIKUNIM IL LIBRO DELLE CORREZIONI SEGRETE : “ZOHAR”, CABALA, COSMO E ANIMA
Venezian edition from 1695 of Sefer ha-Tikunim (Tikunei ha-Zohar), one of the most enigmatic and symbolically dense texts of Kabbalistic mysticism. Printed at the Vendramin typography, among the most active Jewish workshops of sixteenth-century Venice, the volume testifies to the print transmission of initiatory knowledge based on the doctrine of the spiritual “corrections” of the cosmos and the soul. The title page within an elegant architectural woodcut frame, typical of Lagunarian Jewish production, gives the work a visual solemnity coherent with its theosophical content. An octavo-format exemplar, expression of the cultural vitality of the Venetian Jewish community and of the European circulation of Kabbalistic texts in the modern age.
MARKET VALUE
Le jewish Venetian editions of the XVII century, especially in good condition and with decorated title pages, are steadily sought after on the international antique market. Demand is supported both by Judaica collectors and by scholars of the history of Jewish typography. An exemplar like this generally falls within a range between €1,500 and €2,500, with variations depending on completeness and the freshness of the paper.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Original binding in cardboard with signs of wear. Title page within an architectural woodcut frame. Text in Hebrew characters. Browning and stains compatible with intensive use, an attractive and genuine exemplar.
In ancient books, with a centuries-old history, some imperfections may be present that are not always noted in the description. Pp. 52.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Sefer ha-Tikunim (Tikunei ha-Zohar).
Venice, Vendramin, 1695.
Traditionally attributed to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai;
Medieval redaction attributed to the Castilian Kabbalistic milieu of the 13th century (Moshe de León).

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (2nd century CE) is a central figure in the Jewish mystical tradition. Disciple of Rabbi Akiva, according to legend he retired to a cave for years of meditation, during which he would have received secret revelations about the divine structure of the universe. Tradition assigns to him the paternity of the Zohar, the foundational text of the Kabbalah.
Historical modern criticism identifies instead in the Castilian Kabbalist Moshe de León (c. 1240–1305) the probable author or redactor of the Zohar and the Tikunim. Active in 13th-century Spain, he composed in mystical Aramaic a work that presented itself as an ancient revelation, but reflected medieval Kabbalistic speculation. His work profoundly influenced Jewish mysticism, down to the Lurianic currents of the 16th century and beyond.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The Sefer ha-Tikunim (Book of Repairs or Corrections) belongs to the Kabbalistic tradition and connects to the corpus of the Zohar, a foundational text of Jewish mysticism. The Tikunim develop symbolic and mystical interpretations of the biblical text, particularly the Book of Genesis, according to the doctrine of the spiritual “corrections” of the soul and the cosmos. The Venetian print of the 17th century played a decisive role in the diffusion of Kabbalistic texts, making them accessible to Jewish communities around the Mediterranean and Central Europe. Venice, a commercial and cultural crossroads, was one of the main European centers for Jewish book production.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The Jewish printing house Vendramin was founded in 1630 by Giovanni Vendramin, temporarily breaking the monopoly of the Bragadin family in Venetian Jewish printing. Later the two workshops merged and continued to operate until the end of the 18th century, contributing decisively to the circulation of the Jewish book in Europe. The 1695 edition fits into this consolidated tradition, characterized by elegant architectural title pages and typographic care.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU/OPAC SBN, records relating to the Venetian Jewish editions of 1695.
Catalogues of Venetian Judaica of the 17th century.
Studies on Venetian Jewish typography (Bragadin, Vendramin).