AA. VV. - Sefer Ha-Tikunim - 1695





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Description from the seller
“ZOHAR”, KABBalah, COSMOS AND SOUL - THE SEFER HA-TIKUNIM, THE BOOK OF SECRET CORRECTIONS
Venetian edition of 1695 of the Sefer ha-Tikunim (Tikunei ha-Zohar), one of the most enigmatic and symbolically dense texts of Jewish mystical Kabbalah. Printed at the Vendramin press, among the most active Jewish workshops in sixteenth-century Venice, the volume testifies to the printed transmission of initiatory knowledge based on the doctrine of the spiritual “corrections” of the cosmos and the soul. The title page framed by an elegant woodcut architectural frame, typical of lagunary Jewish production, gives the work a visual solemnity coherent with its theosophical content. A octavo-format exemplar, expression of the Venetian Jewish community’s cultural vitality and the European circulation of Kabbalistic texts in the modern era.
MARKET VALUE
The seventeenth-century Venetian Hebrew editions, especially in good condition and with decorated title pages, are consistently sought after in the international antique market. Demand comes from Judaica collectors as well as scholars of the history of Jewish typography. An exemplar like this generally falls in 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 card stock with signs of wear. Title page within an architectural woodcut frame. Text in Hebrew characters. Yellowing and stains compatible with heavy use, a fascinating and genuine exemplar.
In old books with a centuries-long 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 composition traced to the Castilian Kabbalistic milieu of the thirteenth century (Moshe de León).
BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (2nd century CE) is a central figure in the Jewish mystical tradition. A disciple of Rabbi Akiva, according to legend he withdrew to a cave for years of meditation, during which he would have received secret revelations about the divine structure of the universe. The tradition attributes to him the paternity of the Zohar, the foundational text of the Kabbalah.
Modern historical criticism identifies instead the Castilian Kabbalist Moshe de León (c. 1240–1305) as the probable author or redactor of the Zohar and the Tikunim. Active in 13th-century Spain, he composed in mystical Aramaic a work presented as an ancient revelation, but reflecting medieval Kabbalistic speculation. His work deeply influenced Jewish mysticism, down to the Lurianic currents of the sixteenth century and beyond.
CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The Sefer ha-Tikunim (Book of Repairs or Corrections) belongs to the Kabbalistic tradition and is linked to the Zohar corpus, a fundamental 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 spiritual corrections of the soul and the cosmos. The Venetian press of the seventeenth century played a decisive role in the diffusion of Kabbalistic texts, making them accessible to Jewish communities in the Mediterranean region 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 Vendramin Jewish printing press was founded in 1630 by Giovanni Vendramin, temporarily interrupting the monopoly of the Bragadin family in Venetian Jewish printing. Later the two workshops joined forces and continued to operate until the end of the eighteenth 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 careful typography.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU/OPAC SBN, records relating to the 1695 Venetian Hebrew editions.
Catalogs of seventeenth-century Venetian Judaica.
Studies on Venetian Jewish typography (Bragadin, Vendramin).
Seller's Story
“ZOHAR”, KABBalah, COSMOS AND SOUL - THE SEFER HA-TIKUNIM, THE BOOK OF SECRET CORRECTIONS
Venetian edition of 1695 of the Sefer ha-Tikunim (Tikunei ha-Zohar), one of the most enigmatic and symbolically dense texts of Jewish mystical Kabbalah. Printed at the Vendramin press, among the most active Jewish workshops in sixteenth-century Venice, the volume testifies to the printed transmission of initiatory knowledge based on the doctrine of the spiritual “corrections” of the cosmos and the soul. The title page framed by an elegant woodcut architectural frame, typical of lagunary Jewish production, gives the work a visual solemnity coherent with its theosophical content. A octavo-format exemplar, expression of the Venetian Jewish community’s cultural vitality and the European circulation of Kabbalistic texts in the modern era.
MARKET VALUE
The seventeenth-century Venetian Hebrew editions, especially in good condition and with decorated title pages, are consistently sought after in the international antique market. Demand comes from Judaica collectors as well as scholars of the history of Jewish typography. An exemplar like this generally falls in 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 card stock with signs of wear. Title page within an architectural woodcut frame. Text in Hebrew characters. Yellowing and stains compatible with heavy use, a fascinating and genuine exemplar.
In old books with a centuries-long 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 composition traced to the Castilian Kabbalistic milieu of the thirteenth century (Moshe de León).
BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (2nd century CE) is a central figure in the Jewish mystical tradition. A disciple of Rabbi Akiva, according to legend he withdrew to a cave for years of meditation, during which he would have received secret revelations about the divine structure of the universe. The tradition attributes to him the paternity of the Zohar, the foundational text of the Kabbalah.
Modern historical criticism identifies instead the Castilian Kabbalist Moshe de León (c. 1240–1305) as the probable author or redactor of the Zohar and the Tikunim. Active in 13th-century Spain, he composed in mystical Aramaic a work presented as an ancient revelation, but reflecting medieval Kabbalistic speculation. His work deeply influenced Jewish mysticism, down to the Lurianic currents of the sixteenth century and beyond.
CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The Sefer ha-Tikunim (Book of Repairs or Corrections) belongs to the Kabbalistic tradition and is linked to the Zohar corpus, a fundamental 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 spiritual corrections of the soul and the cosmos. The Venetian press of the seventeenth century played a decisive role in the diffusion of Kabbalistic texts, making them accessible to Jewish communities in the Mediterranean region 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 Vendramin Jewish printing press was founded in 1630 by Giovanni Vendramin, temporarily interrupting the monopoly of the Bragadin family in Venetian Jewish printing. Later the two workshops joined forces and continued to operate until the end of the eighteenth 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 careful typography.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU/OPAC SBN, records relating to the 1695 Venetian Hebrew editions.
Catalogs of seventeenth-century Venetian Judaica.
Studies on Venetian Jewish typography (Bragadin, Vendramin).
