Welcome to the Living Library Collection
ספר חיים
More than history, a real window to our past!
More than history, a real window to our past!
Manuscripts and Printed Books
We may not have many physical reminders of the Jewish presence in Portugal before the events of 1496-97. However, we have some of the handwritten manuscripts they so painstakingly wrote and some of the printed books they so aptly and skillfully produced.
These handwritten and printed works are their monuments on paper and parchment. They say more about their lives than any monument of brick and stone ever could.
The pages and letters are a direct link to those who came before us. Connecting us to our ancestors, who studied and prayed from these very books. These books aren’t merely valuable antiques, but a window into our past.
When we study from, cherish and explore these precious books, we connect with the authors’ scribes and printers from centuries ago. The crisp pages, and bold ink, provide us with a bridge to our past, and illuminate the path to our future, they are truly, books of life.
The Collection Includes
1
The first book printed in Lisbon
Lisbon 1489
The first book ever printed in Lisbon and the second in Portugal was like the first one, a Hebrew book. It was Chidushei HaTorah [Insights on the Torah], a commentary on the Pentateuch, by R. Moshe ben Nachman (1194- 1270). Chidushei HaTorah was published by R. Eliezer and R. Shmuel Zorba and completed on the 18 of Av of 5249, corresponding to July 16, 1489, in the Julian calendar. Its printing precedes the printing of the first non-Hebrew book in Portugal, which occurred in Chaves by about three weeks.
An original copy of this book is part of the Living Library Collection, and is on display.
The second book printed in Lisbon
Lisbon 1490
The second book printed in the Hebrew printing shop in Lisbon was Perush L’Tefillot Kol HaShanah [Commentary on the Prayers for the Whole Year], a commentary of prayers by R. David Abudarham (middle 1300s), which is widely referred to as Sefer Abudarham.
[The Book of Abudarham]. The printing of this work was concluded on Tevet 1, 5250, which corresponded to November 25,1489, in the Julian calendar. This book features comments on prayer: daily, for Shabbat, and Holidays, including fast days, followed by commentaries on the calendar and related issues. It concludes with a lengthy discussion on blessings for all occasions.
An original copy of this book is part of the Living Library Collection, and is on display.
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The second book printed in Leiria
Leiria 1494
The second book printed in Leiria is the Hebrew text of the Early Prophets, with the Targum Yonatan, its translation into Aramaic, and the commentaries of R. David Kimchi (1160-1235), and R. Levi ben Gershon (1288– 1344). This edition of the Early Prophets is sometimes collected as a set of three books, the first covering Joshua and Judges, the second covering I and II Samuel, and the third I and II Kings.
According to the colophon, this printing was concluded on the third week of Shevat of 5254, the week of the Torah portion of Mishpatim {Exodus 21:1- 24:18]. This is the week starting Sunday 19 of Shevat, which corresponds to the week starting on January 26, 1494.
The colophon includes references to the perceived awesomeness of the printing technology:
“These are recent innovations. A son never learned [the craft] from his father. Ask about ancient times, to the history of man invoke, whether such a thing was ever seen: a hand which writes contrary to a scribe, with what is supposed to be below [that is, paper] being above, and that which is supposed to be above [that is, ink] being below, and with a writing that is done with iron stylus and lead [Job 19, 24].”
Original leaves from this book are part of the Living Library Collection, and are on display.
From Portugal to the Ottoman Empire
Constantinople 1506
In the immediate aftermath of the events of the 1490s in the Iberian Peninsula, it is known that the Jewish refugees took their presses to several Italian and Ottoman cities. The earliest example is that of the Nachmias brothers, David and Shmuel ibn Nachmias. As refugees from Spain due to adverse conditions in the years leading to 1492, they seemed to have attempted initially to set shop in Naples. It was already in Constantinople, however, that they would produce their first book, which was, in fact, the first book ever printed in the Ottoman Empire.The Hebrew printing house of the Nachmias brothers in Constantinople continued operation until 1518. Printed volumes published including; Leshon Limmudim [Language of Learning], by R. David ibn Yachya (1440– 1524), printed in 1506.
An original copy of this book is part of the Living Library Collection, and is on display.
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5
Tree of Tears
Venice 1523
R. Abraham Sabba was a Spanish rabbi who settled in Portugal after the Expulsion from Spain. His relatively peaceful life in Guimarães ended abruptly with the events of 1496/97. Then, he was confronted with the confiscation of all his books and other religious objects. As such, he had to travel to Porto to surrender his Hebrew books. “By Royal decree, my library was confiscated in Porto … Risking my life, I kept a manuscript with me, my commentary on the Torah … my most precious possession.” (Eshkol HaKofer, Esther, p. 49) Like many Jews who were expecting boats to be waiting for them in Lisbon, R. Sabba traveled there: “Upon reaching Lisbon, terrifying news spread. Anyone caught with texts or religious objects would be killed. Outside of Lisbon, together with two fellow Jews, we dug a hole. Underneath an olive tree, I buried my life’s work. It was a beautiful olive tree safeguarding my Torah thoughts. To me, it was a tree of tears.” (Eshkol HaKofer, Esther, p. 50).
After enduring months in prison, R. Sabba and the handful of other Jews were allowed to sail to the Moroccan shores. Physically weak and separated from his wife and children, who were forced to remain in Portugal, R. Sabba showed tremendous resilience. “I decided I would rewrite my Torah commentary from memory … to be able to share what had been lost and to restore the crown to its former glory. [But] I don’t know if I recall all of it correctly, as my initial manuscript was left behind in Portugal.” (Tzror Hamor, Devarim, p. 381).
The Living Library Collection, possesses all of the early editions of the Tzror Hamor. They are on display in the library.
The Almanach Perpetuum and the New World
Venice 1524
The Almanach Perpetuum has the distinction of being the first scientific book printed in Portugal. Its importance was not merely theoretical. The use of its astronomic tables and a related tool, an improved version of the astrolabe suited for maritime navigation, also developed by R. Zacuto, played a fundamental role in the era of high-sea navigation and maritime explorations that would soon follow.
The Almanach Perpetuum is based on the Hebrew work Chibur HaGadol [The Great Connection] by R. Zacuto, which was written in Salamanca between 1473 and 1478. Chibur HaGadol is composed of two parts. The bulk of the book is a set of astronomical tables, prefaced by an introduction on their purpose and use. The tables provide the information necessary to determine the position of the sun and the moon, and the exact moment of the eclipses, as well as to perform several types of astronomical calculations. The Almanach Perpetuum revolutionized ocean navigation by providing the first tables allowing the use of the position of the sun for location guidance.
In Portugal, R. Zacuto became royal astronomer and mathematician right after fleeing from Spain in 1492. The tables and astrolabe were extensively used by the navigators, first in experimental exploits often under the leadership of Master Vizinho, and then directly by Vasco da Gama in 1497 and in subsequent voyages.
Before his first trip, Vasco da Gama and his crew underwent extensive preparation under R. Zacuto, on the use of these techniques. The Almanach Perpetuum was first printed in Leiria in 1496.
An original copy of the Venice 1524 edition is part of the Living Library Collection, and is on display.
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Echoes from the Past
Amsterdam 1629
The Decree of Expulsion of the Jews from Portugal was enacted on December 5, 1496. It stipulated that all Jews not willing to convert had ten months, until the end of October 1497, to leave Portugal through three pre-assigned ports, Lisbon, Porto, and Setúbal.
The Decree of Expulsion of 1496 does seem to have been mostly a necessary move to mollify the Catholic Monarchs and, at the same time, to hide from the Jews the true intentions of the crown of forced mass conversions. It became abundantly clear that there was no intention of allowing Jews to depart with a first round of forced conversion in March 1497 and with the legislation in May 1497 that provided ample protection to those Jews who would convert.
Ultimately, as the end of October 1497 drew closer, no ships were available in any of the three assigned ports as was formally promised in the decree of expulsion itself. Thousands of Jews gathered in Lisbon, the only port where ships would be purportedly waiting. Standing under the elements, the Jews faced hunger, conversionary speeches, and, ultimately, forced conversion. Only a handful managed to escape.
These details are recounted in “Nomología” by Rabbi Emmanuel Aboab. The author who was born in Porto in 1555, describes hearing this from his father.
An original copy of this book is part of the Living Library Collection, and is on display.
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