Tzror Hamor on the Torah
Early Edition. Venice, 1545
Kabbalistic commentary on the Chamishah Chumshei Torah by Rabbi Avraham Saba, one of the notable Torah sages during the era of the Spanish Expulsion.
One of the foundational commentaries on the Torah, ‘Tzror Hamor’ is a compilation of explanations based on both pshat and kabbalah. Its significance is manifest from the fact that already by the 16th century, it was reprinted no less than four times!
This is the second edition of the sefer; the first edition was printed by Bomberg in 1523.
Throughout the sefer, the author shares moving and heartfelt accounts about the fate of Spanish and Portuguese Jews during the era of the Expulsion.
The author
Rabbi Avraham Saba (d. 1509) was one of the illustrious sages of Castile. In 1492, following the Spanish Expulsion, he relocated to Portugal. Yet when the evil hand of the Inquisition reached Portugal as well, he fled to Fez, Morocco. He passed away on a boat en route to Italy and was laid to rest in Verona.
Venice, 1545. Justinian Press.
Page Count: 165 leaves.
Condition: Good. Slight wear on the title page and several stains in the margins. Few holes in the final leaves. Fine new leather binding.
Provenance: Legacy Auction (2021).
The title page features the signature of Rabbi Avraham HaLevi of Chelm, who served as Av Beis Din of the Emden community, succeeding the Ya’abetz. He was one of the great Torah leaders of his generation, and the first teshuva in ‘Shu”t Noda BeYehuda’ (First Edition) is addressed to him.
There are also dedication inscriptions by Rabbi Yehuda Leib Segal, son of Rabbi Binyamin Wolf Segal Epstein.
– – – – – – –
Fascinating Story of the Sefer’s Printing
The original manuscript of this sefer was buried by the author when he was forced to suddenly flee Portugal and was rewritten from memory!
The author, Rabbi Avraham Saba, originally composed the sefer ‘Tzror Hamor’ while living in Portugal. At the time of the expulsion, carrying Hebrew books was an offense, yet Rabbi Avraham managed to smuggle his writings, at great risk to his life, to the city of Lisbon. When he was in Lisbon, an edict was issued condemning anyone caught carrying Hebrew texts to death, and thus, with no choice and with great sorrow, he buried his beloved manuscript.
Eventually, he reached Morocco, where he sat and rewrote the entire sefer by heart, including quoting full sections from other noted sefarim!
Sadly, there were several sections that he was unable to fully reconstruct, and upon this, he bitterly laments, “In the Torah commentary that I left in Portugal during the expulsion, I found a different explanation…which I wrote there, but due to my sins, I do not recall it.” (Leaf 23a)
