Select manuscript from this collection: B26  B274 B283  S102  36/107

Country of Location:
Country of Location
Switzerland
Location:
Location
Zürich
Library / Collection:
Library / Collection
Braginsky Collection
Shelfmark:
Shelfmark
B282
Manuscript Title:
Manuscript Title
Kalonymus ben Kalonymus, Massekhet Purim
Caption:
Caption
Paper · 13 ff. · 13.3 x 8.5 cm · Amsterdam · 1752
Language:
Language
Hebrew
Manuscript Summary:
Manuscript Summary
The Massekhet Purim contained in this manuscript is a Purim parody by the Provençal author and translator Kalonymus ben Kalonymus (Arles 1286- after 1328), who wrote this work in Rome in the early 1320s. The text is about eating, drinking and drunkenness during Purim. The author humorously imitated the text and style of the Talmud. The illustrations include depictions of harlequins, of a street musician and of seven playing cards represented as trompe l’œil, which is rarely found in Hebrew manuscripts. The codex was copied in Amsterdam in 1752, at a time when this work was very popular in the Ashkenazic Jewish community. (red)
DOI (Digital Object Identifier):
DOI (Digital Object Identifier
10.5076/e-codices-bc-b-0282 (http://dx.doi.org/10.5076/e-codices-bc-b-0282)
Permanent link:
Permanent link
https://e-codices.unifr.ch/en/list/one/bc/b-0282
IIIF Manifest URL:
IIIF Manifest URL
IIIF Drag-n-drop https://e-codices.unifr.ch/metadata/iiif/bc-b-0282/manifest.json
How to quote:
How to quote
Zürich, Braginsky Collection, B282: Kalonymus ben Kalonymus, Massekhet Purim (https://e-codices.unifr.ch/en/list/one/bc/b-0282).
Online Since:
Online Since
12/18/2014
External resources:
External resources
Rights:
Rights
Images:
(Concerning all other rights see each manuscript description and our Terms of use)
Document Type:
Document Type
Manuscript
Century:
Century
18th century
Dated:
Dated
1752
Decoration:
Decoration
Figurative, Full Page, Ornamental, Text Block, Tinted Drawing
Annotation Tool - Log in

e-codices · 11/28/2014, 17:26:59

The central event of the festival of Purim is the reading of the biblical book of Esther from a scroll at night and on the morning of the festival. Other practices associated with the holiday include dressing in costume, participating in satirical plays or parodies, sending gifts of food to friends and neighbors (shlakhmones in Yiddish), giving charity to the poor, and partaking in a festive meal. The celebration reenacts the rejoicing of Jews saved from destruction in Persia, mentioned at the end of the book of Esther.
This manuscript contains the text of the medieval Massekhet Purim, a Purim parody by the Provençal scholar Kalonymus ben Kalonymus. Born in 1286 in Arles, he was living in Rome when he wrote this work in the early 1320s. Although it is not known when he died, it must have been after 1328, when he was back in the Provençe. Massekhet Purim, which humorously imitates the style and idiom of the Talmud, deals with eating, drinking, and drunkenness during Purim.
The illustrations in the Braginsky manuscript include harlequins, a street musician, and seven playing cards arranged as a trompe l’oeil. This illustration is in keeping with the introductory text of chapter four, “Each person is obligated to play dice and cards during Purim.” Only a few other examples of a trompe l’oeil in Hebrew manuscripts are known.
There was particular interest in Kalonymus’s Massekhet Purim in the Netherlands in the eighteenth century, when Purim parodies and special Purim plays were popular. The scarce historical documents available indicate that the Ashkenazic Jews of Amsterdam were active revelers who immersed themselves in carnivalesque festivities, including masquerades and pageants in which music was played and torches were carried. These celebrations, which extended outside the borders of the Jewish quarter, often continued after the festival. Consequently, in addition to fearing the desecration of the Sabbath, which often occurred, the Ashkenazic authorities were concerned about the effect these public festivities had on their relationships with the non-Jewish authorities. In 1767 the Amsterdam Ashkenazim even issued a statement that when Purim occurred on a Sunday Jews had to respect the Sunday rest and could not celebrate outside the Jewish quarter.

From: A Journey through Jewish Worlds. Highlights from the Braginsky collection of Hebrew manuscripts and printed books, hrsg. E. M. Cohen, S. L. Mintz, E. G. L. Schrijver, Amsterdam, 2009, p. 138.

Add an annotation
Annotation Tool - Log in

A Journey through Jewish Worlds. Highlights from the Braginsky collection of Hebrew manuscripts and printed books, hrsg. E. M. Cohen, S. L. Mintz, E. G. L. Schrijver, Amsterdam, 2009, p. 138-139.

Add a bibliographical reference

Reference Images and Binding


Front cover

Back cover