Title: ספר בן ישי (Sefer Ben Yishai) – Seder Cheshbon Ha’itim (“Order of the Calculation of Times”)
• Author: Yehudah Shalom Nissim of Trieste
• Publication: Vienna, 1827 (Printed by Anton Strauss)
• Language: Hebrew text with introductions and explanatory sections also in Italian
• Content: A detailed guide to Jewish calendar calculations, including leap years, moladot (new moon times), solar/lunar cycles, and holiday cycles. Designed to instruct students and leaders in the practical use of astronomy and Torah law for determining the calendar.
Special Features:
• Early dual-language Judaica work (Hebrew & Italian), a rare survival from the Trieste/Vienna Jewish intellectual world of the early 19th century.
• Provenance: The front flyleaf bears a presentation inscription in Italian:
“Alla ecc Sig.ra—— Novsa in Trieste, 1827” (To the Most Excellent Lady ——Novsa in Trieste, 1827)
This shows it was gifted at the time of publication.
• A later inscription notes ownership by S. Carmui, 1857.
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Physical Details:
• Original marbled boards with later cloth repair at spine.
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• Condition: Complete but with expected age wear. Binding worn, with reinforcement; pages browned with some stains and edge wear. Inscriptions visible and legible. Text remains clean and highly readable. Please see photos for details.