Sefer Halachos Gedolos – Behag, Venice 1548. First Edition.

Sefer Halachos Gedolos – Behag, Venice 1548. First Edition.

The first edition of Sefer Behag, the classic Halachik work printed in 1548. 

Sefer Behag, also called “Halachos Gedolos”, was written in the 9th century and is a comprehensive work of Jewish laws and customs that covers a wide range of topics, including holidays, prayer, and family life. The name "Halachos Gedolos" means "great laws" and refers to the fact that the book draws on many earlier sources and is considered a major work of Jewish law. The book is organized into 24 sections, each of which is focused on a different area of Jewish life, and it is still studied and referenced by Jewish scholars today.

The author of this work has been debated for many centuries. Some maintain it was authored by R. Yehudai Gaon, and others are of the opinion that it was authored by R. Shimon Kiara of Babylon. The publisher Yehudah Segal from Frankfurt expounds on this issue at length in his introduction to this work. 

In good condition, printed on high-quality thick paper. Some occasional worming seen at the inner margins.

Printed at the printing house of Marco Antonio Giustiniani, the competitor of Bomberg. He was famously involved in a feud with Bragadin regarding the printing of the Rambam, which ultimately led to the burning of the Talmud in 1553. 

[4], 144 pp. 

Vinograd, Venice 333.

Stefansky Hebrew Classics, 220.