- 155
Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sukkah, Venice: Daniel Bomberg, 1521
Description
Literature
Vinograd, Venice 47; Habermann 33
Condition
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
Sukkah (booth), is the sixth tractate of the order Mo'ed and deals, in five chapters, with all the laws relating to the festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles). These include the biblical obligations of "dwelling" in the Sukkah and the "taking of the four species." In addition the tractate describes other elements of the Sukkot holiday including the ceremony of Hoshanot (willow branches) and the rite of water libation. The description of the celebrations of Sukkot leads to information about a variety of occasions when trumpets were sounded, as well as to how various sacrificial duties were distributed among the priestly divisions and how they shared the sacrificial portions.
In several tractates, including Sukkah, the manuscript tradition included the inclusion of diagrammatic illustrations as a visual aid to facilitate comprehension of the Talmudic text. Though Bomberg did not print these illustrations with the tractate, he left blank spaces at the appropriate locations within the texts of the Talmud and the commentaries so that the owners of the volumes could supply the needed drawings. (See folio 8 recto and verso.)