Babylonian Talmud, First Edition, Tractates Mo'ed Katan and Shekalim, Venice: Daniel Bomberg, 1521

Folio (13 ¾ x 9 in.; 350 x 230 mm), Moed Katan collation: 1-5⁸, 4^{5 [of 6]} =45 leaves, lacking only the final, blank leaf; Shekalim collation: 1⁶, 2^{6 [of 8]} =12 leaves, lacking only ff. 13-14 with Maimonides' introduction to Seder Mo'ed. First title page remargined; owner’s note on title page. Woodcut initial word panels; lightly stained, mostly marginal, though more pronounced on first title page; light worming, mostly in final quire. Modern navy cloth; title gilt on leather lettering piece on spine.

Vinograd, Venice 46, 64; Habermann 30, 45

The two Talmudic tractates bound together in this volume are both from Bomberg's first printed edition of the Babylonian Talmud (1519/20-1523); these tractates were printed as discrete volumes in 1521 as part of the Mishnaic order Mo'ed, dealing with the celebration of festivals and related subjects.  

Mo'ed Katan, the 11th tractate in the order Mo'ed, concerns itself primarily with the intermediary days of the festivals of Passover and Sukkot (hol ha-mo'ed ). The original name of this tractate seems to have actually been Mo'ed and throughout the tractate the intermediary days are referred to as Mo'ed and not as hol ha-mo'ed. To distinguish the tractate Mo'ed from the mishnaic order of that name, the former was sometimes referred to as Mashkin after its opening word. The present designation, Mo'ed Katan, eventually prevailed, thus distinguishing the tractate from its order.  The tractate also explores the nexus between the laws of the intermediary days of the festivals and the laws of mourning; within this context the Gemara discusses details of burial and mourning customs. In addition to the standard commentaries of Rashi and Tosafot, Bomberg included Rabbenu Asher ben Yehiel’s commentary on the Mishnah.

Shekalim is most frequently found as either the fourth or fifth tractate within the order Mo'ed. Shekalim deals with the annual half-shekel tax collected for the maintenance of the Temple in Jerusalem and assorted related topics. The origin of the half-shekel tax may be found in Exodus 30:11-16 where it serves the dual purpose of funding the Tabernacle as well as the conducting of a population census. There being no Gemara in the Babylonian Talmud for Shekalim, the Gemara of the Jerusalem Talmud is included here.