Sefer Ha-yashar, or, the Book of Jasher (1840)/The Printer's Preface
THE PRINTER’S PREFACE.
The humble worm, and no man, Joseph, son to my father, the wise and highly respected in Israel, Samuel the little one, says, my witness is in heaven and my testimony is on high, the God of Gods knows, and Israel knows also, how much fatigue I have undergone, and how much trouble I have taken until I had brought to light the hidden treasures of this book; for ever since I was driven from my land, from the metropolis of Israel, the great city of wise men and scribes, the renowned city of Pasia, ever since the Lord, through my great offences, has driven me with a violent captivity, one stumbling after the other, he weakened my strength in the way, the iron entered my soul until I reached the Italian harbor, the royal city Livorno (Leghorn,) which is under the sway of our Lord the most serene Grand Duke Don Ferdinand de Media (Medici Qu?) for neither by day nor by night could I remain silent, I was continually in thought, my soul was humbled in me, and sleep was removed from mine eyes, when I reflected how energetically my father, the crown of my head, strove with his purse and labor to transcribe this book, as was his constant custom from his love of the study of the Law, to lavish money and wealth, principal and interest, for the purchase and the transcribing, for my own use, of books without end, in order that I might obtain wisdom and instruction, to comprehend the words of understanding, as all of the inhabitants of my city can testify and declare; (O God remember him favorably to rest in glory with the righteous who are in the garden of Eden, Amen! for this loss is felt only by me,) especially in the transcribing of this book it is holy for praises to the Lord, for there was never seen nor found but one, which the intelligent and pious scribe Jacob, the son of Atiyah, transcribed from a very old manuscript, the letters of which were defaced; and had it not been for the consummate ability of the above mentioned Rabbi, no other person could have made out those letters, nor have transcribed them, from their antiquity and from their having been defaced.
Now my father, of blessed memory, found favor in his eyes, to obtain this book on loan, in order that he might also get one transcribed by the hands of a certain scribe, and in the year 5373,[1] through my great sins, I went out of the pale of my birth place, and from my father’s house, owing to the terrors of famine, pestilence and slaughter. The sword destroyed from without, and within was the terror of pestilence and famine, on account of the battles and contentions which took place between the sons of the old king Maruccus who had died, for each lifted himself up, saying, I will reign, and they devoured the Israelites with open mouth, so that very few remained of them, even a tithe of a tithe; many families and heads of the houses of their fathers were lost and destroyed and became as naught; many books of various kinds, new and old, some in manuscript and others in print, as well as those of modern times, were mostly destroyed by fire, or were torn to pieces, which, together with their owners, lie hid under the ruins to this day. Woe to the eyes that beheld this! yet may the name of the Lord be blessed for the evil as well as for the good.
Fearing that this book might share the same fate as the others, I daily used the most persevering exertions in sending letters to some particular individuals in the city Argilia, in the city Titu, and in the city Pasia, to such as had been left, humbly beseeching them to search and inquire where might be the place of the glory of this book, and it was sought after and found to be hid in the hands of one of the individuals of the congregation, the wise and highly gifted Moses Chasan; and thanks are due to him, that upon his ascertaining my good intention to print it and to scatter it throughout all Jewish communities, he did not delay to send it, as he felt a desire for a heavenly reward for this pious act, yea, he sent it to me as a gift, may he receive a blessing from the Lord, and may his reward be perfect. Amen.
Now I in my humble station have composed a work entitled (Hebrew characters) in two parts, one part containing some of the scriptural comments which I made with the gracious help of the Lord, and the second part containing fifty lectures which I delivered to a great congregation, besides a later comment containing explanations of parts of the Talmud which I met with in the course of my studies, and which I illustrated according to my humble abilities; now I am revising this work a second time in order to bring it to the press, if heaven spare my life, yet I said to my heart, to thee, O worm, and no man, does the scripture proclaim “It is time for thee, O Lord, to work, for they have made void thy law,” for the printing of this book of Jasher tends to the honor and glory of the Lord, for through it will the hearts of men be directed to cleave to the blessed Lord, and by the means of which they will understand the wonderful works of God, and his bounties toward our ancestors from the days of old, and how he chose us from all nations, as thou wilt see at length in the preface, wherein thou wilt perceive enumerated the great many uses, thirteen in number, which induce men to confide in the Lord and to adhere to him.
I have also found another use therein, which is, that many parts of the five books difficult of comprehension, and which the commentators have been unable to reconcile, are, by means of this book, properly understood, because it gives a detail of those parts, wherein the sacred volume is brief in its account, and relates events as they occurred; thou wilt therefore find me lifting up my hand in the margin with the words (Hebrew characters) “The humble editor say's,” by which will be understood what I have asserted; search and thou will find many things also, which our Rabbies in their works gave in short, are brought forth more fully in this book since it is high time now to act and have a care for the glory of God’s name. Since then it is proper for me at present to defer the publication of my above mentioned work until I shall first have brought to light the hidden treasures of this book and to reveal them to the world, I am confident that with the help of the Lord all Israel will exult and rejoice therein.
I have therefore put my trust in the Lord, may he remember me favorably, that I may be enabled in the next year by his help and decree to publish also my afore mentioned work.
As for me, my prayer is to him who dwells on high; may the Lord God assist me, and send me from on high his peace, favor, and faithfulness to help me, that he may lead me beside the still waters, and conduct me to the paths of righteousness for the sake of his great name, and for the sake of his law. Amen for ever and ever.
- ↑ Corresponding with the year 1613.