Leeser, Isaac, Editor (7 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Good. In Hebrew and English. 5, 27, 27, 4 pages. 15 x 10 cm. 6 x 4 inches. Ex library of apparently long defunct Congregation Emanu-El, Jersey City, New Jersey, see stamp on back blank. Isaac Leeser was born in Germany in 1806, immigrated to the U.S. at age 17 and died in 868. He was a Jewish lay minister of religion, author, translator, editor, publisher, pioneer of the Jewish pulpit in the U.S., and founder of the Jewish press in America. He produced the first Jewish translation of the Bible into English, and editions of the liturgy. He is one of the most important American Jewish personalities in 19th century America. He defended Judaism in the public press when it was assailed. In 1828, an article in the London Quarterly reflecting on the Jews was answered by Leeser in the columns of the Richmond Whig. Leeser's reply attracted the attention of the Jewish communities of Richmond and Philadelphia and he was induced to accept the congregation's invitation to serve as lay minister. In 1829 Leeser went to Philadelphia with the manuscript of his first book, "The Jews and the Mosaic Law". He brought fresh ideas about his new job. Up to that time the role of a hazzan in America had been merely to lead the congregation in Hebrew prayers. There was, however, a new movement in Europe. In Hamburg, Rabbi Gotthold Salomon had broken new ground by delivering a sermon in German. Preaching in German soon became the norm in Reform synagogues, and even some conservative rabbis had begun to deliver sermons in the vernacular. This movement inspired Leeser, and he hoped to transform the lectern into a pulpit. On June 2, 1830, Leeser delivered his first English sermon, and thereafter he preached with regularity. Leeser's delivering sermons on a regular basis was ultimately adopted by American congregations, and preaching became one of the standard duties of Jewish clergymen. There was a scarcity of books concerning the Jewish religion and no American Jewish publisher. He translated Johlson's Instruction in the Mosaic Religion and in the winter of 1829-30 tried, unsuccessfully, to publish it, as The Jews and the Mosaic Law. So he self published it. In 1845, Leeser published a Hebrew-English edition of the Torah in five volumes, the English translation being his own. It soon became the standard Bible for English-speaking Jews in the 19th century. 3 years later, Leeser published a masoretic Hebrew edition of the Tanakh, Biblia Hebraica, in cooperation with Joseph Jaquett, a local Episcopalian minister. It was the first of its kind to be printed in America. In 1853, Leeser completed his English translation of the entire Tanakh, commonly called The Leeser Bible. He retired from Congregation Mikveh Israel in 1850, but took office again in 1857, when the newly formed Congregation Beth-El-Emeth in Philadelphia called him, and he remained its leader until his death. When Leeser commenced his public career, there were approximately 15,000 scattered Jews in the U.S., some members of congregations. He mold them into a community in part through the pulpit, in part by the press. He participated in nearly all the Jewish activities in the United States: the first Jewish day schools, the first Jewish seminary, the first Jewish publication society, etc. The Occident and American Jewish Advocate, Leeser's monthly magazine, acquired an international reputation; Maimonides College, of which he was provost, paved the way for future Jewish seminaries in the United States; the Jewish Publication Society he founded is the predecessor of today's Jewish Publication Society of America; and his translation of the Bible became an authorized version for English-speaking Jews around the world.

Leather Binding. Condition: Good. First Edition. First edition of an important work of American Judaica. A good copy in full period brown calf (spine and boards quite rubbed, spine starting to crack vertically; remnants of black leather spine label; front endpaper has a chip at top; heavy marginal soiling and stains from use, some dampstaining to bottom margins; some ink offsetting on blanks at front and rear). 'To unite Ashkenazic Jews in America using different prayer books and to provide them with an error-free text, Leeser issued this work, the first Ashkenazic prayer book published in America' (Goldman). viii pages, 243 leaves. English and Hebrew text on opposing pages. PROVENANCE from an early Richmond, Virgina Jewish family. Inscribed at front '5620 [1860] A.M. Presented to [illegible] Isabella Bachrach by her friend & teacher [MJ Nickelbacker?] Richmond'. At rear there is a tipped-in newspaper obituary for Isaac A. Bachrach, who died at age 46 September 12, 1861.

First edition. First edition. Text in two columns. iv, 1011, [1, blank]pp., plus [4]pp. family register in the rear accomplished in manuscript. 4to. "Leeser's literary magnum opus and most lasting contribution to Judaism in America was an English translation of the Hebrew Bible (1853-54) complete with 'short explanatory notes' . Leeser's Bible, as it has come to be known, quickly became 'the standard bible for English speaking Jews, especially in America.'" (Sussman). Leeser's first biblical translation was his The Law of God, published in five small-format volumes in 1845, with vocalized Hebrew text of each of the Five Books of Moses, together with an English translation and notes, as well as the haftarot. His larger-format Bible of 1853-54 comprised a new English translation of the full "Tanakh," revising his earlier translation of the Pentateuch and translating the remaining parts between April 1852 and September 1853. The first edition would be published shortly thereafter, with a second edition in 1859 and subsequent quarto editions thereafter. This copy with esteemed early American Jewish provenance to Benjamin Franklin Peixotto (18341890) and his descendants. Peixotto was the grandson of Benjamin Mendes Seixas (17471817) one of the founders of the New York Stock Exchange, the brother of hazzan Gershom Seixas, and among the notable early members of Congregation Shearith Israel. Peixotte married Hannah Straus (aka Strauss) of Louisville Kentucky in 1858. He worked as a journalist in Cleveland Ohio, and there founded the Hebrew Benevolent Society and a chapter of B'nai B'rith. In 1866 he moved with his family to New York, working as a lawyer, then in 1870, he became American consul first to Romania, then in 1877 to Lyon, France. The register records the marriages of his children and the births of his children and grandchildren through 1892. Singerman 1271; Goldman 12. J. D. Sarna and N. M. Sarna, "Jewish Bible Scholarship and Translations in the United States" in The Bible and Bibles in America E. S. Freriches ed., 1998; Lance J. Sussman "Another Look at Isaac Leeser and the First Jewish Translation of the Bible in the United States" in Modern Judaism, Vol. 5, No. 2, (May, 1985), pp. 159-190 Contemporary morocco gilt, rebacked with the original spine laid down, yellow endpapers, gilt edges. Restoration at fore-edge margin of first few leaves (without loss of text). Provenance: Benjamin F. Peixotto (signature on front endpaper, family register recording marriages and births of Peixotto and his descendants) Text in two columns. iv, 1011, [1, blank]pp., plus [4]pp. family register in the rear accomplished in manuscript. 4to.

8vo, 5 volumes. (8 7/8 x 5 1/2 inches). Hebrew and English text on facing pages. Each volume inscribed at the head of the English-language title "To my beloved wife from her affectionate husband," the first volume with a later family annotation. Contemporary purple morocco, spine in six compartments with raised bands, lettered in gilt in the second and fourth, repeating gilt decoration in others, marbled edges, marbled endpapers. Provenance: Solomon Nunes Carvalho (each cover stamped in gilt) Rare large-paper association copy of the first Jewish translation of the Pentateuch into English. More than any other person of his time, Isaac Leeser (1806-1868) envisioned the development of a major center of Jewish culture and religious activity in the United States. He single-handedly provided American Jews with many of the basic religious texts, institutions, and conceptual tools they needed to construct the cultural foundation of what would later emerge as the largest Jewish community in the history of the Jewish people. Printed in 1845, this edition of the Pentateuch in five volumes included a vocalized Hebrew text of each of the Five Books of Moses together with an English translation and notes, as well as the haftarot (prophetic readings). Leeser actually began working on The Law of God in 1838. Among the factors involved in his decision to begin systematically working on a translation was the recent opening of Rebecca Gratz's Sunday School, which met for the first time in March 1838, in Philadelphia, and was desperately in need of appropriate study material. Students were compelled to use the King James Bible for want of a Jewish alternative. Religiously objectionable passages in other texts provided by Protestant organizations were either pasted over or torn out by Gratz's staff. Leeser, who supported the Sunday School and was its chief academic resource person, felt compelled to find more suitable texts for the students. The impetus for Leeser throughout was always his desire to provide the Jews of America with an English text of the Bible that was produced by one of their own and was not tainted by conversionist motivations. This copy with provenance to Solomon Nunes Carvalho, who was a noted American painter, photographer, writer, and inventor, best known for traveling with John C. Fremont on his fifth expedition through Kansas, Colorado and Utah. He published an account of that journey titled "Incidents of Travel and Adventure in the Far West; with Colonel Fremont's Last Expedition" (1860) and was considered a pioneer in travel photography. Isaac Leeser, the hazzan of Congregation K.K. Mikveh Israel, married Carvalho and his wife, Sarah Miriam Solis, on October 15, 1845 in Philadelphia, where Carvalho's father had a workshop. Rosenbach 569; Singerman 884; Goldman 7; Lance J. Sussman, "Another Look at Isaac Leeser and the First Jewish Translation of the Bible in the United States," Modern Judaism, Vol. 5, No. 2, Gershom Scholem Memorial Issue. (May, 1985), pp. 159-190.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. First American Edition. XII, 255 pages. 8.25 x 5.5 inches. Penciled signature on front paste-down endpaper: M. D. Lindo, Esqre. Embossed boards. First edition. At head of title: [Shema Yisrael]. The printed dedication is to Aguilar's mother reads, TO HER Whose Precepts and Example Originally Inspired the Sentiments Contained in the Following Pages, The Tender Guardian of my Infancy, The Sole Instructress of My Youth, The Faithful Friend of Riper Years, to MY BELOVED MOTHER, This Volume is Most Gratefully and Affectionately Inscribed. (This imprinted on the dedication leaf). Grace Aguilar was an English novelist descended from Portugese Maranos. She was an advocate of reform and a foe, despite her close association with Christians, of the conversionists. Plagued with health problems, she died at 31, before her talent could fully mature. Miss Aguilar in the late 1830's sent the manuscript of The Spirit of Judaism across the Atlantic to Isaac Leeser, asking him to edit it, but this original manuscript was never received. She then rewrote it from her notes and re-sent it. Leeser made his notes and had it published in the United States, due to the difficulties of communication in that era, without her ever seeing his emendations before the work appeared in print. Isaac Leeser was the champion of American Orthodoxy during this period, and founded the Jewish Publication Society of America. He was responsible for the publication of many important works. Rosenbach 488. Singerman 0767. "A defense of Faith "peculiarly calculated to win and arrest [our females] attention by elegant imagery and truly delicate portraiture." An outgrowth of a particularly 19th century partnership in the form of Leeser and Aguilar, two Jewishly conscientious, literary and unmarried individulas residing in two opposing Hemispheres. The first of some dozen publications by Aguilar in America.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 13 x 18 cm. 5 x 7 inches, The thickness of the set is 4.5 inches. In five volumes. Decorative gilt front boards, some of the gilt is gone. Slight wear to very bottom and top of the spine strips. Pink foredges. Internally the books are in very good condition. Bi-lingual edition with the English page facing the Hebrew page. Approximately 1800 pages total for the five volumes. number of pages is approximately 1800. Isaac Leeser was born in Germany in 1806, immigrated to the U.S. at age 17 and died in 868. He was a Jewish lay minister of religion, author, translator, editor, publisher, pioneer of the Jewish pulpit in the U.S., and founder of the Jewish press in America. He produced the first Jewish translation of the Bible into English, and editions of the liturgy. He is one of the most important American Jewish personalities in 19th century America. He defended Judaism in the public press when it was assailed. In 1828, an article in the London Quarterly reflecting on the Jews was answered by Leeser in the columns of the Richmond Whig. Leeser's reply attracted the attention of the Jewish communities of Richmond and Philadelphia and he was induced to accept the congregation's invitation to serve as lay minister. In 1829 Leeser went to Philadelphia with the manuscript of his first book, "The Jews and the Mosaic Law". He brought fresh ideas about his new job. Up to that time the role of a hazzan in America had been merely to lead the congregation in Hebrew prayers. There was, however, a new movement in Europe. In Hamburg, Rabbi Gotthold Salomon had broken new ground by delivering a sermon in German. Preaching in German soon became the norm in Reform synagogues, and even some conservative rabbis had begun to deliver sermons in the vernacular. This movement inspired Leeser, and he hoped to transform the lectern into a pulpit. On June 2, 1830, Leeser delivered his first English sermon, and thereafter he preached with regularity. Leeser's delivering sermons on a regular basis was ultimately adopted by American congregations, and preaching became one of the standard duties of Jewish clergymen. There was a scarcity of books concerning the Jewish religion and no American Jewish publisher. He translated Johlson's Instruction in the Mosaic Religion and in the winter of 1829-30 tried, unsuccessfully, to publish it, as The Jews and the Mosaic Law. So he self published it. In 1845, Leeser published a Hebrew-English edition of the Torah in five volumes, the English translation being his own. It soon became the standard Bible for English-speaking Jews in the 19th century. 3 years later, Leeser published a masoretic Hebrew edition of the Tanakh, Biblia Hebraica, in cooperation with Joseph Jaquett, a local Episcopalian minister. It was the first of its kind to be printed in America. In 1853, Leeser completed his English translation of the entire Tanakh, commonly called The Leeser Bible. He retired from Congregation Mikveh Israel in 1850, but took office again in 1857, when the newly formed Congregation Beth-El-Emeth in Philadelphia called him, and he remained its leader until his death. When Leeser commenced his public career, there were approximately 15,000 scattered Jews in the U.S., some members of congregations. He mold them into a community in part through the pulpit, in part by the press. He participated in nearly all the Jewish activities in the United States: the first Jewish day schools, the first Jewish seminary, the first Jewish publication society, etc. The Occident and American Jewish Advocate, Leeser's monthly magazine, acquired an international reputation; Maimonides College, of which he was provost, paved the way for future Jewish seminaries in the United States; the Jewish Publication Society he founded is the predecessor of today's Jewish Publication Society of America; and his translation of the Bible became an authorized version for English-speaking Jews around the world.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. First Edition. The English language title page is present here, but the Hebrew title page is a laid in facsimile. English title page has the signature of Rachel Haya Myers with the date March 1839. Attached to the book is a photocopy of the page in American Jewish Genealogy by Stern that shows her family tree. Ex library with deaccession letter from the JTSA confirming it was sold off at auction by the Seminary library, while this library briefly held the name the Boesky Library. New binding. Singerman 0630 (1837-38). Sidur Siftey Tzadikim, Leeser's comprehensive Sephardic prayer book, was the first American prayer book, published in America, containing the liturgy for the entire year. It contains the original Hebrew text and an English translation, with each Hebrew page facing the page of its English translation. Leeser marketed his prayer book both to audiences in American and the British colonies in the Caribbean, and he therefore included prayers on behalf of a Monarch and a Republican government. Reprinted a number of times throughout the 19th & 20th Centuries, it became the standard prayer book for Sephardic Jews in North America. Leeser founded the first Jewish Publication Society of America and "brought many important works to the attention of the American Jewish community. He published the first Hebrew primer for children (1838), the first complete English translation of the Sephardi prayer book (1848) [sic 1837-8, presented here], and numerous textbooks for children. He founded the first Hebrew high school (1849), the first Jewish representative and defense organization in 1859 (the Board of Delegates of American Israelites), Maimonides College, and the first American Jewish rabbinical school in 1867. His major literary achievement was the first American translation of the Bible, published in 1845. This became the standard American Jewish translation of the Bible until the new Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917. Leeser was a traditionalist who did much to stem the tide of Reform. Although he was identified with the Sephardi community his influence affected the entire community and he laid the foundations for many of the key institutions of present-day Jewish life. His contributions to every area of Jewish culture and religion made him a major builder of American Judaism. "(Jack Reimer, EJ) Contents of a complete set: v. 1 Daily prayers; v. 2 New-year service; v. 3 Day of atonement service ; v. 4 Tabernacle service; v. 5 Passover and Pentecost service; v. 6 Fast day service. The first edition is rare, with only 10 institutions listed in OCLC with sets. Leeser, and many others believed that this edition was superior to the one published by Leeser's competitor, the London hazzan, David Aaron de Sola. Leeser ordered new Hebrew types from abroad for this work and taught his typesetters, Benjamin George Smith and Jacob Washington Fletcher, Hebrew so they could perform their tasks properly. In 1851 Leeser announced that the '500 copies became gradually exhausted in 14 years.'" This is a clear indication that the first two printings were, indeed, of a very limited run. When one considers these prayer books saw constant use, and the resulting wear, it is no wonder that they are very rare. A Complete LATER 1857 2nd-3rd edition (Mixed) with a set of Leeser's 5 volume 1845 bible recently sold at auction for over $82,000.00 Pages: 172 leaves, One of Them in Facsimile.