600-year-old manuscript reveals lost French-Jewish intellectual stream

The National Library of Israel in Jerusalem announced on Wednesday the acquisition of a one-of-a-kind manuscript, Mezukak Shivatayim, whose title means “Distilled Sevenfold” in Hebrew.

An encyclopedic work that “distills” and blends halachah (Jewish law), theology, and Aristotelian and medieval philosophy, the treatise is one of those few rare books representing the now-lost Jewish community of Provence and its unique way of life.

During the late 13th and early 14th centuries, a vast complex of religious, cultural and social disputes known as the Maimonidean controversies created an implacable gap between two of the most central Jewish communities in Europe—those of Provence and Spain. This divide led to a boycott of the Provençal way of life, teachings and traditions.

During this period, the literary works of esteemed Provençal scholars remained uncopied and unquoted by their contemporaries in other Jewish centers. In addition, in the late 14th century, Christians rioted en masse against the majority of Jewish communities of Provence, resulting in the near annihilation of this group. These and other factors led to the creation of a void wherein generations of knowledge were lost.

Mezukak Shivatayim includes a commentary on seven of the 14 books of Maimonides’s Mishneh Torah code of halachah. The manuscript was copied in Provence, apparently right after the lifetime of the author, Rabbi Joseph ben Shaul Kimhi.

In this work, Kimchi provides sources for Maimonides’s rulings, both from a halachic and a philosophical point of view. It is a virtual encyclopedia of halachic literature of Provence.

The rabbi, who lived in Provence on the border of France and Spain, cites sources from both Ashkenazi and Sephardi authors. Some of the sources cited in the book are not extant today, and this manuscript is the only evidence for those works, allowing them to be partially restored.

Another manuscript copy of the work is in the Bibliothèque nationale de France but only includes Sefer Zemanim through Hilkhot Yom Tov, chapter eight, and has many other variations.

Beyond the content of this treatise, this original manuscript serves as a testament to the intellectual prowess, spiritual depth and cultural richness that once thrived within Provencal Jewry. Although digital copies exist, the handwritten original is a testament to an intellectual universe that was almost lost.

“Preserving this manuscript for posterity at the Library of the Jewish People ensures this tradition will be reincorporated into the Jewish collective memory,” said Dr. Chaim Neria, curator of the Haim and Hanna Solomon Judaica Collection at the National Library of Israel.

“The acquisition of Mezukak Shivatayim will close a gap in the existing historical narrative and will, in some small measure, restore our collective understanding of the cultural and religious heritage of this highly significant Jewish community,” he added.

Dr. Raquel Ukeles, head of collections at the library, said, “Digitization and online availability of the Mezukak Shivatayim will provide this and future generations with an opportunity to research, study and connect with a central chapter in Jewish history. This speaks to our core mission, as the National Library of Israel seeks to preserve and open access to the most complete Jewish library in the world.”

Founded in Jerusalem in 1892, the National Library of Israel serves as the dynamic institution of communal memory for the Jewish people worldwide and Israelis of all backgrounds and faiths. It holds the world’s largest collections of textual Judaica, Jewish and Israeli music, and maps of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, as well as world-class collections of Jewish and Islamic manuscripts, rare books, photographs, community and personal archives.