Pinḳas mohel / leha-R. Firm[o].
פנקס מוהל להר' פירמ[ו].

Format:

Book

Manuscript

Contributor:

Rosengarten Family Fund.

Language:

Hebrew

Subjects (All):

Pinkasim.

Jews.

Italy--Ancona.

Jews--Italy--Ancona--18th century.

Pinkasim--18th century.

Morpurgo, Samson ben Joshua Moses, 1681-1740.

Morpurgo, Samson ben Joshua Moses.

Fiʼamiṭa, Yosef, -1721.

Fiʼamiṭa, Yosef.

Genre:

codices (bound manuscripts)

Manuscripts, European.

journals (accounts)

Penn Provenance:

Sold by Kestenbaum and Company, sale 68 (April 7, 2016) lot 132.

Physical Description:

36 leaves : paper ; 105 x 72 mm bound to 115 x 80 mm + 1 note

Place of Publication:

[Ancona?], 1705-1736.

[אנקונה?], 1705-1736.

Language Note:

Hebrew.

Summary:

This is a manuscript of the type often referred to as a pinḳas mohel, or circumcisor's ledger; it traveled with the writer to each ceremony and served as a record for not only the circumcisions but the writer's life work. The writer was a member of the Firmo family, and mentions many living relatives at ceremonies he performs (for example, brother Avraham (f. 4r); for son Daṿid Avraham, with brother Yitsḥaḳ present (f. 12v); for nephew Yehoshuʻa (f. 19r); brother Avraham is referred to as Avraham me-Formi ("of Formi" or "from Formi," f. 16v), which perhaps means that the family surname was taken from the town of Firmo (near Cosenza in the Calabrian region of southern Italy). Known rabbis include R. Yehuda Fano of Modena (f. 1r), R. Joseph Fiametta (d. 1721 in Ancona, author of "Or boḳer"), f. 9v; R. Shabtai Marini, originally of Padua (f. 15v); and the mention of R. Samson Morpurgo (Gradiška 1681 - Ancona 1740, f. 16r, 24r). Italian family names include Veltre, Constantin, Panissi, Fanciero, Ashkenazi, Hayyat, and Carrini. There is record of a ceremony for a Yaʻaḳov Sifits (spelled סיפיץ; perhaps his name was Siffici), son of Shimshon, who was "known by the Ashkenazim" in Ancona and carried a permissory to perform ritual slaughter (f. 5v).

Notes:

Ms. codex.

Title from spine.

Collation: Paper, iii (modern paper) + 36 + iii (modern paper); 1-4⁴ 5⁶ (-1) 6¹⁴, 1 singleton; modern foliation in pencil, 1-36, lower left recto.

Layout: Written in informal paragraphs with the appearance of typical diary writing. Some entries are divided by a line (for example, f. 5v, 15r) and some without (for example, f. 13v, 14r) and a broken line with flourishes (f. 6r).

Script: Written in a hybrid Italian-Ashkenazic script, appearing informal with mixed usage of cursive and semi-cursive (for example, f. 29r). The pen use also switches in the manuscript between heavy and light ink, and suggests that the writing was produced on the move, as typical of a pinḳas of a mohel.

Binding: Rebound in modern leather binding. Gold stamped on the front board in Hebrew: 465-496, corresponding to the first and last dates inscribed. Spine stamped in gold: Pinḳas mohel leha-R. Firmo.

Origin: Written in central Italy, most likely in Ancona, by a member of the Firmo family; the Ancona attribution is because of the numerous references to rabbis from Ancona recorded as being present.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Rosengarten Family Fund.

Kestenbaum auction April 7, 2016 Lot 132

Cited as:

UPenn CAJS Rar Ms 503.

OCLC:

1107052446