The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-13
GREAT JEWISH LIBRARY HERE
ONI az THE WOST REM IRk-
sRLE ~ THE 0RLD
J-~i,h rhrstSGicaI seminary Alreaay
IIAS a CsiIe-t oa With Fe~ niNnls
IIss Achieved ~ Teu IeAru What
TsSk other a G'eutmr1 Ant a HaIf.

hlG AlN ia-l ~ wars tttete has Nts-i
rIf up ia this city une II the great book
.S,tiuns 1T th" world On a branch 1t
"a, which T. little known 10 the general
"ulic. hut " hich covers almost all sides
human activity and thought written
pr,nt.SI N a language which has nom-
lily been dead FOR 2.OO wears
bro th" year Iq'3 The J.-~ i-h Theological
>..unary moved into tho new building
r-..-.ui,.i To 70 by jacob a. schiG on
rert ,tr,.,'t IN which the whole upper hoor
80. from It's inception devoted TO library
,ss,n BEFORE President Schechter took
Co.,. - "f the seminary IL possessed a
90. vo.Sing library of some :. OOo volumes
b. with its transference 20 its new
irue much more rapid develOpment has
'oNon place. I'll the number Of volumes
- unfortunately 5000. and the cOllec-
'.n 10y far the largest Of any Jewish
r....ul,gical seminary IN the world. aud u
,. l.a-i me of the four Or FIVE which
stand Out a. the head Of collections Of
..- ish books in either the Old World or
'r. NsW
Tho rapidity with which this important
''lcCtlon has been brought together has
been due ~ large measure. say- the
lnSvir'i HeeT.W. To the munihcence and
INfeNl knN " u lew NTl%nuA pI NOt SEMINARY.
In PARTICULAR. Mayer Sulzberger % Phila-
r~luh,a. one of the trustees Of the semi
nary has throughout been most as$iduous
~ airing for this side of The work.
v soon as the book stacks were in posi-
ton he handed over his own very large
collection "f HebraiCa. the result OF
many wears search and amounting in
mo whole 10 over 1000 volumes. Not
-.
continued - supply the library with gifts
ri rare works experimenting hrs former
6onation and even adding comparatively
complete COLLECTIONS Of various branches.
I.c.,n u Schin. who had acquired che
valuable library of tho late Dr. Mnritz
S,siusrhneider on condition that the illus
'rirus scholar should have the use 81 u
ou-rus ms lifetime came into POSSESSION
NJ Il upon Or Steinschneider's death in
%. ard AZ onre presented IL TO the semi
nary library This was a magnificent
pursmg library for a Jewish scholar and
fur'as = unique collection. Other friends
la', .lnplementsd these gifts
2, = well known that the Jews IN ths
N.ii- Ages Joined W that movement
-Hirh brought science from Greece to
Sfan and Italy Nv wav ot Arabia. Ac-
FuTUtnAiN tnelF are NbIhH tV
medicine and the other -cieucr- IN Arabic
Hebrew and Latin. Then again Though
o,st the Middle Age- Jews had for the most
pau their "wn tribunals administ ering
th..,r own laws which were codified and
commented upon. just a. ia" civil Law
~ Rome and the "anontcal law formed
the subject ~ professional industry.
TIE seminary library has accordingly a
4 IL
Iaw and their Interpretations. a. we'll as
IT,. rs.spoa-a. "r judicial decisions 81 the
jewish legal aut horitisss on disputed points
~" lituygy ~ the synagogue has de-
'~i"g"i huge literature representing
th~ d'h~r-i,I prayerS and Practics- IN the
isud- gu,,i which the Jews dweir. and
'h- seminary library ~ Especially rich
M ,hi- i'r~ct,or. Manuscripts and rare
editions ~p.,taiu the riiual- 20 such out ~
ire 80, d,-tr,"i- A. N"m.n. Catalonia.
Mor,s7ro. t'arhiH. SICILY and IN" trim-a.
tb~ lsst 90 IPrtsT laugudg"
pua of the most u,ter"-ttng 1T the
Jewish 0srempUIal- - that ~ the eve 81
PASSOVER FROM which the nu~t sacred
ceremony 70 IN" Christian church. the
Tnass and the communion. has been de-
rived The serN zoe book ~ this ceremony
!. called the HagGadah. and the seminary
library contains the largest collection
M the world 81 this work, amounting to
wore than nine hundred. including 'he
mo Inabulum. probably OF the date ~ itSS.
Judge SuizbeTRer paid -ps~ial attention
- the roli@,t i"p e Hsbrew tnc'InabUIia. or
-rrks printed 'n that language before 1850.
Irsrs are supposed - he altogether lOi
e. thssa works and the seminary IT,
lar contains No. less than s. only eight
Zee fhau the largest collection va the
roVid that contained ~ the British
Nu-s,Ir The latter collection has taken
E.-.@ - years 10 bring together these
Ia - asH=a=
'rn'l has taken less than ten wears.
Hsrs me may -" the huge Hebrew
ANON q Avic.snna the tntCke-t " not the
tsNss' q ih. ncInabulS ~ the library.
"r'. 'ew shelves ~ there - tiny
n'nsr bruk ou parchment. inches by =.
o. Uh1rt 'hs DAYS h~tySen Passover and
I-Uts"'-t are numbered.
~ tH.. irnum-r,I,ls Bibles one may
,'.. ~ GaE>lng at "A volume ~ the Com
Z Ir.u-iau Polyglot. rhs first edition of the
y tl.. ~ H.t,r,-.e 1sreek ann other IAN /
: Ltg.s l-,,I-d 10y Cardinal NinIsnes. az
t...th ~ the magnificent Pentateuch on /
's'HIu. - Lisbon itgi Or the visitor ,
r.fr r-sfar hi~ own tongue and letter. I
p y .-r 30. gratifisd it'll the sight 4" the .
s..t' Iugl.-h Bible - ijW, the fOunda-
I. 10. 81 'h' kIug James and the Revised .
''.-.HI l"f -ynHgpgiI. purposes Jews .
Lee rtt.u SCROLLS ~ the Rihls and spes'i-
tff - flrr,- Il the Ialmud there - lit
'.tI.y ~" -ud ~ the seminary library.
Z. POI" '"rv Tar'. first edition printed by
.'i4u Bpmt,arg ~ Nsnil- there are
....-f ~ tt- t-aCtIte- known 20 exist.
= tL"'n only "vt1nt elsewhere In
... .. '~u rupi.- This edition - go
r.. .''v sshabl- hecau-.' IN" nasA.ges
% -...m to attack Christianity have
.. go vet been touched 10y the Censor.
F. pic. uth..r copies Of this edition one can
.. ''a messages bloc.-ed out IN the manner
o. ''' modern Russian censor.
o.. 'p'l-C'iOn % liturgical works IL
- ALLY rich. containing even the spe-
q rrtus's II such ont ot the way com
o., Avignon and Carpen tras.
".s-. l'.w- have lived in the Middle Ages
-.. 'H.v wer. not allowed Co touch any
..... ..tr' - French soil some ~ these
sr-~ are beautifully Illuminated and
.-Iv enough the illustrations often
me 81 those which decorate the
'rs' hours Of the psOus Catholic.
- these. Prof Marx gill point out