כתבי יד (Manuscripts)
Item
Country
IL
Name of institution (English)
The National Library of Israel
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
heb
Contact information: postal address
Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, POB 39105 Jerusalem, 9139002
Contact information: phone number
00972 074 733 6400
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
reference@nli.org.il
Reference number
Ms. Heb.
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Manuscripts
Title (official language of the state)
כתבי יד (Manuscripts)
Language of title
heb
Creator / accumulator
The National Library of Israel
Date note
9th century/20th century
Language(s)
ara
cat
deu
gre
heb
lad
lad
por
rus
spa
yid
others
Extent
609,809 manuscripts
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
The Manuscripts Collection of the National Library of Israel holds a large number of valuable handwritten texts and documents from all over the world. The collection is rich in Hebrew manuscripts, but it also contains documents in many other languages, such as Arabic, Aramaic, Yiddish, German, Persian, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Greek, Ladino, and others. Its materials cover a wide range of disciplines and subjects, both religious and secular, including, for instance, works on Astrology, Geography, Geometry, Hebrew language, Kabalah, Mathematics, Medicine, Jewish astronomy, Jewish ethics, Jewish magic, Jewish law, Jewish philosophy, and many others.
The collection includes an illustrated Sidur produced in Lisbon (Ms. Heb. 8°844), and another one also produced in Portugal (Ms. Var. 88). The latter is written in Hebrew transliterated into the Latin alphabet, and contains texts in Portuguese. There can also be found a file containing a commentary on Nicolau Salermo's Antidotarium by the medieval pharmacologist Jean de Saint-Amand and Josué al-Lorqui's Gerem ha-ma'alot, produced in Leiria, in 1479 (Ms. Heb. 8°4013).
The collection also includes several manuscripts produced in Spain, of which the following are some examples. There are two 14th-century Bibles (Ms. Heb. 4°5147; Ms. Heb. 4°780), the latter is dated 1322 and was copied by Moshe ben Menachem Dalburnesh. Among the several kabbalistic works included in the collection, there can be found a 15th-century copy of Joseph ben Abraham Gikatilla's Sha'are Orah (Ms. Heb. 28°7253) and an 18th-century copy of Abraham Cohen de Herrera's Libro de la Caza de la Divinidad (Ms. Var. 106). There are also two illustrated copies of Maimonides' Mishna Torah, one of which was copied by Ephraim (Ms. Heb. 4°1193), and the other dating from the 14th century (Ms. Heb. 4°1193).
The collection contains an 18th-century scroll of Esther illustrated with colourful decorations, presumably produced in the Netherlands (Ms. Heb. 197/14=4 ). There is also a book of poetry (Ms. Heb. 8°3792 ) with translations of poems from Latin, Spanish, French, and Dutch into Hebrew, including a song in Spanish (41a-44b), produced between 1752 and 1789.
From Italy, there is an 18th-century book on the kabbalistic counting of the Omer (Ms. Heb. 8°8033), and a book on Halacha written in Livorno, in 1763 (Ms. Heb. 38°4054). Also noteworthy is a 17th-century prayer book, including prayers for the sick and the deceased (Ms. Heb. 8°972).
The above are only some examples of many other materials associated with the Western Sephardic Diaspora. The National Library of Israel holds numerous manuscripts originally from the above-mentioned locations, as well as from countries such as France, Germany, Greece, and the United Kingdom, among others.
The collection includes an illustrated Sidur produced in Lisbon (Ms. Heb. 8°844), and another one also produced in Portugal (Ms. Var. 88). The latter is written in Hebrew transliterated into the Latin alphabet, and contains texts in Portuguese. There can also be found a file containing a commentary on Nicolau Salermo's Antidotarium by the medieval pharmacologist Jean de Saint-Amand and Josué al-Lorqui's Gerem ha-ma'alot, produced in Leiria, in 1479 (Ms. Heb. 8°4013).
The collection also includes several manuscripts produced in Spain, of which the following are some examples. There are two 14th-century Bibles (Ms. Heb. 4°5147; Ms. Heb. 4°780), the latter is dated 1322 and was copied by Moshe ben Menachem Dalburnesh. Among the several kabbalistic works included in the collection, there can be found a 15th-century copy of Joseph ben Abraham Gikatilla's Sha'are Orah (Ms. Heb. 28°7253) and an 18th-century copy of Abraham Cohen de Herrera's Libro de la Caza de la Divinidad (Ms. Var. 106). There are also two illustrated copies of Maimonides' Mishna Torah, one of which was copied by Ephraim (Ms. Heb. 4°1193), and the other dating from the 14th century (Ms. Heb. 4°1193).
The collection contains an 18th-century scroll of Esther illustrated with colourful decorations, presumably produced in the Netherlands (Ms. Heb. 197/14=4 ). There is also a book of poetry (Ms. Heb. 8°3792 ) with translations of poems from Latin, Spanish, French, and Dutch into Hebrew, including a song in Spanish (41a-44b), produced between 1752 and 1789.
From Italy, there is an 18th-century book on the kabbalistic counting of the Omer (Ms. Heb. 8°8033), and a book on Halacha written in Livorno, in 1763 (Ms. Heb. 38°4054). Also noteworthy is a 17th-century prayer book, including prayers for the sick and the deceased (Ms. Heb. 8°972).
The above are only some examples of many other materials associated with the Western Sephardic Diaspora. The National Library of Israel holds numerous manuscripts originally from the above-mentioned locations, as well as from countries such as France, Germany, Greece, and the United Kingdom, among others.
Administrative / Biographical history
In 1892, B'nai B'rith opened the Midrash Abarbanel Library in Jerusalem, with a mandate to collect "the treasures of Jewish literature." The city’s first free public library, it quickly became a cultural center of the yishuv, and when Zionist physician Dr. Joseph Chasanowich transferred his collection of 10,000 volumes from Bialystok to Jerusalem in 1895, Midrash Abarbanel became a sizeable library. With the establishment of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1925, the library was moved to the Mount Scopus campus, was officially renamed "The Jewish National and University Library" (JNUL), and the scope of its mission and collections was greatly expanded.
During Israel's War of Independence in 1947-48, when access to Mount Scopus was cut off from West Jerusalem, the JNUL collection was smuggled out and dispersed among several buildings in the city but retained its status as the central national collection. In 1953, the Knesset enacted the "Legal Deposit Law," mandating that two copies of every publication in Israel be deposited in the Jewish National and University Library for posterity.
In November 1960, the JNUL moved to the newly dedicated Lady Davis Building (Montreal Canada) on the Givat Ram Campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. This building served as the Library's home for over 60 years. During this period, NLI filled three central roles: the national library of the State of Israel, the national library of the Jewish people, and the central research library of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the subject areas of Israel Studies, Jewish Studies, Islamic and Middle-Eastern Studies, and the General Humanities.
The National Library Law was adopted by the Knesset in 2007, officially establishing "the National Library of Israel" and defining its purpose: to collect, preserve, cultivate, and endow treasures of knowledge, heritage, and culture, with an emphasis on the Land of Israel, the State of Israel and the Jewish people.
During Israel's War of Independence in 1947-48, when access to Mount Scopus was cut off from West Jerusalem, the JNUL collection was smuggled out and dispersed among several buildings in the city but retained its status as the central national collection. In 1953, the Knesset enacted the "Legal Deposit Law," mandating that two copies of every publication in Israel be deposited in the Jewish National and University Library for posterity.
In November 1960, the JNUL moved to the newly dedicated Lady Davis Building (Montreal Canada) on the Givat Ram Campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. This building served as the Library's home for over 60 years. During this period, NLI filled three central roles: the national library of the State of Israel, the national library of the Jewish people, and the central research library of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the subject areas of Israel Studies, Jewish Studies, Islamic and Middle-Eastern Studies, and the General Humanities.
The National Library Law was adopted by the Knesset in 2007, officially establishing "the National Library of Israel" and defining its purpose: to collect, preserve, cultivate, and endow treasures of knowledge, heritage, and culture, with an emphasis on the Land of Israel, the State of Israel and the Jewish people.
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
Access, restrictions
Digitized manuscripts are available at:
Links to finding aids
Existence and location of copies
Author of the description
Joana Rodrigues, 2023
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