This dissertation project will provide an edition of the early 14th century “Sefer ha-Assufot”, known from only one manuscript. The manuscript (formerly MS Halberstam 115, later MS Montefiori 134, today in a private collection) is fully vocalized, making it unique among non-biblical, non-liturgical, and non-poetic Hebrew texts. Only small parts of it have been printed, often in non-scientific editions. Nevertheless, it has been used as a source text on medieval Ashkenazi Jewry since the 19th century.
It was written by an anonymous author, most likely in the Rhineland, around the year 1300. It contains a varied collection of Halakha, Minhag, liturgical material, and poetry. Parts of it are quoted or paraphrased from earlier works. It often describes customs and beliefs in specific Jewish communities, especially of the Rhineland, not mentioned elsewhere and frequently uses foreign words in Hebrew letters to complement the Hebrew text.
The project intends to first transcribe the full manuscript and identify parallels and intertextual references to other works. What parts are quoted, paraphrased, or possibly original material? The next steps in the project will be shaped by the findings of the first one, with a focus on material culture as well as textual transmission, intertextuality, and language usage. The project aims to provide a full annotated edition of Sefer ha-Assufot and an analysis of its contents that sheds new light on the culture of medieval Ashkenazi Jewry and makes the work available to scholars of Jewish Studies in Germany and beyond.
