Projects

Zohar Preservation

Renato Maestro Library and Archives
Venice, Italy

The Renato Maestro Library and Archives in the Ghetto of Venice houses books, manuscripts, and periodicals belonging to the Jewish community of Venice. Recently, a volunteer, Dr. Gadi Luzzatto Voghera, discovered a set of books pertaining to the subject of Jewish mysticism that requires restoration and conservation. The library was previously unaware that these historically important manuscripts were lost in storage. Under the supervision of Save Venice Inc, the Ringing Rocks Foundation is sponsoring the restoration of these volumes.

The first set to be restored is the Tiqquney ha-Zohar (“The Book of Splendor”, Mantua, 1558), a seminal four-volume work. Arguably the most important contribution to Jewish mysticism, this edition is particularly interesting because there are handwritten margin notes throughout the volume that never have been studied or translated. The volume also includes a very telling sign, that of the stamp of approval from the Catholic church, signed by Luigi da Bologna. All Jewish books, upon first printing, went through this censorship process. The Zohar was originally printed amid fierce controversy and the first edition of the Zohar was published in Mantua. It has been suggested that the particular book being restored is the first volume off the press.

The second restoration effort is for Sefer Menorath ha-Maor (“The Book of the Lamp of Light”, Mantua, 1563), a work on Jewish mysticism by Issac I Aboab, a rabbinic author who probably lived in Spain. This book became one of the most popular works of religious edification among the Jews in the Middle Ages.

Ringing Rocks is delighted to associate with Save Venice Inc and the Renato Maestro Library and Archives in restoring these important classics of Jewish mysticism.