Nishmat Chaim.

extremely scarce copy with personal inscription by Menasseh Ben Israel

Menasseh Ben Yossef Ben Israel (1604-1657) was a Portuguese Sephardi rabbi, kabbalist, writer, diplomat, printer, publisher, teacher of the philosopher Baruch Spinoza and founder of the first Hebrew printing press in Amsterdam in 1626. This book is Ben Israel's only publication in Hebrew, his other books were published in Spanish and Latin. Menasseh Ben Israel is an especially significant figure to British Jewry as he was the central advocate who successfully petitioned Oliver Cromwell to readmit Jews to England in the mid-1650s, overturning the 1290 expulsion. Through his negotiations and writings, he enabled the establishment of the first open Jewish community and synagogue in London. Despite his return to Holland at the end of his, his efforts initiated the return of Jews to England, for which he is remembered as the champion of British Jewish settlement.

Presumably, Menasseh Ben Israel gifted the book to his friend, an important Ashkenazi Rabbi, Moshe Shimshon Bacharach. Bacharach mentions Menasseh Ben Israel sever times in his responsa book 'Chavot Yair'. Both Moshe Shimashon and his son, Yair Chaim, read the book and left many marginal notes, some of them appear to be critical of the text. Yair Chaim Bachrach was a Rabbi of the town of Worms and, most likely, due to financial need ended up selling the book to Rabbi Moshe Katz Naral, who was a doctor and the Rabbi of Metz and came from an affluent family.

Examples of Menasseh Ben Israel Hebrew hard-writing are scarce and few, which makes this copy especially valuable.
This copy does not contain the frontispiece portrait of the author (not found in all copies), does not contain the leaf at the beginning of the book with poems in praise of the books by rabbis, does not contain last eight leaves in Latin [3-10] which include title, contents and dedication by the author to Emperor Ferdinand III (omitted from most copies).

First edition. Small 4to (19 x 15 cm), modern half-vellum with Hebrew title embossed in red to spine, Title and first three leaves professionally restored, tears with loss to three leaves at the end of the volume; numerous hand-written inscriptions in old brown ink, signatures and inscriptions to title, occasional staining and marginal tears; text in Hebrew; [8], 174, [2] ll. (ll. 69-72 mispaginated).

CB, no. 6205, 1; Roest, p.798; Vinograd, Amsterdam 202; Mehlman 1211; Fuks, Amsterdam 190; Silva Rosa 59; Rubens 1814.