É. Apor (ed.): David Kaufmann Memorial Volume: Papers Presented at the David Kaufmann Memorial Conference, November 29, 1999, Budapest.
ORMOS, István: David Kaufmann and his Collection
DAVID KAUFMANN AND HIS COLLECTION health problems, he was only forty-seven when he died quite unexpectedly - we know that he was full of plans when he arrived at Karlsbad two days before the fatal accident. The Kaufmann Collection consists of 594 manuscript items and 1,092 printed books. 6 1' In view of its volume the Kaufmann Collection is one of the fifteen largest collections in the world although it cannot compete with collections like those in Oxford (over three thousand Hebrew and Samaritan manuscripts) or Saint Petersburg (over three thousand manuscripts and several thousand choice Genizah fragments). 6 7 It is very rich in unique and rare items and so, considering its quality, it is reckoned among the foremost collections of its kind in the world. 6 8 The manuscript collection contains Biblical texts with commentaries, linguistic and massoretic texts, halakhic and aggadistic pieces, works on Talmudic methodology, kabbalistic writings, works in the fields of theology, philosophy and religious polemics, history, homiletics and poetry, in addition to prayerbooks, works on the local history of Italian towns and communities, samples of letters, and works on mathematics and medicine. The collection is particularly rich in responsa of Italian rabbis. These are important not only from the point of view of religious law but are also first class historical sources on everyday life, customs and habits, and are described in detail in the otherwise succinct Weisz catalogue (p. 31-79). A considerable part of the manuscripts comes from Italy - in this context it may be mentioned that in 1895 Kaufmann succeeded in acquiring the complete collection of manuscripts and books of the eminent Mantuan rabbi Marco Mortara (1815-1894). The precious manuscripts with Yemenite piyyuts were acquired for him in Jerusalem by a certain M. Adelmann, from Jews immigrating from Yemen - Adelmann acquired manuscripts and rare books for Kaufmann in other parts of the Middle East too. Kaufmann also bought a number of items from Rafael N. Rabinowitz in Munich. 6' The most important manuscript in the collection is no doubt the Mishna manuscript, shelf-mark MS Kaufmann A 50, which is sometimes referred to as the Codex Kaufmann (fig. 1). There are three complete manuscripts extant of the Mishna and ours is regarded as the oldest and best of them. It does not have a colophon, so views differ as to its age and origin. Ignaz Goldziher considered it to be of South Arabian origin while Samuel Krauss thought it had been written in Italy. Goldziher does not mention on what 6 6 There is a number of printed books and journals of minor importance which Max (Miksa) WF.ISZ did not regard worthy of cataloguing. WEISZ 1906. 186-187 [Weitere Bestandteile der Bibliothek). 6 7 Cf. Benjamin RICHLER'S contribution to the present volume on pp. 17-19 above. 6 8 See e.g. Joseph GUTMANN, Forming the Great Collections. In: A Sign and a Witness. 2.000 Years of Hebrew Books and Illuminated Manuscripts. Ed. Leonard Singer Gold. New York Oxford 1988. 75. Binyamin RICHLER, Hebrew manuscripts: A Treasured Legacy. Cleveland - Jerusalem 1990. 67, 78. Idem: Guide to Hebrew Manuscript Collections. Jerusalem 1994. 27-28, 89. 6 9 Rafael N. RABINOWITZ, München, Königinstrasse Nr. 43. 141
