Tractate Avot, with the commentary Yayin Levanon [by Naphtali Herz Wessely]. Berlin, 1775 – First edition. approbations by: Rabbi Shaul, Av Beit Din of the Ashkenazi community in Amsterdam; Rabbi Yechezkel HaLevi Landau of Prague, author of Noda BiYehuda; and others.
The book and its author sparked major controversy after Wessely expressed respectful views toward Moses Mendelssohn, the father of the Hebrew Enlightenment (Haskalah) movement. Rabbi Landau (Noda BiYehuda) himself wrote sharply critical letters about Wessely’s pamphlet Divrei Shalom Ve-Emet some seven years later. Nevertheless, this commentary was widely accepted throughout Jewish communities.
[6], 150 leaves; [2] leaves. 32 cm. Some staining to various leaves. Good condition. Loss to the lower part of the spine.
