Printing

Hanna Pashtan - Printing The first Hebrew books were printed 35 years after the invention of printing – the first dated ones being Rashi's commentary on the Pentateuch and Jacob b. Asher's //Arba'ah Turim// of 1475. There were, on the other hand, interested parties such as the copy-ists, who feared for their livelihood and who opposed the innovation, as did those monk-copyists who described it as the "work of the devil." Printing raised halakhic problems as shown by contemporary responsa: the question arose whether the //halakhah// concerning the writing of sacred books and the care and respect due to them was applicable to printed books as well and whether, in particular, //Sifrei Torah, tefillin, mezuzot//, bills of divorce, etc., could be printed. The production of Hebrew books grew: David Kimḥi's //Sefer ha-Shorashim// saw three editions within a decade. Printing had a revolutionary influence on the religious and cultural life of Jewish communities everywhere: on books and their distribution, on learning and education, on synagogue rites, etc. The printing of the Bible popularized it, while dictionaries and grammars, now easily obtainable, contributed greatly to the understanding of the Bible. The same is true for the Talmud, with its standard pagination originating in the first complete Bomberg edition (1520–23). The study of the Talmud became easier and far more widespread, and the printing alongside of the text, in addition to Rashi's commentary, of the *Tosafot of Touques gave Talmudic learning a new direction which led to the development of the novella literature and of //pilpul//. The widespread use of printed prayer books reduced the importance and relative freedom of the reader; minor rites were eliminated in favor of the major ones, which in turn became fixed and standardized. References: 1. D.P. Bell, Jews in the Early Modern World, 2008. 2. The Jewish Virtual Library.