Jewish Manuscripts
Binder's Fragment of Mishneh Torah, Sefer Mishpatim
Binder's Fragment of Mishneh Torah, Sefer Mishpatim
By: Moses Maimonides
MS.000885
Manuscript
ca. 1300s
Italy
Hebrew
Ink on Parchment
10.6 × 7.1 × .1 in. (27 × 18 × 0.2 cm)
Not on View
This binder’s fragment contains portions of Moses Maimonides’s well-known work, the Mishneh Torah. Completed in 1180, the Mishneh Torah is a systematic guide of the Written and Oral Torah, designed to make the entire Torah more accessible. Maimonides organized his work thematically into fourteen main books divided into sub-sections. This organization revolutionized the study of Jewish law, and the Mishneh Torah is still revered and studied today. The section preserved in this bifolium is part of the Sefer Mishpatim, or “Book of Judgments,” and contains Jewish laws related to borrowing, depositing, creditors, and debtors.
Created in the 1300s, probably in Italy.[1] Purchased in 1980 in Israel by David Sofer, London;[2] Privately purchased in 2017 by Green Collection, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Donated in 2019 to The Signatry, under the curatorial care of Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.
Notes: [1] The museum’s associate curator of medieval manuscripts made this assessment regarding the fragment: “This binder’s fragment was used as the spine for a book containing works by three ancient authors of history: Livy (Titus Livius), Arrian (Lucius Flavius Arrianus), and Polybius. The spelling of the names indicates that the maker of the binding was likely from Italy or, possibly, Spain.” The paleography of the Hebrew script also suggests that the original manuscript was written in Italy. [2] There is no ownership history from its date of creation to its purchase by David Sofer in 1980.
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