From the Prince Dietrichstein Library.

From the Prince Dietrichstein Library.]]> Lilium Medicinae [Lily of Medicine] and De Phlebotomia [On Phlebotomy]]]> (De coniunctione Saturni et Iovis anni Christi 1345 (On the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in the year of our Lord 1345).]]> Astronomica, showing the solar and lunar eclipses for the years 1330-1386]]> Kabbalah, astrology and fortunetelling with elaborate diagrams of the zodiac. Ibn Ezra was an earnest apologist for astrology and translated many astrological treatises from Arabic into Hebrew. Maimonides, using Biblical law as a guide, was an early and important critic of this “science”, although predictions of the coming of the Messiah depended heavily on it.]]> Sefer Goralot [Book of Lots], attributed to Avraham ben Me'ir Ibn 'Ezra]]> Hilkhot Shehitah [Laws of Ritual Slaughter]]]> matzoh. Simon of Trent (or Trento), 28 months old, disappeared on 23 March 1475; his body was found in a river several days later. Earlier in the Lenten season, the Franciscan friar Bernardinus of Feltre had delivered several inflammatory sermons denouncing the Jews of Trent and predicting the murder of a Christian child during Passover. The discovery of Simon’s body engendered widespread condemnation of the Jewish community and eventually led to the torture and execution of several of its members. Simon of Trent was canonized about a century later. After the second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the entire episode was declared a fraud; Simon’s name was removed from the calendar of saints’ days in 1965, the cult dedicated to him was dissolved, and further veneration of him was forbidden.]]> Relatio de Simone Puero Tridentino [The story of Simon, a boy of Trent]]]> matzoh. Simon of Trent (or Trento), 28 months old, disappeared on 23 March 1475; his body was found in a river several days later. Earlier in the Lenten season, the Franciscan friar Bernardinus of Feltre had delivered several inflammatory sermons denouncing the Jews of Trent and predicting the murder of a Christian child during Passover. The discovery of Simon’s body engendered widespread condemnation of the Jewish community and eventually led to the torture and execution of several of its members. Simon of Trent was canonized about a century later. After the second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the entire episode was declared a fraud; Simon’s name was removed from the calendar of saints’ days in 1965, the cult dedicated to him was dissolved, and further veneration of him was forbidden.]]> Relatio de Simone Puero Tridentino [The story of Simon, a boy of Trent]]]> matzoh. Simon of Trent (or Trento), 28 months old, disappeared on 23 March 1475; his body was found in a river several days later. Earlier in the Lenten season, the Franciscan friar Bernardinus of Feltre had delivered several inflammatory sermons denouncing the Jews of Trent and predicting the murder of a Christian child during Passover. The discovery of Simon’s body engendered widespread condemnation of the Jewish community and eventually led to the torture and execution of several of its members. Simon of Trent was canonized about a century later. After the second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the entire episode was declared a fraud; Simon’s name was removed from the calendar of saints’ days in 1965, the cult dedicated to him was dissolved, and further veneration of him was forbidden.]]> Relatio de Simone Puero Tridentino [The story of Simon, a boy of Trent], with annotations in the margins]]> Liber Aggregatus in Medicinis Simplicibus [Compilation on Simple Medicines], showing the illuminated initials]]> Mishnah (known in Arabic as Kitab al-Siraj; in Hebrew, Sefer ha Ma’or) between 1145 and 1168. The Mishnah, compiled in the 2nd century CE by Judah ha-Nasi, is divided into six main sections (Seeds, Festivals, Women, Torts, Sacred Things, and Purity) which are in turn subdivided into many smaller sections. Maimonides’ commentary can be distinguished from the text of the Mishnah by the type face; the text is in a so-called square script, while the commentary is in a Sephardi script.]]> Mishnah, including a hand-drawn diagram]]> De Regimine Sanitatis ad Soldanum Babyloniae [On the Regimen of Health for the Sultan of Babylonia]]]> Aphorismi of St. John of Damascus, Razi’s De Secretis in Medicina, and Hippocrates’ Prognostica. Maimonides, born at Córdoba in 1135, was not only a physician, but also a rabbinical scholar, scientist, and philosopher. This text is based on a 9th-century Arabic translation of Hippocrates’ Aphorisms together with Galen’s commentary. All of Maimonides’ medical works were composed in Arabic, and subsequently translated into Hebrew and Latin. The Hebrew translations of this work and De Regimine Sanitatis were the work of Moses ibn Tibbon; the Latin translator is unknown.]]> Aphorismi Secundum Doctrinam Galeni [Aphorisms According to Galen's Teachings]
]]> oeuvre includes the Contra Apionem, an apologetic work on behalf of Judaism. This copy, unrubricated save for the occasional crudely drawn initial, stands in stark contrast to the copy of De Antiquitate Judaica.]]> Opera, showing the simple initial]]> This copy has a particularly beautiful illuminated initial and is extensively rubricated.]]> De Antiquitate Judaica; De Bellow Judaico [On Jewish Antiquity; On the Jewish War] showing the illuminated initial]]> Oratio in Die Circumcisionis Anno 1484 Habita [Sermon on the Feast of the Circumcision, 1484]]]> “Prognosticum” (Rome, 1498), in which he predicted the coming of the Messiah in 1505.]]> Anulus astronomicus [Astronomical dial], and the woodcut frontispiece of the same work]]> Behinat 'Olam (Investigation of the World).]]> Perush 'al ha-Torah]]> Compendiosa Introduttione alla Prima Parte della Specularia [Compendious Introduction to the First Part of the Study of Mirrors], illustrating the differences in reflections from flat, concave, and convex mirrors]]> The Sanatory Institutions of the Hebrews relies on Biblical, Talmudic, and modern medical sources to justify the Jewish dietary and hygienic laws. Sola was the first Jew to be awarded an honorary degree from McGill University.]]> The Sanatory Institutions of the Hebrews concerning the eating of birds]]> New Experiments Upon Vipers]]> Gerokomia Basilike: King Solomon's Portraiture of Old Age]]> Dialogi are Neoplatonic reflections on the nature and philosophy of love; this is the first edition, published posthumously.]]> Dialogi d'Amore [Dialogues of Love]]]> A thesis, delivered and defended publicly, on the laws surrounding the use of phylacteries, or tefillin.

Deuteronomy 6:5-8: "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day. Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a frontlet between your eyes."

These verses serve as foundational texts for the tradition of tefillin -- two small boxes that are equipped with leather straps and placed on the arm and the head during morning prayer, except on the Sabbath and holidays.

The Hevra Kaddisha performs an invaluable service to the Jewish community. It is charged with ensuring that the dead are treated respectfully and according to Jewish law. Members of the Hevra Kaddishawash and dress the newly deceased and stay with the body until burial. These tasks are considered especially praiseworthy because the favor cannot be returned.

This page lists the founding members of the society.