The Luzzatto cycle, a 700-year-old prayer book, was sold today (Tuesday) at the Sotheby's auction house in New York at a huge price of $ 8,307,000 million, which is NIS 26,680 million.
The cycle, in which Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur prayers according to Ashkenazi custom, was created in the 13th century by a writer named Avraham in Bavaria in southern Germany.
The name of our ancestor Abraham is adorned with feather-like illustrations, and thus the name of the author is known.
Because it is in excellent condition despite its ancient age, and thanks to the fact that it was copied and aired by a Jewish writer, it is considered one of the most important prayer books in the Jewish world - and is also the oldest cycle ever put up for auction.
In the Middle Ages it was customary to produce two large circulation volumes, which cost a particularly high amount because they were copied by hand, before the invention of printing.
The first cycle included the prayers of the days of winter, spring, summer and the days of fasting - from Hanukkah to Tisha B'Av, and the second was dedicated to the autumn holidays and days of fasting - from Rosh Hashana to Simchat Torah.
The Luzzatto cycle is the second volume of books by the German-Jewish community.
Luzzatto Cycle, Photo: Sotheby's Auction House
Over the centuries, the cycle migrated throughout Western Europe - from Germany to the Alsace region, from there to northern Italy and finally to France.
It is named after Samuel David Luzzatto, a 19th-century Italian Jewish poet.
After the poet's death, the cycle was purchased by the "All Israel Friends" organization (Alliance), which kept it for about 150 years.
Sotheby's noted that the cycle is "without a doubt the most important cycle to hit the market in the last hundred years."
According to them, "the magnificent book, created 700 years ago, is a masterpiece that testifies to the vitality of the medieval Jewish community."
The cycle "is one of a limited number of illustrated Ashkenazi cycles, none of which are known to be in private hands."
Admittedly, this is not the first time that Jewish holy books have been sold at such a price, and in 2015, among other things, a complete set of Shas (Babylonian Talmud) was sold, from the bonfire of Daniel Bomberg for $ 9.32 million, and in 2010 five Pentateuchs from 1482 were sold in print. First at $ 3.86 million, but the words of the people of Sotheby's raise the question of why Israel does not mobilize to acquire the ancient cycle, which is necessarily an important cornerstone in Jewish history.
The National Library stated in response to Israel Today's question why it does not purchase the ancient cycle, because the National Library regularly examines sales that take place in Israel and abroad and considers each case on its own merits.
Regarding the Luzzatto turnover - the cost of purchasing the turnover is very high, and requires the mobilization of the state and donors to assist in such a purchase. "
