Two books I acquired recently that were written in the 16th century share a common motivating factor, one that was present in many publications in Jewish history. The concept first appears in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 93) in reference to the prophet Daniel, where the verse that states, “I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off (Isaiah 56:5)” is expounded to mean that the book of Daniel will serve as the prophet Daniel’s memory in lieu of his children. Many authors who had no living descendants had a particular urge to write a book, both to leave a legacy and in the hope that the publication may serve as a merit to be blessed with offspring.
The first such volume I came across is Toldot Yitzhak by R. Yitzchak Karo (uncle of R. Yosef Karo, author of Shulchan Aruch). First published in Constantinople in 1518, the author, an exile from the Iberian expulsions, writes in his introduction:
So says Yitzchak, son of R. Yosef Karo ob”m of Toledo (Spain): all my days I lived among great scholars… and there in Castille, I taught Torah and had a yeshiva, and upon the request of the leaders of Portuguese Jewry, I went and taught Torah to them and lived amongst them…. There we heard that the King of Spain exiled all the Jews from his Kingdom. Everywhere that word came of this, great mourning befell the Jews, and many of the masses apostatized. Six years later, the King of Portugal followed in his footsteps and destroyed our community. I escaped to the Ottoman empire and due to my sins, all my boys, old and young, passed away. I thought to myself that being that people’s descendants are their good deeds, and there is no great deed like studying Torah and [doing] mitzvot, I said that I shall bring to print my commentary on the Torah which I have written.”
The second such volume I found recently was She’erit Yosef by R. Joseph ibn Verga, printed in Mantua in 1554. From his introduction:
“I have not come to writing this book from haughtiness or arrogance, rather necessity has brought me here. As my sins have caused that I have remained alone after the loss of my only son, I wanted to drown my sorrow and travails by writing something of use for the youth of Israel… and it shall be my memorial and a remnant of me, thus I have named this book She’erit Yosef.
