Keter Shem Tov: A Study inthe Entitling of Books, HereLimited to One Title Only

Keter Shem Tov: A Study in the Entitling of Books, HereLimited to One Title Only[1]

by Marvin J. Heller

Entitling, naming books is, a fascinating subject. Why did theauthor call his book what he/she did? Why that name and notanother? Hebrew books frequently have names resounding inmeaning, but providing little insight into the contents of thebook. This article explores the subject, focusing on one titleonly, Keter Shem Tov. That book-name is taken from a verse“the crown of a good name (Keter Shem Tov) excels them all(Avot 4:13). The article describes the varied books with thattitle, unrelated by author or subject, and why theauthor/publisher selected that title for the book.

Simeon said: there are three crowns: the crown of Torah,1.the crown of priesthood, and the crown of royalty; butthe crown of a good name (emphasis added, Keter ShemTov) excels them all (Avot 4:13).

“As a pearl atop a crown (keter), so are his good deedsfitting” (Israel Lipschutz, Zera Yisrael, Avot 4:13).

Entitling, naming books, remains, is, a fascinating subject.Why did the author call his book what he/she did? Why thatname and not another? Hebrew books since the Middle-Ages oftenhave names resounding in meaning, but providing little insightinto the contents of the book. A reader looking at the titleof a book in another language, more often than not, isimmediately aware of the book’s subject matter. This is not

the case for many Hebrew titles, the name having been selectedby the author for any one of a number of reasons, least of allthe book’s subject matter, but rather the intention is/was togive the book “the crown of a good name (Keter Shem Tov).”

Book titles have been addressed in both books and articles.Menahem Mendel Slatkine wrote a two volume work, Shemot ha-Sefarim ha-Ivrim: Lefi Sugehem ha-Shonim, Tikhunatam u-Te’udatam (Neuchâtel-Tel Aviv, 1950-54) on book names; it hasbeen the subject of encyclopedia articles in both The JewishEncyclopedia and the Encyclopedia Judaica; and such authors asAbraham Berliner, Joshua Bloch, and Solomon Schechter havewritten articles on book titles, all this apart from thissubject being mentioned in passing in numerous other works. Itoo have addressed the subject, first in “Adderet Eliyahu; AStudy in the Titling of Hebrew Books,” describing about thirtybooks with that single title, two only related to each other,and in “What’s in a name? An example of the Titling of HebrewBooks,” describing varied books taken from a single verse“Your neck is like the tower of David built with turrets, onwhich hang one thousand bucklers, all of them shields ofmighty men (Song of Songs 4:4).[2]

What then is the justification for yet another article on thesame subject? It is, as suggested above, the allure of howauthors of varied unrelated works came to entitle their books,reflective of their intellectual or emotive processes orobjectives. The title selected here, Keter Shem Tov, unlikeAdderet Eliyahu, is not the title of as large a number ofbooks, but the titles here are certainly as varied as those inthe previous articles. Indeed, the works so entitled aresufficiently different, again providing insight into authors’thoughts and, perhaps, an article of interest to the reader.We will not attempt to second guess or analyze an author’smotives, all of whom intended their book to have the crown ofa good name (Keter Shem Tov), but rather we will let theauthors speak for themselves when describing their books

In several instances, books are so entitled as to reflect theauthor’s name, Shem Tov. The use of a line from Avot, toreiterate the injunctions noted previously (“Adderet”), ratherthan directly using the author’s name, is to avoid violatingR. Judah ben Samuel he-Hasid of Regensburg’s (c.1150-1217)proscription to not do so, so as to not benefit from thisworld, thereby decreasing one’s portion in the world to come,or to not reduce their offspring and the good name of theirprogeny in this world.[3] The Roke’ah (R. Eleazar ben Judah ofWorms, c. 1165–c. 1238), however states at the beginning ofthe introduction to his Roke’ah, that everyone should inscribehis name in his book, as we find in the Tanna de-VeiEliyahu.[4] Indeed, the Sefer ha-Roke’ah, is so entitledbecause the numerical value of the family name, Roke’ah,(רקח=308) equals his personal name, Eleazar .(אלעזר=308) Itis, therefore, permissible to allude to the author’s name, forexample, a Shem Tov using the title Keter Shem Tov, aquotation from Avot. Indeed, a substantial number of the booksdescribed here refer to the author’s name.

Our selection encompasses homilies on the Torah, Kabbalah onthe Tetragrammaton, halakhah and minhagim (customs), thesayings of the Ba’al Shem Tov, in praise of Sir MosesMontefiore, a letter on behalf of the Jewish community inTiberias, and a highly unusual work on the Dead Sea scrolls.Finally, this article is a vignette, no more no less, aninsight into and, in a manner of speaking, a photograph of onemanner of how Hebrew books are named.

Several caveats. First, our Keter Shem Tovs are organizedwithin subject categories, beginning with 1) discourses, bothliteral and kabbalistic on the Torah, followed by 2) halakhahand minhag (custom), 3) biographical and related anecdotalworks, 4) miscellanea, all ordered chronologically withincategory, and concluding with 5) a brief summary. Secondly,our approach will be somewhat expansive, the various KeterShem Tovs giving us entry into related aspects of Hebrew

printing and Jewish history. Lastly, while the number of worksentitled Keter Shem Tov is not large, that notwithstanding,our examples are an overview and not meant to be all inclusiveor comprehensive but intended as an interesting insight intoan aspect of Hebrew book practice.

I Discourses, Literal and Kabbalistic on the Torah

Keter Shem Tov, R. Shem Tov ben Jacob Melamed, Venice, 1596:Our first Keter Shem Tov is a commentary on the Torah by R.Shem Tov ben Jacob Melamed. It was printed in Venice (1596,20: 136, 16 ff.) at the press of Matteo Zanetti. This Zanetti,a member of the famous Venetian printing family of that name,established his print-shop on the Calle de Dogan, publishingseven books from 1593 to 1596. Among his titles, in additionto Shem Tov Melamed’s Keter Shem Tov, are R. Nathan NataSpira’s (Shapira) Be’urim, R. Bezalel Ashkenazi’s responsa,and R. Solomon le-Bet ha-Levi’s Divrei Shelomo.

The title page has the decorative frame employed by Zanetti onseveral of his books with a smaller frame in the center aboutthe text. The title-page states that,

Keter Shem Tov

As is its name so is his name good and his deeds confirm itof him. It is a commentary on the Torah of HaShem written bythe sage, the complete, in every book and wisdom.

Shem Tov Melamed

Whose precious light shines throughout [may

God shield him].

Edited patiently by the lofty and exalted

Samuel ibn Dysoss [may God watch over him]

Keter Shem Tov excels

Printed in the year, “that we may rejoice 1596=5356) ונרננה)and be glad [all our days]” (Psalms 90:14) from the creation.

The introduction, from a student of the author, R. Samuel benSolomon Segelmassi follows (2a), then a page of verse from theeditor Samuel ibn Dysoss, the text (3a-136a), his apologia(136b), indexes (1a-16a), errata (16a), and the colophon(16b), which states that it was completed, “on the very daythat Moses went up to the firmament (6 Sivan) and theEgyptians drowned in the sea (21 Nissan), in the year, “Thenhe saw it, and declare it 1596=5356) ויספרה) (Job 28:27), fromthe creation.” It is unclear why there are two apparentlycontradictory completion dates. The text is in two columns inrabbinic type, excepting headings and initial words.

In the introduction Samuel ben Solomon writes that one whoknows matters in truth and faithfully,

“shall come back with shouts of joy” (Psalms 126:6), “toperceive the words of understanding” (Proverbs 1:2) and thisis the first intent of every man who presumes in his heart(Esther 7:5) to write “goodly words” (Genesis 49:21) in abook to leave after him a blessing. . . . It is a commentaryon the holy Torah, “high and lofty” (Isaiah 6:1, 57:15), oneach and every parshah . . .

The introduction continues that it contains derashot

(discourses) according to the literal meaning, casuistic(pilpul), and very sharp. In the following paragraph we areinformed that not everything that was said on every parshahwas printed because of financial restraints. In the apologiaibn Dysoss adds a familiar plaint for the period, type setlate erev Shabbat could not be properly corrected. Moreover,the compositors, not Jewish and not fully familiar with Hebrewand Hebrew letters, did that which was right in their eyes,and for which he should not be held responsible.

That the title clearly alludes to the author’s name, R. ShemTov ben Jacob Melamed, is further suggested by the last lineof verse at the end of the introduction, which states that“you will find that the crown of a good name (KETER SHEM TOV)excels them all. This is, as noted above, that authors’ nameswere frequently employed in book-titles, but, in keeping withthe injunction of R. Judah he-Hasid, indirectly, here byreferencing a quote from Avot.

Shem Tov Melamed was also the author of Ma’amar Mordekhai(Constantinople, 1585), a commentary on Megillat Esther,printed by Joseph Jabez. Melamed is described on the title ofthis work as a physician.

Keter Shem Tov, Amsterdam, R. Abraham ben Alexander (Axelrad)of Cologne, c. 1810-16: A kabbalistic Keter Shem Tov on theTetragrammaton by R. Abraham ben Alexander (Axelrad) ofCologne (13th century). In Judaism the Tetragrammaton, thefour letter divine name, is not directly expressed but insteadreferred to with a euphemistic name for God. The title-pagedescribes this Keter Shem Tov as,

זהלציב [This is the gate of the Lord: the righteous shallenter through it] (Psalms 118:20)

Sefer

Keter Shem Tov

One of three books in my hand in manuscript, as described inmy apologia. They are Keter Shem Tov and the commentary ofthe Ramban (R. Moses ben Nahman, Nachmanides, 1194–1270) onShir ha-Shirim (Song of Songs). I have first printed one bookonly due to limited means. If the Lord will so decree I willpublish the other two books. . . .

Although the title-page refers to three books two only arementioned. The third work, noted in the editor’s apologia, isa commentary on the Merkavah of Ezekiel. Keter Shem Tov is notdated, so that various bibliographic sources date it as 1810or 1816. The title-page is embellished by the Proops’ familypress-mark, consisting of the kohen’s spread hands at the timehe pronounces the priestly blessing. This edition of KeterShem Tov (80: 5, 7 ff.) was printed in Amsterdam by David benJacob Proops. The Proops’ press, founded by Solomon Proops in1704, was the longest lasting and most productive of theHebrew printing-houses in Europe in the eighteenth century; itwould continue to print Hebrew books until the mid-nineteenthcentury when, in 1869, the widow of David Proops sold thepress to the Levissons, who printed until 1917.

Abraham, a student of R. Eleazar ben Judah of Worms (c.1176–1238, Roke’ah), traveled through Spain betweenapproximately 1260 and 1275, where he reportedly studied withR. Solomon ben Adret (Rashba, 1235–1310), the latter praisingAbraham’s oratorical skills. Keter Shem Tov, as noted above,deals with the Tetragrammaton and also the Sefirot, addressingsacred names, using gematriot and synthesizing the mysticismof the Ashkenaz pietists (Hasidim) and Sephardic Kabbalisticmethodologies.[5] Here too the reason for the title is notexplicitly stated but, given the subject matter, is obvious.

This is not the first printing of Abraham ben Alexander’sKeter Shem Tov. It appeared earlier, included in a collectionentitled Likkutim me-Rav Hai Gaon (Warsaw, 1798), under thetitle Ma’amar Peloni Almoni (ff. 26-32a). It has since beenreprinted several times, often among collections of other

works.

Ma’or va-Shemesh, R. Shem Tov ben Abraham ibn Gaon, Livorno,1839: The next Keter Shem Tov, by R. Shem Tov ben Abraham ibnGaon, is also a kabbalistic discourse on the Torah, this partof a larger multi-volume work entitled Ma’or va-Shemesh(Livorno, 1839, 80: [3], 3-11, [1], 128 ff.) printed byEliezer Menahem Ottolenghi. The inclusion of Ma’or va-Shemeshrepresents a more expansive view of works entitled Keter ShemTov as it is an independent work included in a largercollection of dissertations. The author (compiler) of Ma’orva-Shemesh, R. Judah ben Abraham Coriat (d. 1787) of Tetuán,was a scion of a distinguished Moroccan family.

Shem Tov ibn Gaon (c. 1287-c. 340) was born in Soria,1.Spain and went up to Eretz Israel in 1312, settling inSafed where he wrote most of his books. He was a studentof R. Solomon ben Adret (Rashba, 1235–1310) and R. Isaacben Todros (13th cent.). Best known of ibn Gaon’s titlesis Migdal Oz, on Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah as well asseveral works in manuscript. Keter Shem Tov, his firstbook, was reportedly written in Spain, while Rashba wasstill alive.[6]

The title-page of Ma’or va-Shemesh has a frame comprised ofverses, all from Psalm 119:

“O how I love your Torah! It is my meditation all the day”(Psalms 97);

“O that my ways were directed to keep your statutes!) (5);

“The sum of your word is truth; and every one of yourrighteous judgments endures for ever” (160);

“So shall I have an answer for him who insults me; for Itrust in your word” (42);

“So shall I have an answer for him who insults me; for Itrust in your word” (162);

“I have more understanding than all my teachers; for your

testimonies are my meditation” (99); “Great peace have thosewho love your Torah; and nothing can make them stumble”(165).

An additional verse is employed for the date, “This Book ofthe Torah shall not depart from your mouth; but you shallmeditate on it 1839 = 599) הזה מפיך והגית בו)” (Joshua 1:8).The title too is from Psalms, “The day is yours, the nightalso is yours; you have prepared the light and the sun (Ma’orva-Shemesh)” (Psalms 74:16).

The text of the title-page notes several of the authors whosekabbalistic works comprise Ma’or va-Shemesh, notably the Ariha-Kadosh (R. Isaac Luria, 1534 – July 25, 1572), R. Moses benNahman (Ramban), Sefer ha-Malkut, and R. Judah ben Attar,Coriat’s maternal grandfather. The verso of the title-page hasa pressmark, a lion rampant holding thistle under crown andbelow it the phrase Gur Aryeh Yehudah. This device was usedpreviously in Livorno by Eliezer Saadun. When employed byOttolenghi the lion has been turned to face right, it havingpreviously faced left.[7]

There are introductions from R. Elijah Benamozegh and Abrahamben Judah Coriat, the former comprised of five paragraphs,each beginning with the word Kol and concluding with Judah,the latter’s introduction comprised of eight paragraphs, eachbeginning with Ben and concluding with Av. The text iscomprised of several kabbalistic works, among them Shem Tovben Abraham ibn Gaon’s Keter Shem Tov (ff. 25-54a), here notexplicitly stated but rather entitled Perush Sodot ha-Torah.Shem Tov was a kabbalist, who studied with the Rashba and R.Isaac ben Todros. He was greatly influenced by the Ramban (R.Moses ben Nachman), reflected in his Keter Shem Tov, which isa kabbalistic super-commentary on Ramban’s Torah commentary.Here too, the title comes from the author’s name, Shem Tov.

A small portion of ibn Gaon’s Keter Shem Tov was printedpreviously (ff. 41b-44a), in R. Jehiel ben Israel LuriaAshkenazi’s Heikhal ha-Shem (Venice, 1601), on the tenSefirot, Likkutei Kabbalah Kadmonim.

This much expanded version of Keter Shem Tov is based on an1810 manuscript prepared by R. Elijah Lombroso.

II Halakhah and Minhag

Keter Shem Tov, R. Shem Tov ben Isaac Gaguine, Kaidan,Lithuania, 1934: An encyclopedic work on the varied customsand liturgy of eastern and western Sephardim and Ashkenazim byR. Shem Tov Gaguine (Gaguin, 1884-1953). Gaguine, scion of afamous Moroccan Rabbinical dynasty which emigrated toPalestine from Spain, was a great-grandson of R. Hayyim Gaguinthe first Hakham Bashi of Eretz Israel in the Ottoman Empireand a great-great grandson of the kabbalist Sar ShalomSharabi. Gaguine, who received semicha (ordination) from R.Hayyim Berlin, served as a dayyan in Cairo, rabbi and dayyanin Manchester, England, Rosh Yeshivah of Judith MontefioreTheological College, Ramsgate, and, from 1935, as head ofSephardi Medrash Heshaim in London.[8]

This Keter Shem Tov is comprised of seven volumes, the firsttwo published in 1934, and the last four publishedposthumously by his son Dr. Maurice Gaguine. The complete workhas been republished several times.

As noted above, Keter Shem Tov is a comprehensive workdescribing the liturgy and customs of eastern and westernSephardim and of Ashkenazim, accompanied by detailed footnotesfrom the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds and later halakhicauthorities. Although most of the entries explain morefamiliar customs, many are unusual. Example of the latter are:

The custom in [Eretz Israel and Syria, Turkey and Morocco]when the father, grandfather, father-in-law, one’s rabbi, orelder brother has an Aliyah, to stand on one’s feet until hereturns to his place, and to go to them, kiss their hand andreceive a blessing (I:213).

An unusual custom of the Sephardim in the city of Algiers isthe phrase “marror zeh (this marror)” is said three times andthen thrown to the ground, and afterwards picked up and

returned to the ka’arah (Seder plate).[9]

Why is the marror called hasa or hazeret (lettuce or horseraddish)?

The Ashkenaz custom is to take, in place of hazeret a type ofdry radish called in their language hrain, which is as sharpas mustard and does not have a bitter taste. The Sephardiccustom is specifically hazeret. . . . (III: 158-59).

Keter Shem Tov, R. Avishai Taharani, Jerusalem, 2000: Anotherwork on halakhah and customs, this most specific, described onthe title-page as “a treasure of all the halakhot and personalcustoms concerning naming sons and daughters” by R. AvishaiTaharani. The title-page continues that in it are explainedthe basic guidelines for giving names “by whose observance manshall live” (Leviticus 18:5, Ezekiel 20:11, 13, 21). Alsoaddressed are the names that one should refrain from using.

In the introduction (pp. 1-23) to this two volume work,Taharani informs that he has so entitled the book, based onthe injunction of the Roke’ah (above), as well as severalother works. He has done so, however, with gematriot(numerical equivalencies) for “Avishai Taharani ben my lordand father Isaac 977) אבישי טהרני בן לאדוני ואבי יצחק) whichcorresponds to Keter Shem Tov 977) כתר שם טוב).” The text iswide ranging, comprehensive, and accompanied by detailedfootnotes. Several examples of the more unusual entries in thetext are:

If a father errs and calls his son or daughter with twonames, forgetting that the additional name was given toanother child, there are those who say that until thirty dayshe may change the name (I:118).

Some say that if one has a child from an unmarried woman, thechild should be called with a name that predates [the time ofthe] Patriarch Abraham or with a name that is not customary,

for example, Dan, so that he will be judged according to hisproblem. There are places that it is customary to give thesenames to those who are kosher and Heaven forfend one shouldcome to question those who are kosher (I: 237-38).

Some say that one should not call [a child] with one of thenames that predates the Patriarch Abraham, for example: Adam,Noah, and all who call by a name that predates the PatriarchAbraham is not in the category of one who “labors in theTorah, and does not give pleasure to his Creator” (cf.Berakhot 17a). (I:397-400).

It is permissible to shorten a name, whether for a son or adaughter, as long as that name is used only casually, and itis best to use the full name at least once a day in orderthat the short form dies not become customary (II:110-13).

In a lengthy footnote to the third entry concerning names thatpredate the Patriarch Abraham a source for the entry is given,ha-Mabit (R. Moses ben Joseph of Trani, 1500 – 1580). It isfollowed by a number of contrary sources by other prominentrabbis, and then a lengthy discussion. That this Keter ShemTov has proven to be a relatively popular work is evident fromthe publication of two additional editions, the last in 2007.

Keter Shem Tov, Kollel Keter Shem Tov, Kiryat Bialik, 2002:Collection of discourses and responsa on Shulhan Arukh HoshenMishpat by rabbis from the Kollel Keter Shem Tov in KiryatBialik, located in the vicinity of Haifa. There is anintroduction from R. Mahluf Aminadav Krispin, Chief Rabbi ofKiryat Bialik, followed by the text, comprised of nineteenarticles, including one by the Rosh Yeshiva R. SolomonShalosh. Examples of the articles are 5) “on the prohibitionturning to secular courts” by R. Efied Hagibi, member of theKollel; 6) finding a relative or one who is unfit among thejudges by R. David Alharar, member of the Kollel; 9) witnesseswho have fulfilled their charge” by R. Evied Elul, member of

the Kollel; 11) “the obligation of rent after divorce, theportion in the residence” by R. Abraham Atlas, av bet din,Haifa; 14) “acquisition through forgiveness (relinquishment)by R. Solomon Shalaoh; and 19) “the wages of a worker andcontractor who did not provide the agreed upon benefit” by R.Abraham Atlas.

The title-page numbers the volume as no. one, but it is notknown whether additional volumes were published.

III Biographical and Related Anecdotal Works

Keter Shem Tov, R. Aharon ben Zevi ha-Kohen of Apta, Zolkiew,1794/95: The most popular of our Keter Shem Tovs, based on theprinted editions, is the collection of tales and stories ofthe remarkable and astounding deeds of the Ba’al Shem Tov (R.Israel ben Eliezer, Besht, c. 1700–1760), founder of theHasidic movement, as well as his recorded sayings, assembledfrom the works of his disciples. This collection of tales andsayings was assembled by R. Aaron ben Zevi Hirsch ha-Kohen ofOpatow (Apta).

The book is in two parts, each with its own title-page butidentical text, except that the first title-page is dated witha chronogram, the second title-page, printed a year later, isdated in a straightforward manner, 1795 = 555) תקנ”ה). Perhapsthe reason that the second title-page is so dated is that thefirst title-page exists in two forms, the rare first title-page, is dated “and the glory of his splendid majesty ואת יקר1784 = 544) גדולתו ”(תפארת (Esther 1:4), which is incorrect,the book having been printed a decade later. The error waslikely quickly caught, for the corrected and much better knowntitle-page has the same chronogram, now reading ואת יקר תפארת,גדולתו the yod in the second word enlarged and emphasized,for a correct total of 554 (1794).[10] The variants arerecorded separately in several bibliographic works.[11]

The title-page informs that that much of the contents are fromthe works of R. Jacob Joseph ben Zevi ha-Kohen av bet din ofPolonnoye (d. c. 1782), the Ba’al Shem Tov’s leading disciple,that is, Toledot Ya’akov Yosef, Ben Porat Yosef, and ZafenatPa’ne’ah, as well as discourses, also from other works. Amongthese latter sources are Likkutei Amorim and the sayings ofthe Ba’al Shem Tov, all collected by R. Aaron ben Zevi Hirschha-Kohen of Opatow (Apta).

In addition to the variations to the first title-page, thesecond title-page also exists in two formats, with, unlike thefirst title-page, some textual variations. Within the text of

the book, despite Aaron ben Zevi Hirsch ha-Kohen’s commentsthat he has assembled the Ba’al Shem Tov’s words from theabove mentioned titles, he did not, in fact, merely transcribethem in toto, nor did he distinguish which were the words ofthe Ba’al Shem Tov and those of Jacob Joseph.[12]

Keter Shem Tov has an approbation from R. Menachem Mendel ofLiska, followed by the famed Iggeret Hakodesh, a letter fromthe Ba’al Shem Tov to his brother, dated Rosh Ha-Shanah, 1747,in which he relates that his soul ascended to heaven where hemet with the Messiah, and then the text. This Keter Shem Tov,as noted above, has proven to be an enduring and popular work;it was printed soon after in Korezec (1797), Lemberg (1809)and several times afterwards there, in numerous otherlocations, and continues to be republished to the present.

Keter Shem Tov, Abraham Menahem Mendel Mohr, Lvov (Lemberg),1847: Sir Moses Montefiore (1784–1885) was one of, if not themost prominent member of English Jewry in the nineteenthcentury. Cecil Roth described him as “the most notable Jew,and indeed one of the most notable Englishmen, of the 19thcentury by virtue of his outstanding philanthropic workextending over a period of three-quarters of a century, intohis venerable old age.”13 Montefiore traveled to the MiddleEast during the Damascus Affair, to Russia, Morocco, andRumania on behalf of persecuted Jewry, as well as providingleadership and support of Jewry at home and in Eretz Israel.His indefatigable efforts on behalf of world Jewry arerecorded and acknowledged in books, articles, and newspapers,several works entitled Keter Shem Tov.

The first Keter Shem Tov praising Sir Moses Montefiore is byAbraham Menahem Mendel Mohr (1815–1868), a scholarly maskil,author of a number of Hebrew and Yiddish books. The title-pagestates that it is,

Keter Shem Tov

For the chief, holy prince

The praiseworthy, the righteous, the dear, who sowsrighteousness and brings forth salvation. Our teacher, MosesBaron from Montefiore [May his Rock and Redeemer protecthim], prince of the holy land. And the pure wife of hisyouth, the honorable lady, the modest, the wisdom of women“is a crown to her husband” (Proverbs 12:4), the lady Judith“blessed shall she be above women in the tent” (Judges 5:24).. . .

The title-page continues that the text includes some of therighteousness and perfect kindness on behalf of the Jews inRussia. A small book, (80: 16 pp.: Joseph Schnander), thetext begins with verse, with the header “from Moses to Mosesthere was none like Moses” normally referring to Maimonidesbut here applied to Montefiore. The verse beginning,

“Moses ben Amram brought Israel out from the burdens of Egypt

and Moses Montefiore redeemed them from death to life.

Moses ben Amram “struck the rock, so that the waters gushedout” (Psalms 78:20)

and Moses Montefiore softened the heart of stone with “wordsof lips” (cf. II Kings 18:20, Isaiah 36:5). . . .

The volume concludes with a letter of appreciation from SirMoses Montefiore.

A Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) version of Mohr’s Keter Shem Tov wasprinted in Salonika (1850, 80: 48, 53-80 ff.) together withtwo other works, Tiferet Yisrael on the Rothschilds, andMa’aseh Eretz Israel on Eretz Israel from the destruction ofthe Temple to the nineteenth century. Among the many otherworks either praising or including a section on Montefiore are

Kol Kitvei Rabbi Ya’akov Saphir ha-Levi (Jerusalem, 1934), thewritings of R. Jacob Saphir (1822–1886), an emissary of theJewish community in Jerusalem and the author of Even Saphir onthe Jewish communities in such varied places as Yemen, Egypt,India, and India that he visited. In Kol Kisvei is a sectionentitled Keter Shem Tov Kenaf Renanim Sir Moses Monrefiore,accompanied by a cameo of Montefiore.

Yet another Keter Shem Tov about Montefiore was published byHayyim Guedalla (London, 1884). The Hebrew title-page isfollowed by an English title-page that states,

The Crown of A Good Name

a brief account

of a few of the

Doings, Preachings, and Compositions

On

Sir Moses Montifieore’s Natal Day,

November 8th, 1883,

on which he was favored with a succession of telegraphic

Congratulations from the QUEEN OF ENGLAND and many

Eminent People of all Creeds.

Below is the quote from Pirke Avot. The text includescongratulatory letters from the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh,many others, and special services in both Hebrew and English.In addition, many other publications relate to MosesMontefiore, among them, albeit this not directly pertinent tothe article but of interest as a further example of howwidespread the high esteem in which the venerable Sir MosesMontefiore was held, is the title page of the October 20. 1883Harper’s Weekly Journal of Civilization (New York), with afull cover portrait of Montefiore.

Keter Shem Tov (Ehrenkranz des guten Rufes), R. Josef Natonek,Budapest, 1880: German Keter Shem Tov by Josef Natonek inhonor of Rabbi Dr. Moritz Landsberg (1824-80), son of R. EliasLandsberg (1800-79). Except for a Hebrew header the title pageis entirely in German, as is the text (32 pp.), with onlyoccasional Hebrew.

The title, Ehrenkranz des guten Rufes, is our “crown of a goodname,” a Festgabe zum fünfundzwanzigjährigen Amtsjubilaeum desDr. M. Landsberg, Rabbiner zu Liegnitz dargereicht vonRabbiner Josef Natonek em Rabbiner und Schriftstellerverfasser, that is a festive volume presented to Landsbergeron the twenty-fifth jubilee of his service as rabbi inLiegnitz, by R. Josef Natonek (1813-92), a rabbi and author.Landsberg, doctor of philosophy educated in Berlin, became, in1854, the rabbi of Legnica. Born in Rawicz, He served as rabbifor twenty-five years until his death in Liegnitz (Legnica,Silesia).[14] Landsburg was also the author of a number ofstudies on the history of medicine, particularly in ancienttimes, published for the most part in the journal Juno,published by von Henschel.[15]

At the end of the volume is a two page Stammbaum (family tree)of the Landsberg family.

IV Miscellanea

Keter Shem Tov, R. Solomon Zalman ben Zevi Hirsch ha-Kohen,Livorno, c. 1789: Our next Keter Shem Tov is a quarto sizedpage printed in Livorno in c. 1789 for the Hassidic TiberiusKollel Ashkenazim. It informs that R. Solomon Zalman ben ZeviHirsch ha-Kohen (d. 1799) is an emissary of the Merciful Oneand of us (the Ashkenaz Hasidic community of Tiberias). Theletter is signed by twenty-one rabbis.[16]

The letter begins with a reference to Keter Shem Tov followedby a list of honorifics “but the crown of a good name (Keter

Shem Tov) excels them all. To our brothers in the exile, atreasured people, ‘a kingdom of priests and a holy nation’(Exodus 19:6), keepers of the faith, princes and chieftains,princes and leaders, ‘a lampstand all of gold’ (Zechariah 4:2)Torah scholars and rabbis.”

It informs about their joy in the merit to live in EretzIsrael. Until now they had relied upon support from thecountry from which they had come; but now, however, due to warbetween Russia and the Ottoman Empire, they could no longerdepend on that funding, so that they are now turning to Jewsin other lands for support. Indeed, in describing thesituation the letter notes the dire financial situation andthat the land “‘is infested with bandits’ (Yevamot 115a, 122a)‘the task masters hurried them’ (Exodus 5:13), they ‘lie inwait for blood’ (Micah 7:2). . . . ‘But now our soul is driedaway; there is nothing at all (Numbers 11:6)’”

Solomon Zalman had traveled twice previously as an emissary toRussia (1779-81/1784-85), but this was his first trip toWestern Europe. Avraham Yaari relates that Solomon Zalman’sundertaking was not without objection. The Sephardic communityprotested that the Hasidic community, which had previouslyreceived support from Eastern Europe, a venue now closed tothem, was, by sending an emissary to Western Europe, enteringinto the domain of the general Tiberias community. The disputewas resolved several years later when joint representatives ofboth communities went to Eastern Europe.[17]

The letter begins with that part of the phrase from Avotreferring to Keter Shem Tov intimating that a way one obtainsthe “crown of a good name (Keter Shem Tov)” is through gooddeeds and charity, which, as noted above, is “As a pearl atopa crown (keter), so are his good deeds fitting,” certainlyappropriate for an appeal for the destitute community inIsrael, the subject of the our Keter Shem Tov.

Keter Shem Tov, Shani Tzoref, Ian Young, Editors; Piscataway,

NJ, 2013: A highly unusual Keter Shem Tov, this theproceedings of a conference on the Dead Sea scrolls held inmemory of the late emeritus professor Alan David Crown in late2011 at the University of Sydney, Mandelbaum House. Thisvolume is part of a series entitled Perspectives on HebrewScriptures and its Contexts published by Gorgias Press, whichdescribes itself as “an independent academic publisher ofbooks and journals covering several areas related to religiousstudies, the world of ancient western Asia, classics, andMiddle Eastern studies.” Among their subject matter is AncientNear East, Arabic and Islam, Archaeology, Bible, Classics,Early Christianity, Judaism, Linguistics, Syriac, andUgaritic.

Professor Alan David Crown (1932-2010) in whose memory thisbook was published, was Professor in Semitic Studies at theUniversity of Sydney, and a renowned scholar and author. Asnoted on a website referring to him the title relates to thename Crown (Keter), for “He may have inherited the name Crownfrom his parents, but he earned the title ‘CROWN’ – the Crownof Torah, through his own merit, his sharp intellect and hisdeep respect for scholarship.”[18] The editors are Dr. ShaniTzoref, Ph.D., Skirball Department of Hebrew and JudaicStudies, New York University and currently a Qumran InstituteFellow, Seminar für Altes Testament, Georg-August-UniversitätGöttingen, and Dr. Ian Young, Associate Professor, Chair ofDepartment at the University of Sydney, Australia, teachingClassical Hebrew and Biblical Studies.

This edition of Perspectives on Hebrew Scriptures and itsContexts 20: Keter Shem Tov (x, 400 pp.) is comprised ofsixteen articles on various subjects in the field of Qumranstudies (Dead Sea scrolls) from scholars in the field. Thearticles encompass the development and phases of Qumranscholarship; textual transmission of the Hebrew Bible,including Samaritan texts and Masada Biblical Scrolls;reception of Scripture in the Dead Sea Scrolls; community and

the Dead Sea Scrolls; and eschatology and sexuality in the So-Called Sectarian Documents from Qumran; and the Temple and theDead Sea Scrolls.

V Summary

This concludes our survey of books with the title Keter ShemTov. As noted above, the article is vignettes of books soentitled. There is no single pattern in the use of the title,it being applied to a wide variety of books. There arediscourses on the Torah, both literal and kabbalistic, workson Jewish law and customs, biographic or anecdotal, andseveral miscellaneous works, among them an appeal for supportof Jewish communities in the Holy Land and on the Dead Seascrolls. The title Keter Shem Tov has been chosen because itrefers to an author’s name, for example, R. Shem Tov Melamed,R. Shem Tov ibn Gaon, and R. Shem Tov Gaguine; bibliographicalworks such as those referring to the Ba’al Shem Tov, Sir MosesMontefiore, and Rabbi Dr. Moritz Landsberg; and more diverseworks, such as one being the novellae of a Kollel, the DeadSea scrolls, and even topically related as in R. AvishaiTaharani’s Keter Shem Tov, which actually deals with laws and

customs applicable to names.

We began by noting that the title of Hebrew books, unlikebooks in other languages, may have “been selected by theauthor for any one of a number of reasons, least of all thebook’s subject matter; rather the intention is/was to give thebook ‘the crown of a good name (Keter Shem Tov)’.” Indeed, notone book in this article, with the possible exception ofTaharani’s Keter Shem Tov, indicates its subject matter by thetitle. What each of these examples do have in common, is theintent to associate the name of the author, subject, or evenorganization with the Mishnah in Pirke Avot, which states,

Simeon said: there are three crowns: the crown of Torah,1.the crown of priesthood, and the crown of royalty; butthe crown of a good name (emphasis added, Keter ShemTov) excels them all (Avot 4:13).

[1] I would like to thank Eli Genauer for reading the articleand his comments and my son-in-law, R. Moshe Tepfer, for hisassistance and research in the National Library of Israel,including getting the 1789 Livorno illustration from[2] Marvin J. Heller, “Adderet Eliyahu; A Study in the Titlingof Hebrew Books,” in Studies in the Making of the Early HebrewBook (Brill, Leiden/Boston, 2008), pp. 72-91; idem. “What’s ina name? An example of the Titling of Hebrew Books,” in FurtherStudies in the Making of the Early Hebrew Book (Brill,Leiden/Boston, 2013) pp. 371-94.[3] Judah he-Hasid, Sefer Hasidim (Jerusalem, 1973), ed.Re’uven Margaliot, pp. 210-11, n. 367 [Hebrew].[4] Eleazar ben Judah, Sefer Roke’ah ha-Gadol (Jerusalem,1967), ed. Barukh Shimon Shneurson, p. 1 [Hebrew].[5] Gershom Scholem, Kabbalah (New York, 1974), p. 51.[6] Shimon Vanunu, Encyclopedia Arzei ha-Levanon. Encyclopediale-Toldot Geonei ve-Hakhmei Yahadut Sefarad ve-ha-Mizrah IV(Jerusalem, 2006), pp. 2152 [Hebrew].[7] Avraham Yaari, Diglei ha-Madpisim ha-Ivriyyim (Jerusalem,1943, reprint Westmead, 1971), pp. 96, 174 no. 160, [Hebrew].

[8] Shimon Vanunu, Encyclopedia Arzei ha-Levanon. Encyclopediale-Toldot Geonei ve-Hakhmei Yahadut Sefarad ve-ha-Mizrah IV(Jerusalem, 2006), pp. 2155-56 [Hebrew].[9] In contrast, the Mishnah Berurah (477:1:5) quotes theShelah ha-Kodesh who states that ” have seen people of statuswho kiss the matzah and the marror . . . all to cherish themitzvah.”[10] Such errors and their corrections are known as stop-presscorrections. Sheets were proof read while the press-run wasunder way; while it certainly was preferable to correct thesheets before the run began, reading also took place while therun was under way. When the corrector would find an error hewould stop the run, remove the forme, quickly correct theerror, and resume printing. Unless substantial, stop-presscorrections did not necessitate disposing of the previoussheet – four pages in a folio, more so in a smaller format –but rather both the altered states and the originals are used.In such a case, there will be variant copies of the book,consisting of sheets printed from forms in both the earlierand later states, as is the case here.[11] The copy with the misdated title-page in the Chabad-Lubavitch Library is attractively bound in a soft brownleather, the cover stamped כתר שם טוב ב”ק אדמו”ר שליט”א, thatis, it was in the private library of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, R.Menachem Mendel Schneeersohn (1902–94). The reading roomlibrarian, R. Zalman Levine, informs me that to his knowledgethis is the only book so bound, and that it “was given to therebbe with this binding.[12] Keter Shem Tov (Brooklyn, 1972), p. v [Hebrew].[13] Cecil Roth, “Moses Montefiore, 1784-1885,” in Essays andPortraits in Anglo-Jewish History (Philadelphia, 1962), p.262.+[14] As an aside, Jewish settlement in Lieignitz can be tracedto the Middle Ages, interrupted by pogroms, the first in 1447due to a dispute between Elżbieta, Duchess of Legnica withJewish bankers, who demanded that she return a loan. Liegnitzis best remembered for a battle that took place there in 1241,

when a Polish-German Army lead by Duke Henry II of Silesiaengaged invading Mongol near the town. The Mongols werevictorious, collecting nine sacks of ears from their fallenenemies, all of whom perished.[15] Klatzkin, Jacob and Ismar Elbogen, editors, EnyclopaediaJudaica: Das Judentum in Geschichte und Gegenwart 10 (Berlin,1928-34), p. 619.[16] The signatories are R. Abraham ben Alexander Katz ofKalisk; R. Matthias ben Hayyim; R. Moses ben Menahem Mendel;R. Jehiel Michal ben Hayyim; R. Moses ben Abraham Segal; R.Eliezer Sussman; R. Asher ben Eliezer; R. David he is theKatan, rav of Bohava Yeshain; R. Joshua ben Noah Altshuler; R.Israel ben Jacob; R. Israel ben Judah; R. Judah Leib benJoseph; R. Moses ben Uri Shapira; R. Jehiel Michal benAbraham; R. Joseph of Zimigrad; R. Samuel ben Isaiah Segal; R.Aryeh Leib ben Nathan; R. Aaron ben Isaac; R. Aaron ben Meir;R. Joseph of Poloskov; and R. Nathan Nata ben Eli of Brod.[17] Avraham Yaari, Sheluhei Eretz Yisrael II (Jerusalem,1951, reprint Jerusalem, 1997), pp. 619-28 [Hebrew].[18]http://learning.mandelbaum.usyd.edu.au/about-us/alan-crown/