Joseph ben David of Leipnik, Moravia, who wrote and illustrated the Haggadah which is represented here in facsimile, was one of the most prominent Jewish manuscript artists of the eighteenth century. His Haggadoth have been described as “real masterpieces of eighteenth-century Jewish art.[1]
Several of his Haggadoth have survived. They were all executed in Germany – Frankfurt on Main, Darmstadt and Altona – between the years 1731 and 1740/
Our Haggadah was written and illustrated, as the colophon indicates in Darmstadt in the year 1733 (and not in 1712 as one might deduce from the title page).[2]
Like many printed Haggadoth of the eighteenth century and most illustrated Haggadah manuscripts of the same era, the pictures of our Haggadah were influenced by the copper plate illustrations of the beautiful Haggadoth printed in Amsterdam in 1695 and 1712.
The Haggadah contains eleven large illustrations and two series of miniatures, which are variously based on the pictures of the 1712 Amsterdam Haggadah.
Each of the large illustrations occupies more than half a page and is surrounded by a golden-black border. In the order of their appearance they represent: The Seder of the Sages at Bnei Brak; the Four sons; Abraham destroys the idols of his father; the three angels visiting Abraham; the Israelites building Pithom and Raamses; Pharaoh’s daughter finds Moses; Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh; the Egyptians drowning in the sea and the Israelites singing unto the Lord; the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai; David at prayer and Jerusalem and the Temple. The two series of miniatures represent the stages of the Seder and the Ten Plagues, respectively.
In addition, our Haggadah includes five smaller illustrations (the head of the family reciting the Kiddush – next to the text of the Kiddush; a man leading a Paschal lamb and pointing to the word Pesah in the text; a man showing a Matzah and a woman holding Maror – accompanying the paragraph; “Rabban Gamliel used to say” etc.; and Kind David playing the harp – in the beginning of Hallel) as well as two more series of smaller pictures, illustrating the songs Ehad Mi Yode’a and Had Gadya.
The upper part of the title page, like the title page of the 1712 Amsterdam Haggadah, shows Moses in front of the burning bush. In the lower part, the text of the title page is flanked by illustrations depicting King David (on the right) and King Solomon, writing psalms.[3] In the 1695 and 1712 Amsterdam Haggadoth the figures of Moses and Aaron appear instead.
The text of the Haggadah is written in square characters. Some initial words are illuminated. Both the illustrations and the illuminated words are in color.
The instructions for the Seder and the descriptions of the illustrations are in Judeo-German. These as well as the Judeo-German versions of the songs Adir Hu, Ehad Mi Yode’a and Had Gadya are written in Ashkenazic mashait script.
The Haggadah, which is in the possession of the Jewish National and University Library, Jerusalem, was shown in 1983 in an exhibit of eighteenth-century illustrated Haggadoth in the Israel Museum.[4]
A facsimile edition of this Haggadah, in its actual size (24.5 x 19.5 cm) and in full color, was published by W. Turnowsky Ltd. Of Tel Aviv in 1985.
In 1975 Rabbi Munish Weintraub, director of the Diskin Orphan Home, was instrumental in producing a facsimile edition of another Haggadah by Joseph ben David of Leipnik. The artist had executed it in Altona in 1738. The Haggadah was reproduced with the title “The Leipnik-Rosenthaliana Haggadah, 1738”, for its original has been preserved in the Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana of Amsterdam.
“The Leipnik-Darmstadt Haggadah, 1733” is an additional Haggadah of historic and artistic interest published by the Diskin Orphan Home of Jerusalem for presentation to its friends and supporters. We all are indebted to the director of the institution, Rabbi Munish Weintraub, for his efforts in making this beautiful Haggadah available to a broader public.[5]
[1] See Ernest M. Namenyi, “The Illumination of Hebrew Manuscripts after the Invention of Printing,” in Jewish Art (edit. By Cecil Roth, 1961, pp. 445-446, 450-451). Idem, “La miniature juive au XVIIe et au XVIIIe siècle,” REJ, CXVI, 1957, pp. 64-66; Yitzhak Rivkind, “Illuminated Manuscript Haggadoth from the 18th Century,” (Hebrew), HaDo’ar, Passover issue, 5763 (1963); Sothby’s (New York), Judaica Sales Catalog, June 23, 1983, lot number 184.
[2] See Shlomo Zucker’s introduction to the facsimile edition of this Haggadah published by W. Turnowsky Ltd. of Tel Aviv, 1985; comp. A Marx Studies in Jewish History and Booklore, 1944, p. 269.
[3] S. Zucker in the above-mentioned introduction. King David and King Solomon appear on the title pages of a variety of Hebrew books (See A. M. Haberman Title Pages of Hebrew Books, Hebrew-English, Safed, 1959).
[4] On the occasion of the exhibit, the Israel Museum published Illustrated Haggadoth of the Eighteenth Century (Hebrew-English) by Haviva Peled-Carmeli. It contains some comments on the illustrations of our Haggadah.
[5] The Grace after Meals is missing in the original copy of this Haggadah. It has been inserted in the facsimile edition.