Jews are called the People of the Book. While collectors of antiques enjoy many types of collections, many frum collectors have, unsurprisingly, built seforim collections,By the Book,Jews are called the People of the Book. While collectors of antiques enjoy many types of collections, many frum collectors have, unsurprisingly, built seforim collections
We Jews are known as the People of the Book. The “Book” we’re best known for is the one we were gifted at Har Sinai the Torah. While collectors of antiques enjoy many types of collections many frum collectors have unsurprisingly built seforim collections. From handwritten papyrus scrolls to “silk” paper to modern printing there’s quite a collection of written material to help keep our mesorah intact.
Chances are that at least one room in your home is lined with shelves of seforim. But years ago people’s homes were smaller money was scarce and seforim weren’t as easily available. The average Jew owned a siddur a Tehillim and perhaps a set of Chumashim but most seforim remained either in the beis medrash or in the rav’s home.
In comparison to secular books however seforim were printed in abundance (though the numbers don’t come anywhere near to what is printed today). “Our survival is based on Torah ” Nechemia an antique seforim dealer in Canada explains. “Most of the general population was illiterate but reading was an essential part of being a frum Jew. Therefore we took advantage of the printing presses to spread Torah knowledge.”
Today the value of those seforim is based on many factors including rarity age condition printing house and previous ownership. And of course as the rule in any marketplace is dictated by supply and demand it’s also true in the world of antique seforim.
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