Rare 1852 Mendelssohn Biur Tanakh – St. Petersburg & Vilna Rabbinical Approvals For Sale

Antique Jewish Bible – Moses Mendelssohn’s German Translation (Biur), 1852

Offered here is an authentic 1852 edition of Moses Mendelssohn’s famed German translation of the Tanakh (Biur), combining German translation with Hebrew commentary. Published by the Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, with the Hebrew title page from the renowned Romm press of Vilna, this volume is a rare survival of Jewish Enlightenment publishing.

Historical Significance
This edition bears the line: “nach den Gutachten der Rabbinen und Gelehrten” — “according to the opinions of the rabbis and scholars.” These approvals stem directly from the 1843 St. Petersburg Rabbinical Conference, convened by Dr. Max Lilienthal under Tsar Nicholas I to oversee Jewish education reform.

For the first time, Hasidic leaders, Lithuanian yeshiva heads, traditional rabbis, and maskilim (Enlightenment scholars) were brought together—often reluctantly—under government supervision.

Notable figures on the title page include:

• Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (Tzemach Tzedek, 1789–1866) – third Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch

• Rabbi Yitzchak of Volozhin (1780–1849) – head of the Volozhin Yeshiva

• Rabbi Abraham David Strashun (1793–1872) – scholar and bibliophile of Vilna

• Rabbi Shlomo Yehuda Rapoport (1786–1867, “Shir”) – Galician maskil

• Isaac Beer Levinsohn (1788–1860, “RIBaL”) – leading Russian Haskalah figure

• Rabbi Hirsch Katzenellenbogen (Vilna) – rabbinic authority

• Dr. Abraham Neumann (Riga) – physician and maskilic leader

This unique coalition reflects the rare intersection of tradition and Enlightenment, capturing a dramatic moment of Jewish communal history.

Collectibility

• Mid-19th century St. Petersburg & Vilna printing

• Rare Biur edition with verified rabbinical approvals from a historic conference

• Highly desirable for collectors of Judaica, Hebraica, Haskalah-era works, and rare Bibles