Obj. ID: 36058  Orach Chaim, Kopys', 1811

This text was prepared by William Gross:

Tur Orach Hayyim, by Rabbi Ya'akov b. Asher.
Jacob ben Asher, known as both the Ba'al ha-Turim and as Rabbi Yaakov ben Raash (Rabbeinu Asher), was probably born in the Holy Roman Empire at Cologne about 1269 and probably died at Toledo, then in the Kingdom of Castile, about 1343. He was an influential Medieval rabbinic authority. He is main work, the Arba'ah Turim, was divided into 4 sections, each called a "tur," alluding to the rows of jewels on the High Priest's breastplate.The Arba Turim are the standard reference books of rabbis and scholars to this very day. Their clear and simple style makes them highly popular and understandable.
The printer, Rabbi Yisrael Yaffe, is known as the "Printer from Kopys." He printed many Chassidic works between c.1804-1828. Rabbi Yisrael Yaffe was a disciple of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk and was close to the Baal HaTanya. He carried the Baal HaTanya on his shoulders when he was released from prison in 1799. An adherent of Chabad Chassidism, he eventually emigrated to Eretz Israel, settled in Hebron, and established the country's first Hebrew printing press.
Ya'ari lists four different marks employed by R' Yaffe in his works (Ya'ari 182-185). The current mark is not included in his inventory; it shows an architectural pediment with two urns, foliage, the letter A(?) in a central cartouche, and a bird perched at top. The printer's name appears beneath.