Place of origin: Italy

Date of origin: 15th century

Support: Vellum

Extent: I + 304 + I‎

Format: 128-129 x 92-93 mm‎

Foliation: Foliation from right to left in Arabic numerals printed in ink in the top left corners of each folio from 1 to 12 and 102 to 304. Folios between 13 and 101 were numbered in grey pencil. Sometimes the numbering in grey pencil has been added to the printed numbering, in a count of folios that is behind by one number, e.g. printed number: f. 151 and grey pencil: f. 150, same for folio 156 (155 in grey pencil) (only the printed foliation is taken into consideration here).
Error on folio 56r where it is written 36 instead of 56. The folio count continues correctly afterwards with folio 57. ‎

Collation: There are 32 quires of 26 quinions and 6 quaternions: I-XIV quinions (1r-140v); XV quaternion (141r-146v) [The last two folios of this quire are missing, see 2 stubs between folios 146v and 147r ]; XVI-XVII quinions (147r-166v); XVIII quaternion (167r-174v) ; XIX-XXIV quinions (175r-234v) ; XXV-XXVII quaternions (235r-258v) ; XXVIII quaternion (259r-264v) [The last two folios of this quire is missing, see 2 stubs between folios 264v and 265r ]; XXIX-XXXII quinions (265r-304v).
No catchwords.

Condition: Well preserved manuscript. Some faded text especially at the beginning of the manuscript until folio 24r (then sparsely throughout, e.g. ff. 147r, 150v, 249r) and a few minor humidity stains on some folios of the manuscript.

Page layout: No pricking. The ruling is in brown ink.‎
1+1 columns of text (except for folio 141r with 1+2 columns). 10 ruled lines for 10 written lines. Letter elongation and compression at the end of lines. Sometimes the end of words overlaps into the left lateral margin and more rarely, the scribe found the solution to add the last letter of a word in exponential mode above it, touching the justification column (e.g. ff. 26r, 111r, 139r).‎
Full page layout. Inner and outer indentations of the text around the initial words.

Writing and hands: Italian bookhand vocalized script for the main text in medium module, except between folios 229r and 233r where the vocalized script is square and in a very large module. The initial words are in large module square Italian script. Text on folios 173r-174r and 229r-233r are written in large square vocalized letters. Some words written in very large letters on folios 89v, 160v, 162r, 238r, 265r, 300v. Monumental initial word in square letters on folio 229r. There are instructions between the prayers also in a bookhand script but not vocalized and in a very small module. One scribe copied this manuscript, named Yehudah (‎יהודה‎) on folio 293r, according to Joseph Prijs (2018, p. 129) [However, after verification the scribe’s name was not found]. ‎

Decoration: Presence of rubricated initial words throughout the manuscript (e.g. ff. 3r, 61r, 67r, 68r, 149r, 267r, 274r) and a rubricated paragraph in small bookhand non-vocalized script on folio 128v.‎
f. 301r: doodles.‎

Additions: No later additions except for some scribbles on folios 174v; 300v-301r.

Binding: Brown leather binding on wooden boards of the 16th century (135 x 95 mm). The boards have a faded blindstamped scroll motif framing them. A new brown leather 3 banded spine bears a paper sticker with the shelfmark, ‘Ms. Heid. 123’ (the sticker is not present in the image of the digitized manuscript but has since been added). Two small holes in each of the boards indicate where two clasps for two straps were situated.‎

Acquisition of the manuscript: In 1899, the collection of 211 Hebrew manuscripts (189 paper and 22 parchment manuscripts) and 2587 printed books entered the Zentralbibliothek in Zurich. This collection encompasses a wide variety of subjects, including biblical, exegetical, halakhic, liturgical, grammatical, lexicographical, cabbalistic, astronomical and apologetical literature, and conveys above all, Moritz Heidenheim’s scholarly and scientific interests as a 19th century bibliophile (O. Franz-Klauser, 2006, pp.116, 241, 246).