Shir ha-ma‘alot le-David (A Song of Ascents, of David)
David Darshan
1571
Seek ye out the book of the Lord (Isaiah 34:16), and read The Holy Epistle [so] called to water the flock, go and browse.1
Creator Bio
David Darshan
Born in Kraków, David Darshan was a wanderer, preacher, rabbi, proofreader, and healer. He studied with the great rabbinic authorities of his days, Moses Isserles and Solomon Luria. Around 1556 he traveled to Italy. Upon his return to Kraków, he became the community’s darshan (preacher). Later he moved to Lublin, where he worked as an editor and proofreader. Shir ha-ma‘alot le-David (A Song of Ascents, of David) is a book of mixed genre: it contains sermons, responsa, sample letters, and poems, as well as biographical material. In 1574, Darshan published his Ketav hitnatslut le-darshanim (In Defense of Preachers).
Related Guide
Jewish Printing and Book Culture, 1500–1750
Jewish printing unified far-flung communities by standardizing religious texts, created textual uniformity, and enabled vernacular translations, and facilitated the spread of Jewish texts and knowledge.
Related Guide
Early Modern Jewish Languages (1500–1750)
As Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews migrated eastward, Yiddish and Ladino emerged as distinct languages. Both languages developed literary traditions, as print became more widespread.
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