Treasures of the Fourth Floor

The fourth floor of the library, for most, is simply an annoyance. It is significant only because the elevator occasionally stops there on the way up to the fifth floor. However, for some, the fourth floor is more than an annoying elevator rest stop. For some people, the fourth floor represents the ultimate historical "study guide" inside YU. It is at the fourth floor where, directly outside the elevator, they are able to access the books and manuscripts of YU's very own "Rare Book Room." It is a room that most students are unaware of, and very few have visited.

Encased in thick plexiglass, and safeguarded by a security system installed by Wells Fargo, the Rare Book Room has an intricate climate control system that protects its delicate tenants from fire and other hazards. The room itself houses over 8,000 books and nearly 1,000 unpublished manuscripts dating back to the 15th century. Predating its current home on the fourth floor, the collection was built primarily through gifts and donations. Many of the books donated were saved from certain destruction during the Holocaust.

Written primarily in Hebrew, the collection supports a wide range of Rabbinic works, from chiddushim to psak to drash. Besides early prints and manuscripts, YU's collection also includes 39 Hebrew works of the Incunabula period, from before 1500. This rare group is especially valuable and prestigious, so much so that there was a book published recently based solely on the YU collection.

The most notable work in YU's collection is a valuable, fully illustrated, three volume Tanach with Rashi dating from 1489. This early edition of Rashi, handwritten and illustrated in full color, serves as an important marker for maintaining the historical accuracy of Rashi's words. Its historical significance is widely accepted in academic circles.

Clearly, not every book in the room is as rare as this Rashi manuscript. Pearl Berger, the Dean of Libraries at YU, explained what defines a book as "rare," and how a book makes its way into the collection - "there are many different factors that come into play when determining if a book is rare. Sometimes it's a very expensive book and sometimes only a few copies were printed. Perhaps it was owned by someone important who wrote his own notes in the margins." Berger added that, "Often a book can be important for purely emotional reasons."

Case in point: The collection houses a complete set of Shas printed in Shanghai after WWII. Though its relatively young age belies its place in the collection, the set is of extreme sentimental value to all who identify with the travails of the Mir Yeshiva during that period.

There are other significant works housed behind the great glass walls. There is an Incunabula printing of Tehillim that contains the first printing of Radak's commentary on the sefer. In addition, a "rare book" need not necessarily relate directly to Judaica as the presence of an early printing of a Walt Whitman essay, in the book room, attests.

Periodically, the Library digs into its rare book collection and exhibits its artifacts in the library. Currently there is an exhibit put together in conjunction with the YU Museum, on Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spector. Taken from the collection is a hand written manuscript edited by Rabbi Yisrael Salanter. The manuscript, which was later published in Tevunah, is the first Eastern European Torah journal. Thus, the texts of the Rare Book Collection offer an interesting glimpse behind the veil of history and into the early works of many rishonim and early achronim.

While YU's collection seems prestigious in its own right, it is small in comparison to the collection held by the Jewish Theological Seminary. JTS has the single largest and most prominent collection of religious manuscripts, incunabula and liturgy in the world. The archives of JTS, and even those of Yale, Cambridge, Hebrew University, and the New York Public Library far surpass YU's collection. Nevertheless, Seth Jerchower, who presides over the Special Collection at JTS, explained that while the collection of YU is clearly limited by its size, it does have some auxiliary benefits. He said the "focus" which the YU bookroom provides is "definitely noteworthy." Dean Berger explained that the emphasis is to "concentrate on acquiring books which we don't already have so as to add content. We are not looking to have the most first editions; it is not our goal."

How do students and scholars get into the YU archives? In order to use the rare book room one must first get special permission from the library staff. Then, a staff member retrieves the article from the shelves. No students are allowed into the archive room itself. After all this, the books are only used under the supervision of library staff. Generally, the collection is used by graduate students doing research in old and uncommon texts. Rabbi Shalom Carmy, an assistant professor of Bible at YU, explained that, as a Semicha student, he would often use it to check early editions against common printed versions of Tur or Bet Yosef. "When I started out," he said, "Sforno on Iyyov was only available in old Mikraot Gedolot. Now it's printed upstairs."

Rabbi Allen Schwartz echoed R' Carmy's experiences. "When I was in graduate school," he said, "I found very helpful materials up on the fourth floor. I made particular use of a Rishon which, to this day, is still unpublished and just sitting there." Rabbi Schwartz hopes that students will be given greater access to the research archives: "If students could just see the plethora of works there, we would surely publish some very important articles."

Clearly there is more work to be done, but in its present state the Collection of Rare Books and Manuscripts is a tribute to the university. It brings prestige to the university both in academic and Judaic circles. YU scholars cite the archive as an invaluable research tool, which allows them to verify important historical and Halakhic texts. The rare book room, though known to and utilized by few, is an evident source of pride for the university. Although many are only irritated when the elevator stops on the fourth floor, perhaps if they took the time to briefly consider what is actually there, they might be amazed.