‘No Person Shall Act Against the Resolutions of the Ma’amad’: Dynamics of Printing in the Amsterdam Sephardic Congregation in the Seventeenth Century

In the seventeenth century, the governing body of the Portuguese congregation (Ma’amad) monitored the publications of its members. Authors and printers had to obtain permission from the Ma’amad to print their works. Even the congregation’s most renowned rabbis had to navigate the delicate balance between the policy of the Ma’amad, their aspirations for intellectual or religious reflections, and their roles as spiritual leaders of the newly established congregation. The policy and regulations of the Ma’amad had a profound impact on printing and publishing in the seventeenth century and on congregational life in general. The policy on printing seems to have been based on a set of regulations, drafted in Haarlem in 1605, that in turn were influenced by Jewish lay leaders in Venice. The strict policy was a challenge for the rabbis, who had to touch base with the parnassim, the members of the Ma’amad, every step along their way to find a tolerated middle ground. This article will shed light on the dynamics at play in seventeenth-century Amsterdam Jewish book production. It will explore how the rabbis dealt with the tension between the knowledge that they wanted to gain, pass on, or publish and the perspective and authority of the parnassim. It will also look at printing and manuscript production as a powerful tool for the congregation’s leaders to visualize and strengthen Sephardic identity.