The Sofer Collection

The Sofer Collection contains resources on the formation of the Mishnah, the Talmud, and other midrashic literature. Additionally, there are works about and by notable rabbis such as Rashi, Ibn Ezra, the Rambam, and the Ramban.

Alongside the religion and auction catalog sections, the historical section is one of the largest in the collection. The section features books on Jewish history from the Middle Ages to the World War II era. While most of the historical works focus on Europe and Palestine, diverse countries are represented in the collection.

The collection rounds out its record of Jewish culture with books depicting synagogues, Judaica, and various artistic and literary works related to Jewish faith and culture.

Benjamin Sofer was born of a respected Slovakian rabbinic family, the Chasam Sofer lineage, well known since the  eighteenth century. Sofer had extensive knowledge of Italian books and culture, the Soncino Bible Commentary, Hebrew bibliographies, Talmudic traditions, carpets and textiles, languages, and Jewish art.

Sofer used his knowledge to assist the prominent auction house Sotheby’s with opening an Israeli office. Throughout his life, Sofer purchased many years’ worth of Sotheby’s catalogs, now contained in the collection. In 2015, after Sofer’s death, Museum of the Bible became the collection’s caretaker, housing the collection’s 4,747 items at Oklahoma Christian University’s Beam Library.

Search the collection through the Beam Library's online catalog.

With special thanks to our partner, Oklahoma Christian University