No longer able to resist the influence of the Enlightenment, the Jews of Europe began in the late eighteenth century to debate the appropriate role of science in their religion and society. Although the Hasidim maintained the stance that classical science was heresy and that classical scientific texts should not be translated into Hebrew, a strong opposition, led by Rabbi Hagaon from Vilna, steadily gained influence. Rabbi Hagaon urged one of his disciples, Baruch from Schklow, to choose the most effective book on general science, but one that would not be too controversial, and translate it into Hebrew. Euclid's Elements, arguably the most widely read and influential classical scientific work, was the natural choice.

Some of the most interesting features of the work include the apologies at the beginning which attempt to justify the translation of a forbidden book into the holy language, and the language that had to be specially created, or adopted from the Bible, to accommodate the mathematical terminology.

First Hebrew translation of Euclid's Elements. With the three folding mathematical plates in facsimile, as usual, since orthodox readers, studying in hiding, used to tear them off lest they be accused of reading forbidden literature. Institutional stamps on title. Text unusually clean and crisp. Rare.