Auction 62 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
- (-) Remove manuscript filter manuscript
- (-) Remove persian filter persian
- (iraq (5) Apply (iraq filter
- and (5) Apply and filter
- babylonian (5) Apply babylonian filter
- book (5) Apply book filter
- books, (5) Apply books, filter
- document (5) Apply document filter
- iraq (5) Apply iraq filter
- jewri (5) Apply jewri filter
- kurdistan (5) Apply kurdistan filter
- kurdistan) (5) Apply kurdistan) filter
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5
Auction 62 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
August 28, 2018
Opening: $600
Sold for: $1,375
Including buyer's premium
Collection of important documents including: early Ketubot from the 19th-20th centuries, documents, Shiviti leaves and amulets which were pasted into a volume of Rav Pe'alim, recovered in 1970 from the library of the Meir Taweig Synagogue in Baghdad.
The documents and leaves were collected and pasted into the book by Chacham Salman Dabby, the last beadle of the Meir Taweig synagogue in Baghdad, ca. 1948-1970. Salman Dabby immigrated to Eretz Israel after the community disintegrated following the Six Day War, succeeding in bringing with him to Eretz Israel a collection of books from the immense library of the synagogue (which he claimed contained some quarter of a million books, many documents and dozens of Torah scrolls – see below). He habitually saved and pasted various documents, printed items and manuscripts in the books.
We have here one of those books, in which were pasted particularly important documents (see also following item). On many of these documents, Salman Dabby added a handwritten inscription: "Brought it, the lowly Salman Eliyahu Binyamin Daniel Dabby from the Meir Taweig synagogue".
This volume contains amongst others:
· Responsa Rav Pe'alim, part I, by R. Yosef Chaim, the Ben Ish Chai. Jerusalem, [1901]. First edition. Title page printed with golden ink. Signatures and many inscriptions by Salman Dabby, with memorial inscriptions for his father and other relatives, and inscription attesting the book's provenance from the Meir Taweig [synagogue] library. An additional signature appears on the title page: "the young Yaakov son of R. Elisha Nissim".
· Handwritten Ketubah, for the marriage of the groom Tzalach Nachum Yitzchak Aharon. Baghdad, Tamuz 1834. Neat, calligraphic script. Decorated with a border made from colored strips of paper. Signed by the witnesses: "Mordechai son of R. Sasson" (R. Mordechai Shanduch [d. 1852], was the eldest son of R. Sasson Shanduch author of Kol Sasson); "the young Mordechai son of R. Yitzchak Shamash". (In the Sassoon manuscript no. 467, an additional Ketubah signed by these two witnesses appears, dated Cheshvan 1833). Inscription on the verso of the Ketubah, with colored floral ornaments.
· Handwritten Ketubah, for the marriage of the groom David Eliyahu Mordechai Yaakov Yaakov Faraj, with the bride Tzlacha daughter of (the abovementioned) Tzalach Nachum Yitzchak Aharon. Baghdad, Adar II, 1853. In neat calligraphic script. Decorated with a border of colored strips of paper. Signed by the witnesses: "the young Shimon son of Moshe son of R. Sasson"; "the young Mordechai son of R. Yitzchak Shamash".
· Handwritten document, transferring property from the ownership of (the abovementioned) Tzalach Nachum Yitzchak Aharon to his daughter the bride Farcha. Signed by the witnesses: "the young Yechezkel Mordechai Bazoom"; "the young Ezra Rachamim Chaim Shlomo Moshe Gurgi". Baghdad, Kislev 1852.
· Handwritten document, concerning the widow of Tzalach Eliyahu Yaakov, and her daughter-in-law Farcha daughter of Tzalach Nachum Yitzchak (abovementioned), signed by five witnesses and dayanim, including the dayanim: "the young Ovadia Avraham HaLevi", "the young Nissim Aharon Eliya Kohen", "the young Sasson Eliyahu son of R. Moshe Moshe HaLevi". Baghdad, Kislev 1858.
· Handwritten document, regarding the inheritance of Eliyahu Mordechai Yaakov (father-in-law of Tzlacha, daughter of the abovementioned Tzalach Nachum Yitzchak Aharon). Signed by the three (aforementioned) dayanim of the Beit Din: "the young Ovadia Avraham HaLevi", "the young Nissim Aharon Eliya Kohen", "the young Sasson Eliyahu son of R. Moshe Moshe HaLevi". Baghdad, Tamuz 1868.
· Pasted onto p. 29a is a printed document completed by hand: Document authorizing the relay of a Get (divorce document), with the handwritten signatures of five witnesses and dayanim, including the dayanim: "the young Salman Chogi Aboudi"; R. "Yehoshua Moshe Yechezkel" and "the young Refael Yitzchak Chaim". Baghdad, Tamuz 1938.
· On the back endpaper – a handwritten divorce document (Stam script). Baghdad, Sivan 1938.
· Draft memorandum by Salman Dabby, written after he reached Eretz Israel ca. 1970, containing a plan of action for retrieving the property of the Jewish communities in Iraq in those days (interesting historic documentation): "…to rescue the Torah scrolls and all holy items in Baghdad. The books are located: 1) in the Meir Taweig synagogue, (there are some quarter of a million early books, 16 Torah scrolls in silver mounted cases, 19 Torah scrolls in cases mounted with part silver – everything was ready to be sent to London by the community. 2) in Basra 170 Torah scrolls. 3) In the Iraqi Governmental Museum 370 Torah scrolls. 4) in the Masouda Shem Tov synagogue, approximately 100 Torah scrolls…". (It is noteworthy that most of the abovementioned Jewish property was stolen and lost during Saddam Hussein's rule of Iraq. Small parts of these libraries were salvaged by soldiers of the United States Army during the 2003 invasion, approximately 30 years after this memorandum was written). Later in the memorandum, Salman Dabby describes the positions he held in Baghdad prior his immigration to Eretz Israel: "I was for 22 years the mohel, chazan, shochet, toke'a and I was one of the leaders of the community and a religious authority".
Rav Pe'alim volume: 31 cm. Original binding, damaged. Various documents of varying size and condition (some folded), good to fair.
The documents and leaves were collected and pasted into the book by Chacham Salman Dabby, the last beadle of the Meir Taweig synagogue in Baghdad, ca. 1948-1970. Salman Dabby immigrated to Eretz Israel after the community disintegrated following the Six Day War, succeeding in bringing with him to Eretz Israel a collection of books from the immense library of the synagogue (which he claimed contained some quarter of a million books, many documents and dozens of Torah scrolls – see below). He habitually saved and pasted various documents, printed items and manuscripts in the books.
We have here one of those books, in which were pasted particularly important documents (see also following item). On many of these documents, Salman Dabby added a handwritten inscription: "Brought it, the lowly Salman Eliyahu Binyamin Daniel Dabby from the Meir Taweig synagogue".
This volume contains amongst others:
· Responsa Rav Pe'alim, part I, by R. Yosef Chaim, the Ben Ish Chai. Jerusalem, [1901]. First edition. Title page printed with golden ink. Signatures and many inscriptions by Salman Dabby, with memorial inscriptions for his father and other relatives, and inscription attesting the book's provenance from the Meir Taweig [synagogue] library. An additional signature appears on the title page: "the young Yaakov son of R. Elisha Nissim".
· Handwritten Ketubah, for the marriage of the groom Tzalach Nachum Yitzchak Aharon. Baghdad, Tamuz 1834. Neat, calligraphic script. Decorated with a border made from colored strips of paper. Signed by the witnesses: "Mordechai son of R. Sasson" (R. Mordechai Shanduch [d. 1852], was the eldest son of R. Sasson Shanduch author of Kol Sasson); "the young Mordechai son of R. Yitzchak Shamash". (In the Sassoon manuscript no. 467, an additional Ketubah signed by these two witnesses appears, dated Cheshvan 1833). Inscription on the verso of the Ketubah, with colored floral ornaments.
· Handwritten Ketubah, for the marriage of the groom David Eliyahu Mordechai Yaakov Yaakov Faraj, with the bride Tzlacha daughter of (the abovementioned) Tzalach Nachum Yitzchak Aharon. Baghdad, Adar II, 1853. In neat calligraphic script. Decorated with a border of colored strips of paper. Signed by the witnesses: "the young Shimon son of Moshe son of R. Sasson"; "the young Mordechai son of R. Yitzchak Shamash".
· Handwritten document, transferring property from the ownership of (the abovementioned) Tzalach Nachum Yitzchak Aharon to his daughter the bride Farcha. Signed by the witnesses: "the young Yechezkel Mordechai Bazoom"; "the young Ezra Rachamim Chaim Shlomo Moshe Gurgi". Baghdad, Kislev 1852.
· Handwritten document, concerning the widow of Tzalach Eliyahu Yaakov, and her daughter-in-law Farcha daughter of Tzalach Nachum Yitzchak (abovementioned), signed by five witnesses and dayanim, including the dayanim: "the young Ovadia Avraham HaLevi", "the young Nissim Aharon Eliya Kohen", "the young Sasson Eliyahu son of R. Moshe Moshe HaLevi". Baghdad, Kislev 1858.
· Handwritten document, regarding the inheritance of Eliyahu Mordechai Yaakov (father-in-law of Tzlacha, daughter of the abovementioned Tzalach Nachum Yitzchak Aharon). Signed by the three (aforementioned) dayanim of the Beit Din: "the young Ovadia Avraham HaLevi", "the young Nissim Aharon Eliya Kohen", "the young Sasson Eliyahu son of R. Moshe Moshe HaLevi". Baghdad, Tamuz 1868.
· Pasted onto p. 29a is a printed document completed by hand: Document authorizing the relay of a Get (divorce document), with the handwritten signatures of five witnesses and dayanim, including the dayanim: "the young Salman Chogi Aboudi"; R. "Yehoshua Moshe Yechezkel" and "the young Refael Yitzchak Chaim". Baghdad, Tamuz 1938.
· On the back endpaper – a handwritten divorce document (Stam script). Baghdad, Sivan 1938.
· Draft memorandum by Salman Dabby, written after he reached Eretz Israel ca. 1970, containing a plan of action for retrieving the property of the Jewish communities in Iraq in those days (interesting historic documentation): "…to rescue the Torah scrolls and all holy items in Baghdad. The books are located: 1) in the Meir Taweig synagogue, (there are some quarter of a million early books, 16 Torah scrolls in silver mounted cases, 19 Torah scrolls in cases mounted with part silver – everything was ready to be sent to London by the community. 2) in Basra 170 Torah scrolls. 3) In the Iraqi Governmental Museum 370 Torah scrolls. 4) in the Masouda Shem Tov synagogue, approximately 100 Torah scrolls…". (It is noteworthy that most of the abovementioned Jewish property was stolen and lost during Saddam Hussein's rule of Iraq. Small parts of these libraries were salvaged by soldiers of the United States Army during the 2003 invasion, approximately 30 years after this memorandum was written). Later in the memorandum, Salman Dabby describes the positions he held in Baghdad prior his immigration to Eretz Israel: "I was for 22 years the mohel, chazan, shochet, toke'a and I was one of the leaders of the community and a religious authority".
Rav Pe'alim volume: 31 cm. Original binding, damaged. Various documents of varying size and condition (some folded), good to fair.
Category
Babylonian and Persian Jewry (Iraq and Kurdistan) - Books, Manuscripts and Documents
Catalogue
Auction 62 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
August 28, 2018
Opening: $1,000
Sold for: $4,750
Including buyer's premium
Large and diverse collection of over 100 books and booklets (including dozens of books and booklets printed in Baghdad), printed and handwritten calendars, sketches of Shiviti and amulets, many lists and documents, photographs and pictures – from the archive of Chacham Salman Dabby, who served in various religious positions and as beadle of the Meir Taweig synagogue in Baghdad, ca. 1948-1970.
The Meir Taweig synagogue was built in 1946 in the Al-Bataween neighborhood south of Baghdad, and for approximately twenty years was the only synagogue active in Baghdad (after the immigration of most of Iraqi Jewry to Eretz Israel in the beginning of the 1950s). After the Six Day War, the remaining small community disintegrated totally, and its last members immigrated then to Eretz Israel (in the whole of Iraq, less than 400 Jews were left). Chacham Salman Dabby (ca. 1904-Tevet 10, 1987), served for 22 years as beadle and cantor of the Meir Taweig synagogue, and was one of the leaders of the community. He also served as shochet and mohel. In ca. 1970, he immigrated to Eretz Israel and settled in Holon, where he aided the establishment of a synagogue for Iraqi Jews. With his departure from Iraq, he succeeded in salvaging books and documents, some of them from the immense library of the Meir Taweig synagogue (which he claimed contained some quarter of a million books, many documents and dozens of Torah scrolls – see previous item). He habitually conserved and pasted in those books various documents, printed items and manuscripts (which were thus rescued from oblivion in Baghdad). In Holon he continued this practice, of saving various leaves and documents by pasting them into his books. In one of the books he pasted his Army Service certificate from 1941 (this certificate also served as passport). All the books contain many signatures and inscriptions in his handwriting, memorials of deceased relatives and various notes. In many places he signs with his full signature: "the young Salman Eliyahu Binyamin Daniel Dabby" (Salman son of Eliyahu son of Binyamin son of Daniel Dabby – following the style of signature of Iraqi Jews, who refer to their ancestors in their signature).
Partial description of books from the collection:
· Volume of Mikraot Gedolot, Ketuvim [Venice, 1617-1619]. Lacking title page. With inscriptions and notes from various periods. At the end of Mishlei [before p. 767a], a document appears signed by 28 rabbis and notables of the community, regarding the terms of the giving of a Torah scroll to the "Synagogue of the Midrash of the illustrious wealthy R. Yaakov Tzemach Nissim". Baghdad, Sivan 1862.
· Shulchan Aruch Even HaEzer. Lviv, 1876. The title page contains the handwritten ownership inscription and two signatures of the Kabbalist R. Shimon Agassi dated 1895. The great Torah scholar and Kabbalist R. Shimon Agassi (1852-1914) was a leading scholar of Iraq (after the Ben Ish Chai) and a foremost teacher of R. Yehuda Fatiyah – who writes about him and about the Ben Ish Chai in his preface to his book Beit Lechem Yehuda: "And behold, in our city of Baghdad we had two golden cherubs who sheltered the city from within and without, and they were our fortification and refuge on a day of wrath… and they with their merit and righteousness protected the city…".
· Volume of printed booklets and handwritten leaves, with the signatures of the Chief Rabbi Sasson Kachuri (Kaduri), who also signs: "the young Sasson Kachuri Yechezkel Ezra Shalom Gabriel Elia"; "the Shach"; "Shachen Tov". R. Sasson (Kachuri) Kaduri (1886-1971) was the Chief Rabbi and head of the Baghdad community. In 1920, he was appointed dayan in R. Yechezkel Eliyahu's Beit Din, and in 1923, head of the Beit Din. In 1927, he was officially appointed as Chacham Bashi (Chief Rabbi), position he held for over forty-five years.
· Tikunei Zohar, with the Kevod Melech commentary. Livorno, [1854]. A photograph is pasted at the end of the book, of Salman Dabby's meeting in 1976 with the President of Israel, Prof. Efraim Katzir.
· Daat Tevuna. Introduction to Kabbala, by R. Yosef Chaim, the Ben Ish Chai. Jerusalem, [1910].
· Various booklets in Hebrew and Judeo-Arabic (in Hebrew script), printed in Baghdad and other oriental countries, including calendars and prayer timetables, printed in Baghdad and Jerusalem between 1931-1982. (Two copies of a calendar for 1971-1972, printed in 1971 in Baghdad. With the picture of R. Sasson Kaduri, who passed away in 1971 – the second copy also contains the picture of the President of Iraq: Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr).
· Handwritten calendar for 1969-1970. With a dedication handwritten and signed by "the editor Yitzchak Ezra Abdallah": "I arranged this calendar in honor of my dear friend Ch. Salman Dabby".
Over 100 items. Varying size and condition.
The Meir Taweig synagogue was built in 1946 in the Al-Bataween neighborhood south of Baghdad, and for approximately twenty years was the only synagogue active in Baghdad (after the immigration of most of Iraqi Jewry to Eretz Israel in the beginning of the 1950s). After the Six Day War, the remaining small community disintegrated totally, and its last members immigrated then to Eretz Israel (in the whole of Iraq, less than 400 Jews were left). Chacham Salman Dabby (ca. 1904-Tevet 10, 1987), served for 22 years as beadle and cantor of the Meir Taweig synagogue, and was one of the leaders of the community. He also served as shochet and mohel. In ca. 1970, he immigrated to Eretz Israel and settled in Holon, where he aided the establishment of a synagogue for Iraqi Jews. With his departure from Iraq, he succeeded in salvaging books and documents, some of them from the immense library of the Meir Taweig synagogue (which he claimed contained some quarter of a million books, many documents and dozens of Torah scrolls – see previous item). He habitually conserved and pasted in those books various documents, printed items and manuscripts (which were thus rescued from oblivion in Baghdad). In Holon he continued this practice, of saving various leaves and documents by pasting them into his books. In one of the books he pasted his Army Service certificate from 1941 (this certificate also served as passport). All the books contain many signatures and inscriptions in his handwriting, memorials of deceased relatives and various notes. In many places he signs with his full signature: "the young Salman Eliyahu Binyamin Daniel Dabby" (Salman son of Eliyahu son of Binyamin son of Daniel Dabby – following the style of signature of Iraqi Jews, who refer to their ancestors in their signature).
Partial description of books from the collection:
· Volume of Mikraot Gedolot, Ketuvim [Venice, 1617-1619]. Lacking title page. With inscriptions and notes from various periods. At the end of Mishlei [before p. 767a], a document appears signed by 28 rabbis and notables of the community, regarding the terms of the giving of a Torah scroll to the "Synagogue of the Midrash of the illustrious wealthy R. Yaakov Tzemach Nissim". Baghdad, Sivan 1862.
· Shulchan Aruch Even HaEzer. Lviv, 1876. The title page contains the handwritten ownership inscription and two signatures of the Kabbalist R. Shimon Agassi dated 1895. The great Torah scholar and Kabbalist R. Shimon Agassi (1852-1914) was a leading scholar of Iraq (after the Ben Ish Chai) and a foremost teacher of R. Yehuda Fatiyah – who writes about him and about the Ben Ish Chai in his preface to his book Beit Lechem Yehuda: "And behold, in our city of Baghdad we had two golden cherubs who sheltered the city from within and without, and they were our fortification and refuge on a day of wrath… and they with their merit and righteousness protected the city…".
· Volume of printed booklets and handwritten leaves, with the signatures of the Chief Rabbi Sasson Kachuri (Kaduri), who also signs: "the young Sasson Kachuri Yechezkel Ezra Shalom Gabriel Elia"; "the Shach"; "Shachen Tov". R. Sasson (Kachuri) Kaduri (1886-1971) was the Chief Rabbi and head of the Baghdad community. In 1920, he was appointed dayan in R. Yechezkel Eliyahu's Beit Din, and in 1923, head of the Beit Din. In 1927, he was officially appointed as Chacham Bashi (Chief Rabbi), position he held for over forty-five years.
· Tikunei Zohar, with the Kevod Melech commentary. Livorno, [1854]. A photograph is pasted at the end of the book, of Salman Dabby's meeting in 1976 with the President of Israel, Prof. Efraim Katzir.
· Daat Tevuna. Introduction to Kabbala, by R. Yosef Chaim, the Ben Ish Chai. Jerusalem, [1910].
· Various booklets in Hebrew and Judeo-Arabic (in Hebrew script), printed in Baghdad and other oriental countries, including calendars and prayer timetables, printed in Baghdad and Jerusalem between 1931-1982. (Two copies of a calendar for 1971-1972, printed in 1971 in Baghdad. With the picture of R. Sasson Kaduri, who passed away in 1971 – the second copy also contains the picture of the President of Iraq: Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr).
· Handwritten calendar for 1969-1970. With a dedication handwritten and signed by "the editor Yitzchak Ezra Abdallah": "I arranged this calendar in honor of my dear friend Ch. Salman Dabby".
Over 100 items. Varying size and condition.
Category
Babylonian and Persian Jewry (Iraq and Kurdistan) - Books, Manuscripts and Documents
Catalogue
![Manuscript, Passover Haggadah, with Judeo-Arabic translation (Sharh), Iraqi-rite. [Baghdad? ca. 19th century]. Neat oriental](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale62-public/201_1.jpg "Manuscript – Passover Haggadah, with Judeo-Arabic Translation – Iraqi-")
![Manuscript, Passover Haggadah, with Judeo-Arabic translation (Sharh), Iraqi-rite. [Baghdad? ca. 19th century]. Neat oriental](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale62-public/201_2.jpg "Manuscript – Passover Haggadah, with Judeo-Arabic Translation – Iraqi-")
Auction 62 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
August 28, 2018
Opening: $300
Sold for: $938
Including buyer's premium
Manuscript, Passover Haggadah, with Judeo-Arabic translation (Sharh), Iraqi-rite. [Baghdad? ca. 19th century].
Neat oriental semi-cursive script, characteristic of Baghdadi Jews. The text of the Haggadah is followed by Judeo-Arabic translation, paragraph by paragraph.
On p. [5], the Simanim of the Seder "Kadesh URechatz" are written across the whole page. Enlarged initial words on all the pages. Decorated initial words on pp. [14] and [50]. The piyyut "Emunim Archu Shevach LaEl" by R. Aharon HaKohen appears on p. [38].
[61] pages. 15.5 cm. Good condition. Stains, wine-stains. Light wear. Tear to the top of the first leaf, affecting the owners' signature. Original binding, slightly damaged.
Neat oriental semi-cursive script, characteristic of Baghdadi Jews. The text of the Haggadah is followed by Judeo-Arabic translation, paragraph by paragraph.
On p. [5], the Simanim of the Seder "Kadesh URechatz" are written across the whole page. Enlarged initial words on all the pages. Decorated initial words on pp. [14] and [50]. The piyyut "Emunim Archu Shevach LaEl" by R. Aharon HaKohen appears on p. [38].
[61] pages. 15.5 cm. Good condition. Stains, wine-stains. Light wear. Tear to the top of the first leaf, affecting the owners' signature. Original binding, slightly damaged.
Category
Babylonian and Persian Jewry (Iraq and Kurdistan) - Books, Manuscripts and Documents
Catalogue
Auction 62 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
August 28, 2018
Opening: $300
Sold for: $813
Including buyer's premium
Gufei Halachot, Part Two of Halichot Eli, principles of the Talmud and novellae on the Talmud and Maimonides. By R. Shlomo Algazi. [Izmir, 1675. First edition. Missing title page and other leaves].
Signatures of Rabbi "Refael Yosef Shalom son of R. Abdalla son of R. Moshe Chaim" [a grandson of Chief Rabbi Moshe Chaim of Baghdad, and cousin of R. Yosef Chaim of Baghdad, the Ben Ish Chai, who was also a grandson of R. Moshe Chaim]. The margins contain scholarly glosses by three or four authors in Sephardic handwriting [all glosses are apparently from 18th century Turkish scholars]. On p. 44a, there is a joint gloss by two writers: a first gloss by one writer, debated by a second writer named Chaim, who signs: "Chaim speaks…" [this signature is typical of the way R. Chaim Moda'i, author of the Chaim L'Olam, would sign his glosses]. Signature of R. Moshe Chaim Weiss of Kisvárda (Kleinwardein), with a few glosses and inscriptions in his handwriting.
Attached inside the cover was a sheet of paper (which we detached), with a long and interesting letter in Hebrew and Ladino, handwritten and signed by R. Rachamim Chaim Moda'i [Safed, after 1794]. The letter is addressed to one of the sages of Izmir, requesting help concerning silverware and money deposited with Chacham Y. Molcho, and handled by Chacham Eliyahu Girasi. The letter goes on to mention the books Shaarei Tzedek and Lekutot HaRamban, which his grandfather published and are in the possession of Shlomo Arzi [R. Chaim Moda'i (1720-1794), author of "Chaim L'Olam", published the books Shaarei Tzedek and Lekutot HaRamban in Salonika in 1791-1792]. The author concludes the letter as follows: "These are the words of the one who pleads for him and for all that he has opposite the Tana Rashbi... Rachamim [Chaim] Moda'i".
R. Rachamim Chaim Moda'i was one of the sages and dayanim of Safed ca. 1810s-1820s. He served as emissary of Safed ca. 1820, and his name is mentioned in an agreement contract from the year 1821 signed by Sephardi and Ashkenazi sages. He served as dayan in the Safed beit din, and there is a signature from him as dayan together with R. Avraham Chaim Adadi and R. Aharon ben Shmuel dated 1820. He passed away ca. 1830, and his widow's name appears in the list of victims of the 1837 earthquake who fled to Sidon (Sefunot, vol. 6, p. 457).
His grandfather, the famous Torah scholar R. Chaim Moda'i (author of the Chaim L'Olam), was born in Safed ca. 1720. He went on a mission abroad in 1749, settled in Constantinople, and was one of the leading Torah scholars of Constantinople and Izmir. In 1793, he returned to Eretz Israel and settled in his native Safed, where he passed away in 1794. This letter was written from the city of Safed ("opposite the Tana Rashbi") after 1794, since the grandfather R. Chaim Moda'i is mentioned as deceased.
Incomplete copy. 2-48, 53-56, 61-108, 110-146, [1] leaves (missing 13 leaves. Originally 150 leaves). 21.5 cm. Fair-poor condition. Stains and extensive wear. On several leaves, tears and damage with loss. Detached leaves and loose binding. Some glosses are trimmed. Contemporary leather binding, worn and damaged.
+ Letter of R. Rachamim Chaim Moda'i: [1] leaf.
21 x 16 cm. Fair condition. Glue stains. Tears and damage, signature affected. Right margin of the page trimmed with loss of 3-4 letters at the beginning of each line.
Signatures of Rabbi "Refael Yosef Shalom son of R. Abdalla son of R. Moshe Chaim" [a grandson of Chief Rabbi Moshe Chaim of Baghdad, and cousin of R. Yosef Chaim of Baghdad, the Ben Ish Chai, who was also a grandson of R. Moshe Chaim]. The margins contain scholarly glosses by three or four authors in Sephardic handwriting [all glosses are apparently from 18th century Turkish scholars]. On p. 44a, there is a joint gloss by two writers: a first gloss by one writer, debated by a second writer named Chaim, who signs: "Chaim speaks…" [this signature is typical of the way R. Chaim Moda'i, author of the Chaim L'Olam, would sign his glosses]. Signature of R. Moshe Chaim Weiss of Kisvárda (Kleinwardein), with a few glosses and inscriptions in his handwriting.
Attached inside the cover was a sheet of paper (which we detached), with a long and interesting letter in Hebrew and Ladino, handwritten and signed by R. Rachamim Chaim Moda'i [Safed, after 1794]. The letter is addressed to one of the sages of Izmir, requesting help concerning silverware and money deposited with Chacham Y. Molcho, and handled by Chacham Eliyahu Girasi. The letter goes on to mention the books Shaarei Tzedek and Lekutot HaRamban, which his grandfather published and are in the possession of Shlomo Arzi [R. Chaim Moda'i (1720-1794), author of "Chaim L'Olam", published the books Shaarei Tzedek and Lekutot HaRamban in Salonika in 1791-1792]. The author concludes the letter as follows: "These are the words of the one who pleads for him and for all that he has opposite the Tana Rashbi... Rachamim [Chaim] Moda'i".
R. Rachamim Chaim Moda'i was one of the sages and dayanim of Safed ca. 1810s-1820s. He served as emissary of Safed ca. 1820, and his name is mentioned in an agreement contract from the year 1821 signed by Sephardi and Ashkenazi sages. He served as dayan in the Safed beit din, and there is a signature from him as dayan together with R. Avraham Chaim Adadi and R. Aharon ben Shmuel dated 1820. He passed away ca. 1830, and his widow's name appears in the list of victims of the 1837 earthquake who fled to Sidon (Sefunot, vol. 6, p. 457).
His grandfather, the famous Torah scholar R. Chaim Moda'i (author of the Chaim L'Olam), was born in Safed ca. 1720. He went on a mission abroad in 1749, settled in Constantinople, and was one of the leading Torah scholars of Constantinople and Izmir. In 1793, he returned to Eretz Israel and settled in his native Safed, where he passed away in 1794. This letter was written from the city of Safed ("opposite the Tana Rashbi") after 1794, since the grandfather R. Chaim Moda'i is mentioned as deceased.
Incomplete copy. 2-48, 53-56, 61-108, 110-146, [1] leaves (missing 13 leaves. Originally 150 leaves). 21.5 cm. Fair-poor condition. Stains and extensive wear. On several leaves, tears and damage with loss. Detached leaves and loose binding. Some glosses are trimmed. Contemporary leather binding, worn and damaged.
+ Letter of R. Rachamim Chaim Moda'i: [1] leaf.
21 x 16 cm. Fair condition. Glue stains. Tears and damage, signature affected. Right margin of the page trimmed with loss of 3-4 letters at the beginning of each line.
Category
Babylonian and Persian Jewry (Iraq and Kurdistan) - Books, Manuscripts and Documents
Catalogue
Auction 62 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
August 28, 2018
Opening: $800
Unsold
"Shiviti" sheet, for hanging on the wall of a synagogue, with a piyyut for Purim and the Megillah-reading blessings. [Persian Kurdistan, ca. beginning of the 20th century].
Ink and paint on paper.
Ornamented colored borders, with motifs of jugs, plants and flowers. The center of the upper part is occupied by a "LaMenatze'ach Menorah", surrounded by the inscription "Shiviti HaShem LeNegdi Tamid". On both sides of the Menorah, Holy Names and names of angels appear, together with Kabbalistic combinations against the Evil Eye.
The center of the leaf contains the piyyut "Tenu Shira… Yedidim Barchu…", sung by Kurdish Jews before the Megillah-reading. The piyyut is followed by the Megillah-reading blessings.
See similar sheets in Kedem, Auction 28 item 2 and Auction 40 item 5. The bibliographer and researcher Menashe Refael Lehman describes a similar sheet he acquired, which, he claims originates from Persia: "The piyyut Yedidim Barchu… was hitherto unknown. It was written on parchment sheets for Purim and illustrated in magnificent color with passages from the Megillah. I recently purchased such a sheet from an Arab merchant in the Old City in Jerusalem" (Sinai, issue 98, 1986, pp. 74-75).
35.5 X22 cm. Fair condition. Stains, folding marks. Minor open tears to the folding mark and margins, slightly affecting text, repaired. Inscription on the verso of the leaf.
See: Machanayim, issue 104 – 1966, p. 3; Exhibition Catalogue "Light and Shadow – The Story of Iranian Jews" (Beit HaTfutzot, the Museum of the Jewish People, Tel-Aviv, 2010), pp. 48-49; Erich Brauer, the Jews of Kurdistan, Jerusalem 1947, pp. 282-289.
Ink and paint on paper.
Ornamented colored borders, with motifs of jugs, plants and flowers. The center of the upper part is occupied by a "LaMenatze'ach Menorah", surrounded by the inscription "Shiviti HaShem LeNegdi Tamid". On both sides of the Menorah, Holy Names and names of angels appear, together with Kabbalistic combinations against the Evil Eye.
The center of the leaf contains the piyyut "Tenu Shira… Yedidim Barchu…", sung by Kurdish Jews before the Megillah-reading. The piyyut is followed by the Megillah-reading blessings.
See similar sheets in Kedem, Auction 28 item 2 and Auction 40 item 5. The bibliographer and researcher Menashe Refael Lehman describes a similar sheet he acquired, which, he claims originates from Persia: "The piyyut Yedidim Barchu… was hitherto unknown. It was written on parchment sheets for Purim and illustrated in magnificent color with passages from the Megillah. I recently purchased such a sheet from an Arab merchant in the Old City in Jerusalem" (Sinai, issue 98, 1986, pp. 74-75).
35.5 X22 cm. Fair condition. Stains, folding marks. Minor open tears to the folding mark and margins, slightly affecting text, repaired. Inscription on the verso of the leaf.
See: Machanayim, issue 104 – 1966, p. 3; Exhibition Catalogue "Light and Shadow – The Story of Iranian Jews" (Beit HaTfutzot, the Museum of the Jewish People, Tel-Aviv, 2010), pp. 48-49; Erich Brauer, the Jews of Kurdistan, Jerusalem 1947, pp. 282-289.
Category
Babylonian and Persian Jewry (Iraq and Kurdistan) - Books, Manuscripts and Documents
Catalogue