Auction 88 - Part I - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
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Collection of historic documents, including sales deeds, permits and official decrees issued by Ottoman and Muslim rulers, from restoration and building of the Hurva courtyard by the disciples of the Gaon of Vilna in the 19th century.
Original documents written and signed in Ottoman and Muslim courts, in Arabic and Turkish. The documents were written and granted during the negotiations conducted by the Ashkenazim, disciples of the Gaon of Vilna in Jerusalem, with the Arab creditors who were in possession of the Hurva courtyard, and document their efforts to regain control over the Hurva courtyard and obtain permits to rebuild the Hurva. At the foot of the documents or on the verso, inscriptions in Hebrew in Ashkenazic script, with a brief summary of the contents of the document.
The documents include:
• Document dated 1240 Hijri year (1824), attesting that the Hurva courtyard belongs to the Ashkenazim, signed by the Kadi and Mufti of Jerusalem; given to R. Menachem Mendel of Shklow, R. Yitzchak of Kovno and R. Shlomo Zalman Shapira. Hebrew inscriptions on verso in various hands.
• Copy of the document from 1240 Hijri (1824). Inscription on verso states that the leaf contains a copy of the document received from the Kadi and Mufti, attesting that the Hurva belongs to the Ashkenazim.
• Copy of the Kadi's court ruling, attesting that the Hurva is the property of the Ashkenazim, with an instruction from the "ruler of Egypt" to return the Hurva to the Ashkenazim. Dated 1240 Hijri (1824).
• Authorization from the Kadi in Jerusalem, addressed to the ruler of Egypt. Signed 1247 Hijri (1831).
• Other documents pertaining to Hurva courtyard, the cancellation of the Ashkenazim's debt to the Arabs, building permits, and more (1831-1888). For more details, see Hebrew description.
21 handwritten documents. Size and condition vary. Overall good condition.
Enclosed are photocopies of additional documents in Arabic and Hebrew, pertaining to the Hurva courtyard and the Etz Chaim yeshiva; as well as a collection of photographs of the ruins of the Etz Chaim yeshiva buildings in the Hurva courtyard, during the yeshiva deans' tour of the place after the Six Day War.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
Manuscript – emissary letter issued by Kollel Chabad in Hebron, given to the emissary R. Yitzchak son of R. Shlomo Ashkenazi, signed by the trustees of the Chabad community in Hebron, with the stamp of the Kollel. Hebron, [Tammuz] 1827.
Square and semi-cursive (Rashi) script. Some words enlarged for emphasis.
Personal appeal letter (with a blank space for the emissary to fill in the name of the philanthropist) to be used by the emissary R. Yitzchak Ashkenazi, on his fundraising mission in Iraq on behalf the Chabad community in Hebron.
The letter concludes with the signatures of the first three trustees of Kollel Chabad in Hebron: R. Tzvi Hirsh Lipschitz, R. Efraim Yoffe and R. Moshe Meisels; alongside the ink stamp of the Kollel.
In the letter, the rabbis of Kollel Chabad in Hebron describe the difficult financial state of the Chabad community in Hebron, due both to the dearth of funds from abroad and the extortion and persecution of the Hebron rulers. They appeal to assist the emissary R. Yitzchak Ashkenazi and grant their financial support.
R. Yitzchak son of Shlomo Ashkenazi was the first emissary of Kollel Chabad in Hebron to travel to Sephardic countries.
[1] leaf. Approx. 30.5 cm. Stains and wear. Creases and marginal tears. New binding and endpapers.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
Double leaf (two printed pages), proclamation by R. Shimon Menashe Chaikin, rabbi of the Hebron Ashkenazic community, regarding the dispute over the control of the Kollel Chabad funds in Eretz Israel; with letter in defense of R. Chaikin by the Sephardic rabbis of Hebron – R. Eliyahu Mani and R. Chaim Rachamim Yosef Franco. Hebron, [1888].
At the foot of the leaf, official ink stamps of the three rabbis of Hebron – R. Shimon Menashe Chaikin, R. Eliyahu Mani and R. Rachamim Yosef Franco.
The present proclamation relates to the dispute which arose between Chabad Chassidim in Jerusalem and those in Hebron, regarding the allocation of the funds sent to support the Chabad settlement in Eretz Israel, and the identity of the fund trustees in Europe and in Eretz Israel.
The second page contains a copying of a letter from the Mitteler Rebbe (written ca. 1822, when the Chabad community was founded in Hebron), in which the rebbe stresses the value of settling in Hebron, and encourages his Chassidim to support the Chabad settlement in Hebron.
R. Shimon Menashe Chaikin (ca. 1802-1893), head of the Ashkenazi Beit Din in Hebron and rabbi of the Chabad community in Hebron for half a century. A prominent Chassid of the Mitteler Rebbe and of the Tzemach Tzedek of Lubavitch.
[1] double leaf (2 printed pages). Approx. 28.5 cm. Good condition. Stains and wear. Tears and open tears, repaired with paper and tape on verso. With new binding and endpapers.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
Letter signed by the rabbis of Safed, R. Shmuel Heller (two signatures) and R. Refael Silberman. Safed, Shevat 1880.
Letter handwritten by R. Refael Silberman, and signed by R. Shmuel Heller and R. Refael Silberman. With additional line handwritten and signed by R. Shmuel Heller at the foot of the letter.
The letter was sent to the trustees of Kollel Austria, and discusses the amount allocated to the Kollel from the funds received from Amsterdam.
R. Shmuel Heller (1786-1884), leading Torah scholar and physician, rabbi of Safed for sixty years.
R. Refael Silberman (1839-1918), head of the Safed Beit Din (and later rabbi of the Ashkenazi community in Safed for over forty years).
[1] leaf. Approx. 22X10 cm. Good condition. Uneven bottom edge (bottom of leaf torn off, beneath letter). Stains and folding marks. Stamp, serial number in pen.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
Collection of letters and certificates signed by the rabbis of Safed and trustees of the communal institutions. Safed, ca. 1880s-1890s.
The items include:
• Beit Din ruling signed by R. Moshe of Rudnik, R. Refael Silberman and R. Yosef Aryeh son of R. Shlomo HaKohen. Safed, 1883.
• Letter of recommendation for a person travelling to Europe, addressed to R. Zalman Spitzer Rabbi of Vienna. Safed, 1884.
• Letter of receipt of donation signed by four trustees of Safed and four trustees of Tiberias. Safed, Iyar 1887.
• Envelope sent from the Vizhnitz court, inscribed by R. Moshe Brumer (scribe of the Tzemach Tzadik), addressed to the leader of Kollel Vizhnitz in Safed. With wax seals and postmarks from 1878.
• Other items.
9 paper items, including 7 letters with hand signatures. Size and condition vary.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
Large and varied collection of letters and documents, including some bearing the signatures of rabbis and prominent members of the Safed community. Safed, Tiberias, Jerusalem and other places, ca. 1870s-1930s.
Letters on communal matters and signed contracts, familial letters and wills, various notes and more.
See Hebrew description for more details.
49 paper items. Size and condition vary. Overall good condition.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
Assorted collection of letters and draft letters, receipts and documents, mostly pertaining to the communal institutions in Safed – letters from various writers and places: Safed, Vizhnitz, Radovitz, Livorno and Beirut. Ca. 1870s-1920s.
The collection includes much correspondence with Chassidic courts in Europe.
The collection includes: • Letters from R. Moshe Charag (Zeiger) of Safed and the trustees of the Safed Kollelim, to Rebbe Menachem Mendel, the Tzemach Tzadik of Vizhnitz, and to his attendant R. Moshe Brumer; to Rebbe Moshe of Kosov and his attendant R. Moshe Sak; and to various other people. • Letters sent from Vizhnitz to Safed, from R. Todros (Geiger) of Safed to his father-in-law R. Moshe Charag. • Letter from the emissary R. Itamar of Tiberias, to R. Moshe Charag, regarding fundraising in Italy, and the need to coordinate the fundraising with the emissary of the Sephardim. Livorno, 1873. • Printed receipts completed and signed by hand. • Signed letters and contracts regarding the aid committee of Kollel Bukovina, ca. 1923-1924. • Other letters and notes.
Most items are related to R. Moshe Charag (Zeiger; 1816-1909), a trustee of the Safed Kollelim and of the Tzemach Tzadik of Vizhnitz, on whose behalf he founded Kollel Vizhnitz in Safed and Tiberias; and to his grandson and successor R. Yosef Tzvi Geiger (1870-1944) of Safed, communal worker, scribe and artist.
Approx. 60 paper items. Size and condition vary. Most letters and documents are signed.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
Large collection of letters and financial records pertaining to Eretz Israel funds, send to Safed from the courts of the Vizhnitz rebbes in Europe. Ca. 1880s and 1920s.
• Many letters and notes (28 leaves) handwritten and signed by R. Moshe Brumer, scribe and attendant of the Tzemach Tzadik, Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Vizhnitz. Vizhnitz, 1880-1888.
• Nine letters handwritten and signed by R. Mendel Walzer, attendant of Rebbe Chaim Hager of Otynia (son of R. Baruch of Vizhnitz). Stanislav, ca. 1920s.
The first rebbe of Vizhnitz – R. Menachem Mendel Hager, author of Tzemach Tzadik (1830 – Tishrei 1884), was very active in collecting and raising funds on behalf of the poor of Safed and Tiberias, and in distributing Eretz Israel funds. With time, he founded Kollel Vizhnitz, and appointed R. Moshe Charag (Zeiger), a prominent member of the Chassidic community in Safed, to lead it.
His grandson Rebbe Chaim Hager (1863-1932), son of the Imrei Baruch, was appointed rebbe in Otynia after his father's passing, and he succeeded the latter as Nesi Eretz Israel, heading the fundraising for Kollel Bukovina. After WWI, he settled in Stanislav, and the present letters are from that period.
Approx. 38 paper items. Size and condition vary.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
Assorted collection of letters and documents, pertaining to communal matters in Safed. From various writers and places: Safed, Tiberias, Vizhnitz, Kosov, Radovitz, Czernowitz, Stanislav, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, and more – ca. 1860s-1930s.
The collection includes:
• Correspondence with the courts of rebbes in Europe, such as Rebbe Menachem Mendel, the Tzemach Tzadik of Vizhnitz; Rebbe Moshe of Kosov; Rebbe Chaim of Kosov; and more. • Printed receipts of Kollel Vizhnitz and printed letters sent from the Pekidim and Amarkalim in Amsterdam. • Notes of the charity funds in Safed. • And more.
48 paper items. Letters (some on postcards), notes, and more. Size and condition vary. Most bear hand signatures.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
Large collection of notebooks, leaves and receipts. Safed, ca. 1916-1943.
Notebooks with lists of the members of Kollel Kosov, for the Chalukah of the Vienna monies (funds collected in Galicia and Bukovina by the courts of the rebbes of Kosov and Otynia-Vizhnitz, and sent via Vienna); the Montefiore monies (funds from the Montefiore and Mazkeret Moshe foundations) and Deyzh monies (funds collected in Siebenbürgen by the rebbes of Deyzh).
Close writing, mostly in the neat hand of R. Yosef Tzvi Geiger, treasurer and trustee of the Kollel. The lists in these notebooks provide much information on the Safed Jewish community in the period following WWI, when the Jewish settlement in the city had declined considerably.
Additional leaves (large and small) containing various notes between the bound leaves of the notebooks; several printed receipts.
Approx. 10 notebooks + dozens of notes, handwritten singles leaves and printed receipts, altogether hundreds of written leaves. Size varies. Overall good condition.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
Lengthy letter (3 pages) of Torah thoughts, handwritten and signed by R. Moshe Yitzchak Segal, dean of the Manchester yeshiva. [Manchester, ca. 1920s].
Addressed to R. Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, rabbi of Jerusalem. Most the letter discusses the halachic question of using boilers on Shabbat. The beginning of the letter relates to charity funds sent from England to Eretz Israel.
R. Segal concludes by apologizing for troubling R. Kook with his question, explaining that since R. Kook left England, he is lacking a prominent rabbi to answer his questions.
R. Moshe Yitzchak HaLevi Segal (1881-1947), an outstanding Torah scholar and tzaddik, disciple of the Alter of Novardok. Founder of the Manchester yeshiva, which he headed for some 35 years. His son was R. Yehuda Ze'ev Segal, who succeeded him as dean of the Manchester yeshiva.
[1] double leaf (3 written pages; fourth page with return address). Approx. 18 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains. Filing holes, slightly affecting text.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.
Letter handwritten and signed by R. Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, chief rabbi of Eretz Israel, with the signatures of R. Abba Yaakov HaKohen Borochov and R. Isser Zalman Meltzer. Jerusalem, Sivan 1933.
The letter lists the ideas raised at a meeting convened to obtain sources of income for the Orthodox boys' schools in Jerusalem: to solicit donations from visitors at the Western Wall and Rachel's Tomb, and to require the Chevra Kaddisha to dedicate a third of their income to Orthodox education.
[1] leaf, official stationery of R. Kook. 27.5 cm. Fair condition. Stains and wear. Folding marks. Tears to folds, slightly affecting text.
PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.