Handwritten halachic ruling, signed by the dayanim R. "Moshe David Ashkenazi here in Safed" and R. "Tzvi Aryeh son of R. Tuvia". [Safed], 1848.
The subject of the ruling is a litigation between neighbors regarding the borders of a courtyard in Safed, and building a staircase to a house in that courtyard.
R. Moshe David Ashkenazi, Rabbi of Tolcsva and Safed (1774-1856, Ishim BiTeshuvot HaChatam Sofer, p. 300), author of Toldot Adam and Be'er Sheva, was the father-in-law of the Yitav Lev of Sighet and father of R. Yoel Ashkenazi Rabbi of Zlotchov. The Rebbes of Satmar and Klausenburg were his descendants. At a young age he was appointed Rabbi of Tolcsva, a position he held for forty years. He moved to Safed in 1844 and was one of the founders of the Chassidic community in post-earthquake Safed. A short while after his immigration to Eretz Israel, he printed his book "Toldot Adam" in the printing press of R. Yisrael Bak in Jerusalem. He authored the book in his thirties and R. Yaakov of Lissa, author of the Chavat Daat, wrote in his approbation to the book: "The famous Torah scholar R. Moshe David… does not need me and my likes, but I honor his wish and cannot refuse a person greater than I". His home and Beit Midrash in Safed were restored by his grandson, the Rebbe of Klausenberg, and at present they house the Sanz institutions in Safed.
The second signatory: R. Tzvi Aryeh Ludmir (1799-1855), was rabbi of his hometown Ludmir (Volodymyr-Volynskyi). In 1834, he immigrated to Eretz Israel, settling in Safed as a hidden righteous man, concealing his learnedness and earning his living as a water-carrier. R. Avraham Dov of Ovruch and R. Shmuel Heller recognized his greatness in Torah and appointed him dayan in the Safed Beit Din. He was miraculously saved from the 1837 earthquake and invested much effort in rebuilding the city.
[1] leaf. 20X13.5 cm. Fair condition. Stains. Tears and wear, repaired and mounted on paper for preservation.