Manuscript leaf - the laws of theft in song, handwritten by Rabbi Yehuda son of Rabbi Avraham Kalatz of Tlemcen. Written on the verso of the last page of Sefer HaAruch, Venice 1553 edition. [Tlemcen, c. 1580].
"Rules of the laws of theft according to the Rambam, written in song…Yehuda son of Avraham Kalatz".
Four stanzas. At the beginning of each stanza appears a title with the content of the law. For example, the law of a returned stolen item, the law of a stolen item which was changed, etc.
Autograph of the writer - Rabbi Yehuda Kalatz the 3rd (died in Tlemcen in 1620). A prominent sage of Tlemcen, descendent of Rabbi Yehuda Kalatz, author of Sefer HaMussar and Magid Mishne on the laws of shechita, after the expulsion from Castile, he reached North Africa and settled in Tlemcen. He was also the grandson of Rabbi Avraham Gavishon, author of Omer HaShichecha. Disciple of Rabbi Shlomo Duran, author of Cheshek Shlomo and Tiferet Yisrael.
Rabbi Yehuda was a poet and writer, all his writings are on halachic topics and all are written in rhyme. His works are based on the Rambam's teachings because at that time, halacha in Tlemcen was decided according to the the Rambam. His great works titled Elef HaMagen contains the Rambam's rulings in song which illuminates the laws of Gittin (in the book Zechut Avot by Rabbi Avraham Koriyat. Livorno, 1817) and Shema Shlomo on the laws of terefot, in the book Zivchei Elokim (Tunis, 1904). This section on the laws of theft has apparently never seen print.
[See: S.Z. Havlin on the history of the Kalatz family Kiryat Sefer 49 (1974) pp. 643-656 and in the introduction at the beginning of the book Mesiach Ilmim (Jerusalem 1986) pp. 15-16].
[1] leaf, 28.5 cm. Fair condition. Restored damages to margins. The bottom right corner has significant damage to the text of the right lines of the last stanza of the poem.