Bidspirit auction | Manuscript Volume – Halachic Rulings,

Manuscript Volume – Halachic Rulings, Responsa and Ordinances – Hundreds of Pages Handwritten by the Yaavetz – Autographs and Signatures of Contemporary Dayanim of Fez and Meknes, Including Rabbi Yehudah ibn Attar, Rabbi Moshe Toledano, the Mashbir, Rabbi Yaakov Toledano, the Marbitz and Others – 18th Century - Volume of manuscripts, halachic rulings, letters, responsa and ordinances – hundreds of pages handwritten by R. Yaakov Abensour – the Yaavetz, who signed his name in dozens of places, with dozens of autographs (handwritten material and signatures) of leading contemporary dayanim of Fez and Meknes, and others. [Fez, Meknes and other cities in Morocco, first half of 18th century]. The present volume is one of the anthologies compiled by R. Refael Abensour (the last), Rabbi of Fez, from his ancestral collection. The majority of the volume is handwritten by his grandfather R. Yaakov Abensour – the Yaavetz, while part of it comprises letters addressed to him by leaders of his generation, as well as halachic rulings and ordinances signed by the Yaavetz, members of his Beit Din in Fez, and leading rabbis of Meknes who served as his fellow dayanim during his stay there. The leaves contain copyings handwritten by the Yaavetz, of rulings and responsa he wrote, some of which are arranged by topic (e.g. laws of partnerships, yibum, etc.). The earliest rulings copied by the Yaavetz here are dated 1697 and 1709, and later from the 1720s, 1730s and 1740s. In addition, the volume includes original letters and rulings written and signed in the 1710s-1740s. The earliest one is a letter addressed to R. Moshe Toledano and his brother R. Chaviv Toledano in 1712, handwritten by the Yaavetz and signed by R. Yehudah ibn Attar, the Yaavetz, R. Shmuel HaTzarfati and R. Avraham ibn Danan. Early rulings include: one handwritten and signed by the Yaavetz in Meknes, 1724; and another one from 1727 where he signs alongside the Mashbir; and more. The volume also includes autographs of the leading rabbis of Morocco in that generation – letters and halachic rulings handwritten and signed by: R. Yehudah ibn Attar (the first), R. Moshe Toledano, R. Chaviv Toledano, R. Moshe Berdugo – the Mashbir, R. Chaim Toledano – Maharchat, R. Yaakov Toledano – Maharit, R. Mordechai Berdugo – the Marbitz, R. Moshe Adahan, R. Shalom Edre'i, R. Avraham ibn Danan, R. Shmuel Elbaz, R. Shmuel HaTzarfati, R. Shlomo Abudarham, R. Yaakov son of Yosef ibn Malka, R. Yehudah son of R. Reuven Abensour (brother of the Yaavetz), R. Refael Oved Abensour (son of the Yaavetz), R. Eliyahu HaTzarfati, R. Matitiah Serero, R. Shlomo Tapiero, R. Efraim Monsonego and others. [382] leaves (including several blank leaves – outer wrappers of some letters). Varying size; maximum size: approx. 20 cm. Varying condition of leaves, overall fair-good condition. Stains (including dampstains; traces of mold on several leaves). Wear, worming, tears and open tears, affecting text in several places. Detached leaves and gatherings. Placed in new binding with matching case. Provenance: 1. The Abensour Family Collection, Fez, Morocco. 2. The Victor Klagsbald Collection – Morocco, no. 37. Reference: Victor Klagsbald, Catalogue des manuscrits marocains de la collection Klagsbald, Paris, 1980, pp. 77-82. Manuscript Collection of Moroccan Rabbis – The Abensour Family In the 1960s, the Klagsbald collection was supplemented by a particularly important collection – the manuscripts of the Abensour (Ibn Tzur) family of Fez. The collection contains many volumes comprising halachic rulings and correspondence of leading Moroccan rabbis, centering around the figure of R. Yaakov Abensour, the Yaavetz, a leading Moroccan Torah scholar and Rabbi of Fez, and an ancestor of the family. The collection was painstakingly assembled by R. Refael Abensour the youngest (see below) and was held in its entirety by the Abensour family in Fez until its purchase by Victor Klagsbald. This collection is of inestimable importance as an immense and rare compilation of the Torah teachings and halachic rulings of generations of Moroccan rabbis, kept in its entirety over many generations. Many parts of this collection have yet to be studied and published. Furthermore, the present collection preserves an unparalleled, comprehensive assemblage of autograph manuscripts – handwritten by the leading rabbis of Morocco, with their unique, calligraphic signatures. R. Yaakov Abensour – the Yaavetz The centerpiece of the collection is comprised of numerous halachic rulings and autographs by R. Yaakov Abensour, the Yaavetz (1673-1752; Malchei Rabanan, pp. 64-65), a most prominent and illustrious figure of Moroccan Jewry. A leading halachic authority of his generation (the generation of the holy Or HaChaim and his teachers), a poet and a kabbalist, also well versed in practical kabbalah. At the age of twenty, he was appointed scribe of the Beit Din of R. Vidal HaTzarfati, R. Menachem Serero and R.