Auction 118 Part 2. Seforim, Kabbalah & Chassidut, Manuscripts & Rabbinical letters. Belongings of Tzadikim & Amulets
Dec 17, 2019
Israel
 3 Shatner Center 1st Floor Givat Shaul Jerusalem
The auction has ended

LOT 242:

Special Request by Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef Due to the Strained Relationship with Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Nissim

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Sold for: $300
Start price:
$ 300
Estimated price:
$500 - $600
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Special Request by Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef Due to the Strained Relationship with Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Nissim
Letter from Adar 1956, sent by British philanthropist Solomon David Sassoon, son of the famous Sassoon family, which was nicknamed "The Rothschilds of the Middle East" (who established a collection of manuscripts characterized in its time as the largest collection of Hebrew manuscripts in the world under private ownership). In the letter he sent to Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, Sassoon wrote: "About [your] trip, [you] wroteֲ some obscure wordsֲ in the margins of the page. I would request that [you] give a detailed elucidation, how and with what I can help in this matter, whether with the minister of religion, with whom I hold influence, or in another way. I am very interested that in any case his honor not leave Jerusalem, and with Hash-m's help, I will utilize all the options I can for this purpose ..."
Clarification: At the time, Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef's financial situation was dire. He was offered a position as a dayan in Petach Tikvah together with Rabbi Reuven Katz. Having no choice, he accepted the position, intending to move from Jerusalem to Petach Tikvah. His many followers in Jerusalem were shocked when they heard this, and pressured him not to leave. Among others, philanthropist David Sasson became involved, and in this letter, he implores Rabbi Ovadiah not to leave Jerusalem, and that he will concern himself with another financial arrangement for him.
On the back of the letter, Rabbi Ovadiah writes in his hand, "Please act immediately with the minister of religion, and all the more so with Chief Rabbi Nissim, as all is in his hands; he is the only opponent to my appointment as a dayan in Jerusalem. Time is pressing and on the first of May I have to travel from Jerusalem for work." (- That is, to serve as a dayan in Petch Tikvah.) And he signed: "Ovadiah."
Before us, then, is handwritten testimony by Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef - albeit by implication - of the tense relationship which prevailed, as is known, between Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Nissim and Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef.
Aerogram [2] pages 20x24 cm. Fine condition. Filing perforations. Fold marks. Tiny tears without blemish.


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