Bidspirit auction | Pekudat Elazar, by R. Rafael

Pekudat Elazar, by R. Rafael Elazar Ben Tovo, disciple and successor of the Tzuf Devash, two parts, Jerusalem 1887 — copy of the Av Beit Din of Benghazi, Libya - Sefer Pekudat Elazar, two parts By the disciple and successor of Rabbi David Ben Shimon, known as the Devash, Rabbi Rafael Elazar Ha-Levi Ben Tovo, head of the Western community Jerusalem, 1887–1892 “Sefer Pekudat Elazar — First Part on Orach Chayim..., by the wondrous rabbi, our teacher Rabbi Rafael Elazar Ha-Levi Ben Tovo. Woe unto us for our calamity, for the Ark of God has been taken. O Merciful Father, be gracious upon his offspring: the son Yaakov, the daughter Rivka. Printed by his descendants, the publishers and proofreaders Shemuel Rafael Buḥbut and Avraham Abikhazir.” Jerusalem — the printing house of Shemuel Ha-Levi Zuckerman and Partners. 130 leaves. The author was born in Rabat, ascended to Jerusalem in 1857 together with his teacher, Rabbi David Ben Shimon (the Devash), and passed away there on the 22nd of Adar I, 1886. He was among the founders of the Western community and served as Av Beit Din of his community after the passing of his teacher, Rabbi David Ben Shimon. Approbations of Rabbi Rafael Meir Panizil and his [relative by marriage] Rabbi Yaakov Sha’ul Elyashar, the Yish”a Berakhah. Afterwards were printed the introduction of the proofreaders and the Hespeda Yekara for the departed author, by Rabbi Naḥman Batito, likewise among the rabbis of the Western community and a disciple of the Devash. Ownership: On the title page of Part I: Owner: Rabbi Aharon Romani, may his light shine, Amen. On the other sude of the title page is printed a gift inscription: “This is the law of the offering that goes before the exalted one, for light is good, ” and in manuscript: “The wondrous rabbi, the distinguished judge, servant in holiness, our teacher Rabbi Aharon Romani.” Rabbi Aharon Romani was the chief rabbi of the community of Benghazi in Libya, mentioned with great honor by his contemporary Rabbi Ḥayyim Ha-Kohen of Djerba. On the other sude of the title page of Part II is printed a gift inscription: “This is the law of the offering that goes before the exalted one, for light is good, ” and in manuscript: “Signed Baruch Ha-Levi, may he be guarded and preserved, to the exalted sage, the noble and generous lover of Torah and its learners, the holy congregation of Israel, our teacher Rabbi Siman Shalom Ha-Levi, may the memory of the righteous be a blessing.” Rabbi David Ben Shimon, known as “Tzuf DevaSh, ” was born in Rabat, Morocco, in 1824. At a young age he was surrounded by many disciples, teaching Torah and expanding the bounds of holiness in his city. In 1854, at age twenty-eight, he left all his honor in Morocco and ascended to cherish the Holy Land, to which his longing clung all his life, and most of his written Torah concerns its matters. He was joined by dozens of families of his disciples, among them Rabbi Yaakov Bibas, author of Sha‘arei Torah and She’erit Yaakov, and Rabbi Elazar Ben Tovo, author of Pekudat Elazar. In Jerusalem he found the Western community in a state of poverty, destitution, and want. He organized the Western community and established an independent congregation, separate from the Sephardi community council of Jerusalem. He built synagogues and founded institutions in the Old City, and he personally sent emissaries to the Maghreb communities to raise funds for the community at large, and for his principal purpose — establishing the first neighborhood outside the city walls for the welfare of the Western Jews. He became known for his care for orphans and widows, many of whom found shelter in his home. In 1866 he established the neighborhood “Maḥaneh Yisrael, ” the second neighborhood outside the walls of Jerusalem, all its houses designated for the poor of the Western community. He was in contact with Sir Moses Montefiore, who assisted the Western community at his request. He became renowned as a worker of salvation and a holy man, and many flocked to him to receive his blessing. His Torah teachings are cited by the Sdei Ḥemed, the Ben Ish Ḥai, and Rabbi Ḥayyim Palagi. He passed away on the 18th of Kislev, 1879, at the age of fifty-three, and was buried on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. His successor as rabbi of the Western community was Rabbi Rafael Elazar Ben Tovo.