Bidspirit auction | Letter of appointment for the

Letter of appointment for the emissary Rabbi Yechezkel Eliezer Abulafia, bearing the signatures of the leading Rabbanim of Tiberias. Tiberias, 1827. “They smote us and took our money, and nothing remained to us besides our bodies and our holy land… and finally there intensified the disgrace of famine, the likes of which had never been, and indeed last year the locusts arose and utterly consumed all vegetation, and our eyes see and are consumed by the suffering of Torah scholars, orphans, and widows, and it is not within our power to save them.” Letter of appointment for the emissary Rabbi Yechezkel Eliezer Abulafia, departing to the cities of Italy on behalf of the community of Tiberias, to save the Torah scholars and poor of the city from debts and the disgrace of famine. Bearing the signatures of the city's sages. Tiberias, [1832]. [1] leaf, folded paper. Fine scribal writing. In the margins of the letter appear the ornate signatures of the sages of Tiberias: * Rabbi Yosef David Abulafia (the first) — son of Rabbi Yissachar Abulafia, son of HaGaon Rabbi Chaim Abulafia, renewer of the Jewish settlement in Tiberias. Served as Rav in Damascus and from there ascended to Tiberias. Went out as an emissary to Aleppo in 1817. Passed away in Tiberias in 1837. His approbation appears on the Sefer “Pe’as HaShulchan” by Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov. * Rabbi Aharon Elhadif — among the sages of Tiberias, signatory on approbations, emissary letters, and documents together with the leading sages of Tiberias. * Rabbi Yehudah Nechmad — among the leading sages of Tiberias and one of its foremost Rabbanim in his era. Born in Tiberias in 1761 and twice went out as an emissary on behalf of the Jewish settlement there. Passed away in 1847. * Rabbi Yissachar Abulafia — son of the above-mentioned Rabbi Yosef David. Among the sages of Tiberias. In 1870 he was chosen as Rav of the Sidon community and passed away there that same year. * Rabbi Avraham Ashkenazi — among the sages and Rabbanim of Tiberias. Went out as an emissary in 1818 and 1826. * Rabbi Chaim Shmuel HaKohen — known as Konverti . Among the leading sages of Tiberias in his generation. Born in Sofia in 1792, ascended to Tiberias, and after the earthquake of 1837 was among those who rebuilt the ruins. Went out several times as emissary of Tiberias to Turkey and Italy. Through his initiative, the great synagogue at the tomb of Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes was built. Passed away in Tiberias in 1873. * Rabbi Yosef ibn Gabai — among the sages of Tiberias. Went out as an emissary to Morocco in 1815. A responsum from his period of emissary work there was printed in the responsa “Mishpatim Tzaddikim.” * The emissary Rabbi Yechezkel Eliezer Abulafia (ca. 1773–1859) — among the leading sages of Tiberias, an emissary for the Ashkenazic and Sephardic communities of the city. Son-in-law of Rabbi Chaim Nissim Abulafia (Rabbi Chan”a), and son of the emissary of Tiberias to the cities of Turkey, Rabbi Michael Rafael Shabtai Abulafia, descendant of Rabbi Chaim Abulafia, renewer of the Jewish settlement in Tiberias. In Av 1827, he was sent from Tiberias to Italy. His letter of appointment, presented here, was brought by him to print in Livorno in order to distribute it among benefactors. This mission continued at least until 1835. In 1831, he brought to print in Livorno the Sefer “Ben HaMelech V'HaNazir” and added an introduction to it, and also wrote an approbation in Padua to the Sefarim of Rabbi Mordechai Shmuel Girondi. In 1838–1839, he served as an emissary to the cities of France. In his old age, he returned to Tiberias. At the head of the letter of appointment, the scribe left a blank space for the name of the community to which he would be sent. It was later filled in another handwriting: ”ווירצילי יע”א” (Italy). Stains and ink smudging, fold marks. Fair–good condition.