Bidspirit auction | Manuscript of Communal Ordinances and

Manuscript of Communal Ordinances and Rabbinic Rulings of the Sages of the Maghreb – Morocco, 18th Century. - Before us is an important manuscript collection preserving the halachic rulings and communal customs of Moroccan Jewry from the 16th through 18th centuries. The manuscript was written by several scribes in fluent Western Sephardic script, characteristic of the region and period. Included within the volume are numerous ordinances enacted in Fez during the years of the Shin decade (late 16th century), following the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain. These enactments laid the spiritual and social foundations for the community of Spanish exiles in Morocco (the Sephardic congregation of Fez). Among them appears the notable “Form of Agreement to Limit Jewelry, ” originally composed in Ladino (Judeo-Spanish). This enactment was designed to restrain excessive luxury in women’s dress and jewelry, motivated by ideals of modesty and the prevention of jealousy within the community. It is dated to the year 1605, in the early formative years of the Sephardic exile community in Fez. In the present manuscript are copied the signatures of towering rabbinic leaders and sages of Fez from the generations following the expulsion. Among those mentioned are: Rabbi Saadiah Ibn Revah, one of the leading rabbis of post-expulsion Fez; Rabbi Yitzchak Ibn Tzur, referred to by the copyist as “my master and grandfather”; Rabbi Shmuel Ibn Danan, among the elder rabbis of the expulsion generation and founders of the exiles’ ordinances; Rabbi Yaakov Hagiz; Rabbi Aharon Ibn Chaim; Rabbi Vidal HaTzarfati; Rabbi Yeshaya Bakish; and others. In the second portion of the manuscript appears an extensive and detailed corpus of ordinances and rabbinic rulings from the 18th century, bearing the signatures of the dayanim Rabbi Yehuda ben Attar, Rabbi Yaakov Ibn Tzur, Rabbi Shmuel HaTzarfati, and additional leading judges of Moroccan Jewry. A manuscript of major historical and halachic significance, illuminating the inner life, governance, and social order of one of the great Sephardic centers of the post-expulsion world. [112] written pages. According to the original foliation, several leaves are lacking. Condition: Fair overall. Stains, including water staining and dark discoloration. Wear and tears. Worming marks.