Bidspirit auction | Archive of Maran, the Rishon

Archive of Maran, the Rishon LeZion Rabbi Ovadia Yosef – Personal Documents, Lists, Drafts, Yeshiva Administration, Distribution Lists of His Books and Torah Novellae – Entirely in His Holy Handwriting - Archive of Maran, the Rishon LeZion Rabbi Ovadia Yosef – Personal Documents, Lists, Drafts, Yeshiva Administration, Distribution Lists for His Books and Torah Novellae – Entirely in His Holy Handwriting An important and diverse archive comprising personal documents, lists, drafts, financial records, plans for the distribution of his books, Torah teachings and novellae – all in the holy handwriting of Maran, the Rishon LeZion Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. The documents reflect his public, Torah and personal activities during the early years of his leadership and constitute an important primary source for the history of his life and endeavors. Draft Agreement for the Purchase of an Apartment – Entirely Handwritten and Signed by Maran, the Rishon LeZion Rabbi Ovadia Yosef A personal and unique document: a draft agreement for the sale of an apartment, composed and written entirely in the handwriting of Maran, the Rishon LeZion Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, and bearing his signature. The agreement was drawn up between Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and Mr. Shlomo Cohen, from whom the rabbi purchased an apartment. In the document, Rabbi Ovadia details the terms and procedure of the transaction: the transfer of the apartment, the purchase price, the payment schedule, the parties’ obligations, and additional provisions concerning completion of the sale. Numerous deletions, corrections, and additions appear throughout the page, indicating that this is the original working draft in which the rabbi personally formulated the agreement’s precise wording. The document is exceptionally significant. Generally, a private individual undertaking a real-estate transaction relies on an existing legal template or seeks the assistance of a lawyer or another professional. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, however, drew upon his extraordinary command of monetary law and of the various forms of acquisitions and agreements to draft the contract for the purchase of his own apartment, in accordance with halachic principles and with meticulous attention to the details of the transaction and the parties’ obligations. The document offers a rare glimpse into Rabbi Ovadia’s practical mastery of Choshen Mishpat and his ability to apply the principles of Jewish law to a detailed agreement concerning everyday life. The many deletions and corrections reflect his careful consideration and precision in drafting each clause, ensuring that the transaction would be clear and halachically valid. The agreement bears the signatures of both parties at the bottom: “O. Yosef, ” the signature of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, and “S. Cohen, ” the signature of the seller. A further clarification was subsequently added lower down on the page and was likewise signed by Mr. Shlomo Cohen. One sheet of graph paper, written on one side. Good condition. Fold marks, minor stains, and wear to the edges. Guest List for the Bar Mitzvah of His Son, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef A folded leaf, written on two pages, dating from the beginning of 1960, containing a numbered list of 173 guests invited to the Bar Mitzvah celebration of his eldest son, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef. The list includes dozens of leading Torah scholars, Roshei Yeshiva, dayanim, rabbis, students, relatives and acquaintances, among them: Rabbi Tzvi Pesach Frank, Rabbi Eliezer Yehudah Waldenberg, Rabbi Yosef Kapach, Rabbi Reuven Katz, Rabbi Shlomo Karelitz, Rabbi Eliyahu Pardes, Rabbi Amram Aburabia, Rabbi Ben-Zion Abba Shaul, Rabbi Yehoshua Sharabani, Rabbi Yitzchak Kolitz, Rabbi Yaakov Dweck, Rabbi Binyamin Gargi, and many others. In the margin, Maran wrote: “Invitations were sent for Yaakov’s Bar Mitzvah.” Administration of the “Or Torah” Yeshiva A leaf written on both sides. On one side, in Maran’s early Sephardic handwriting – the script he used in his youth – appears a detailed record of the income and expenses of the Or Torah Yeshiva. The income column records donations in Israeli pounds together with the names of the donors. Among them were some of Maran’s earliest students from Jerusalem’s Persian Jewish community, including Mulla Abba Naki, Levi Hezekiah, Menashe Naki, Yehudah Saidian, the Galkarov brothers, Naftali Yazdi, and others. Also recorded are donations collected at the Ahavah VeAchvah Yeshiva in Cairo by Rabbi Azaria Cohen, a tangible reminder of Maran’s years of service as Av Beit Din in Cairo from 1947–1950. Among the expenses recorded is: “Share of the expenses for the memorial service of Rabbi Yaakov Ades, of blessed memory, at the Shaul Tzedakah Synagogue…” On the same leaf appears a later entry in Maran’s familiar handwriting: “I received from R. Yaakov Dweck 380 Israeli pounds today, 15 Av 5724, for Or Torah.” The Or Torah Yeshiva was founded in 1954 at Maran’s initiative, when he was only thirty-four years old,