Autographs of Jerusalem Sages on Contract with Rabbinical Emissary Rabbi Mordechai Meyuchas. Jerusalem, 1839
Deed of agreement signed by the great Sephardic sages of Jerusalem, three of whom served as ‘Rishon Letzion-Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, Israel. The deed was relayed to their rabbinical emissary Rabbi Mordechai Meyuchas prior to his departure on a mission to the western countries of Morocco, Gibraltar and Lishvona to fundraise on behalf of the destitute Jews of Eretz Yisrael.
The letter is signed by the following sages:
1. Rishon Letzion Rabbi Yonah Moshe Navon (d. 1841) was the grandson of Rabbi Yonah Navon, author of Nechpah Bakassef. He served as Rishon Letzion in Jerusalem from 1837 until his passing. His novellae were printed in his grandfather’s sefer Nechpah Bakassef Vol. 2.
2. Rishon Letzion Rabbi Yehuda Navon (d. 1845) was the son of Rabbi Refael Navon and grandson of Rabbi Yehuda Navon, author of Kiryas Melech Rav who was the son of the author of Machaneh Efraim. He succeeded Rabbi Yonah Moshe Navon as Rishon Letzion and filled the position until his passing. His famous work Degel Machaneh Efraim resolves many of the intricate questions posed on his grandfather’s landmark work Machaneh Efraim, although it remains unpublished.
3. Rabbi Yedidya Refael Abulafia (d. 1869) was renowned as ‘Harav HaYareh (the fearing rabbi)’. He was the prime disciple of Rabbi Avraham Shalom Mizrahi, author of Divrei Shalom, and the revered teacher of numerous Ashkenazic kabbalists in Jerusalem, among them the Imrei Binah and Maharil Loewy.
4. Rishon Letzion Rabbi Refael Meir Fenjal (1804-1893) numbered among the illustrious sages of Jerusalem. He authored Lev Marpeh and served as Rishon Letzion from 1880 until his passing.
5. Rabbi Mordechai Chaim Meyuchas was the descendant of Rabbi Meyuchas ben Rabbi Shmuel, author of Pri Ha’Adamah. As one of the venerable chachamim sages of Yeshivat Chaim Vachessed, he embarked upon many a mission on behalf of the impoverished Jewish community in Eretz Yisrael.
6. Rabbi Moshe Meyuchas was presumably a member of the prominent Meyuchas family which produced many scholars, sages and Rabbinical emissaries.
7. Rabbi Moshe Meyuchas. See above.
8. Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchak Hakohein.
This particular mission does not appear in Yaari’s list of Rabbinical emissaries dispatched from Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, 1839. Page size: 32×22 cm. Scribe’s beautiful handwriting; original autographs and stamp. Fold marks. Good condition.
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