Sassoon Fragment Collection
Rare Documents from the Sassoon Library
Collection of manuscripts, documents and letters on various topics ranging from the 14th-19th centuries from: Spain, China, Egypt, Yemen and Bagdad.
All articles listed below were collected and bound together by the famed Jewish collector David Sassoon who describes this anthology in his Ohel David Catalog #604.
1. 13th-14 th century handwritten leaf on parchment from Midrash Toras Kohanim on Sefer Vayikrah. The script is in Sephardic block style.
2. 16 th century Mishnah Torah L’HaRambam – 4 leaves (8 sides) in Yemenite script from Sefer Nezikin, Hilchos Gezeilah va’Aveidah with page titles in large red letters.
3. Mishnah Torah L’HaRambam. 1 leaf in Yemenite script from Hilchos Shechitah. 18 th century.
4. Mishnah Torah L’HaRambam. 1 leaf in Yemenite script from Hilchos Shechitah. Margin of page features a poem in Judeo-Arabic. 18 th century.
5. Sefer HaAruch. 1 leaf in Yemenite script. 16th century.
6. Single leaf from a philosophical composition in Judeo-Arabic. Yemen, 16 th century.
7. Single leaf commentary on Tanach. Yemen, 18 th century.
8. Single leaf (2 sides) with commentary on prayers. Yemen, 19 th century.
9. Letter dated 1646, autographed by Rabbi David Gershon, Rabbi of Rashid and one of the great Egyptian Rabbis of the 17 th century. The letter was dispatched to Rabbi Azarya [Zevi] and mentions “The philanthropist, the exalted…Yitzchak Luria Ashkenazi, presumably a descendant of the Arizal.This letter is incomplete and it is also cropped into the end words of each line.
The verso features a handwritten title page to sefer Pnei Moshe on Yerushalmi Masechtos Brachos, Peah and Dmai by Rabbi Moshe ben Achaviv, author of Get Pashut.
10. 17 th century letter regarding a widow of a Rabbi. This letter mentions Rabbi Azaryahu Zevi. Partially torn and missing text.
11. Single leaf with short list of sefarim belonging to Chacham Yehuda Alminisi. 1792.
12.
Summary of Chinese War in Judei-Arabic by Shlomo ben David ben Chacham Moshe. Bagdad-Indian script. [2] leaves. Blue paper. Hong Kong, 1856.
(These leaves were printed in the Doresh Tov journal which appeared in Bombay presumably based on the present manuscript.)
13. Letter in Judeo-Arabic sent to Chacham Rabbi Aharon Barzani of Kurdistan. The letter is signed by “The youth Nachuf Yosef” and “The youth Binyamin Yosef Moshe.” 1900.
14. 17 th century community ledgers in Hebrew and Spanish. Four handwritten sides in Sephardic handwriting. This text references Rabbi Zerachya Guetta, one of the great 17 th century Spanish Rabbis.
15. Single leaf from handwritten halachic teshuvah regarding Choshen Mishpat. 19 th century.
16. Handwritten poem. The author’s name, Binyamin, appears as the acrostic. Baghdad, 19 th century. [1] leaf.
21 leaves (35 sides). All manuscripts bound together, with varying sizes and conditions (see photos).
Provenance: Sassoon Library #604. Ohel David Catalog #526-527
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