Four Letters from the Scholars of Hebron to Rabbi David Avraham Chai Vivanti of Ancona – Numerous Signatures of ...

Four Letters from the Scholars of Hebron to Rabbi David Avraham Chai Vivanti of Ancona – Numerous Signatures of Hebron Rabbis – Controversy between Hebron Rabbis and the Emissary Rabbi Moshe Kimchi
Four letters sent by the rabbis of Hebron, in 1853-1859, to R. David Avraham Chai Vivanti of Ancona, concerning raising charity funds for the community of Hebron, and the controversy surrounding R. Moshe Kimchi and his faction. The calligraphic signatures of the leading rabbis of Hebron at the time appear at the bottom of the letters.
· Letter from Hebron rabbis on various matters connected to the emissaries of the Hebron community and the charity funds from Italy, signed by R. Moshe Ferreira, R. Refael Yisrael Elyakim, R. Moshe son of R. David Kimchi, R. Chaim Nissim Meir Kushti, R. Chaim Yehuda Melamed and R. Yaakov Yosef Turjeman. [Hebron, 1853]. The bottom of the leaf contains a responsum on the topic of a woman who yielded to adultery and subsequently became pregnant, signed by R. Moshe Ferreira.
· Letter from Hebron rabbis concerning the charity funds of the Zera Yitzchak Gallico Yeshiva and additional matters, signed by R. Moshe Ferreira, R. Avraham Yitzchak Carigal (signature partially torn), R. Chaim Nissim Meir Kushti, R. Yaakov Yosef Turjeman, R. Yitzchak Aryeh and R. David Polychron Hasson. [Hebron], 1857.
· Letter from the Hebron rabbis during their exile in Jerusalem, following the dispute which erupted between them and the Hebron emissaries R. Moshe Kimchi and R. Yisrael Elyakim; signed by R. Avraham Yitzchak Shaul Carigal, R. Yaakov Yosef Turjeman, R. David Polychron Hasson, R. Yitzchak Chaim David Ezra, R. Nissim Capeluto and R. Rachamim Refael Turjeman. [Jerusalem, 1859]. The Hebron rabbis write how they are exiled and wandering in Jerusalem in the wake of the fierce dispute which erupted with R. Moshe Kimchi, who succeeded in exciting the people to support him, while all he wishes is to rule over the Jews and consume their money.
· Particularly lengthy letter, concerning the dispute and controversy in the Hebron community, signed by R. Avraham Yitzchak Shaul Carigal, R. Yosef Abboud, R. Nissim Capeluto, R. David son of R. Chaim Conforte, R. Rachamim Refael Turjeman, R. Yitzchak Chaim David Ezra, and another signee. [Hebron, 1859]. The Hebron rabbis, "insulted and wronged", write that following the dispute with R. Moshe Kimchi and his followers, they were removed from the list of beneficiaries of the distribution, and they fail to receive charity funds. The letter contains many details about the controversy.
To the best of our knowledge, these letters were never published, and contain many hitherto unknown details.
4 letters. 18-26 cm. Overall good condition. Stains. Folding marks (the letters were folded for sending, two of them have an address on the verso). Tears in several places (caused by opening of letter), slightly affecting the text; a tear to one of the letters partially affecting one of the signatures.