Auction 62 Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
Aug 28, 2018 (Your local time)
Israel
 8 Ramban St, Jerusalem.
The auction has ended

LOT 202:

Gufei Halachot – Signature of Rabbi Yosef Shalom Chaim of Baghdad – Glosses by Turkish Rabbis – Letter of Rabbi ...

catalog
  Previous item
Next item 
Sold for: $650
Start price:
$ 300
Auction house commission: 23%
VAT: On commission only
tags:

Gufei Halachot – Signature of Rabbi Yosef Shalom Chaim of Baghdad – Glosses by Turkish Rabbis – Letter of Rabbi Rachamim Chaim Moda'i, Safed, After 1794
Gufei Halachot, Part Two of Halichot Eli, principles of the Talmud and novellae on the Talmud and Maimonides. By R. Shlomo Algazi. [Izmir, 1675. First edition. Missing title page and other leaves].
Signatures of Rabbi "Refael Yosef Shalom son of R. Abdalla son of R. Moshe Chaim" [a grandson of Chief Rabbi Moshe Chaim of Baghdad, and cousin of R. Yosef Chaim of Baghdad, the Ben Ish Chai, who was also a grandson of R. Moshe Chaim]. The margins contain scholarly glosses by three or four authors in Sephardic handwriting [all glosses are apparently from 18th century Turkish scholars]. On p. 44a, there is a joint gloss by two writers: a first gloss by one writer, debated by a second writer named Chaim, who signs: "Chaim speaks…" [this signature is typical of the way R. Chaim Moda'i, author of the Chaim L'Olam, would sign his glosses]. Signature of R. Moshe Chaim Weiss of Kisvárda (Kleinwardein), with a few glosses and inscriptions in his handwriting.
Attached inside the cover was a sheet of paper (which we detached), with a long and interesting letter in Hebrew and Ladino, handwritten and signed by R. Rachamim Chaim Moda'i [Safed, after 1794]. The letter is addressed to one of the sages of Izmir, requesting help concerning silverware and money deposited with Chacham Y. Molcho, and handled by Chacham Eliyahu Girasi. The letter goes on to mention the books Shaarei Tzedek and Lekutot HaRamban, which his grandfather published and are in the possession of Shlomo Arzi [R. Chaim Moda'i (1720-1794), author of "Chaim L'Olam", published the books Shaarei Tzedek and Lekutot HaRamban in Salonika in 1791-1792]. The author concludes the letter as follows: "These are the words of the one who pleads for him and for all that he has opposite the Tana Rashbi... Rachamim [Chaim] Moda'i".
R. Rachamim Chaim Moda'i was one of the sages and dayanim of Safed ca. 1810s-1820s. He served as emissary of Safed ca. 1820, and his name is mentioned in an agreement contract from the year 1821 signed by Sephardi and Ashkenazi sages. He served as dayan in the Safed beit din, and there is a signature from him as dayan together with R. Avraham Chaim Adadi and R. Aharon ben Shmuel dated 1820. He passed away ca. 1830, and his widow's name appears in the list of victims of the 1837 earthquake who fled to Sidon (Sefunot, vol. 6, p. 457).
His grandfather, the famous Torah scholar R. Chaim Moda'i (author of the Chaim L'Olam), was born in Safed ca. 1720. He went on a mission abroad in 1749, settled in Constantinople, and was one of the leading Torah scholars of Constantinople and Izmir. In 1793, he returned to Eretz Israel and settled in his native Safed, where he passed away in 1794. This letter was written from the city of Safed ("opposite the Tana Rashbi") after 1794, since the grandfather R. Chaim Moda'i is mentioned as deceased.
Incomplete copy. 2-48, 53-56, 61-108, 110-146, [1] leaves (missing 13 leaves. Originally 150 leaves). 21.5 cm. Fair-poor condition. Stains and extensive wear. On several leaves, tears and damage with loss. Detached leaves and loose binding. Some glosses are trimmed. Contemporary leather binding, worn and damaged.
+ Letter of R. Rachamim Chaim Moda'i: [1] leaf.
21 x 16 cm. Fair condition. Glue stains. Tears and damage, signature affected. Right margin of the page trimmed with loss of 3-4 letters at the beginning of each line.

catalog
  Previous item
Next item