Mantua Polemic. Letter Written and Signed by Rabbi Moshe Chagiz to the Rabbis of Mantua - 1732

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Mantua Polemic. Letter Written and Signed by Rabbi Moshe Chagiz to the Rabbis of Mantua - 1732

Lengthy letter written and signed by Rabbi Moshe Chagiz, addressed to the Rabbis of Mantua, Rav Dovid Finzi (father-in-law of the Ramchal) and Rav Aviad Sar Shalom Basilea (author of Mishnat Chachamim).

Polemic regarding community taxes in Mantua 1732:

In all Jewish communities, taxes paid to the community coffers were used to pay various government taxes. A committee assessed property and assets to determine the tax bill of each community member.

In 1732, four wealthy people with assets and property outside of Mantua claimed that these assets shouldn’t be included in their tax assessment. In contrast, the community trustees opined that these assets should be included in the tax evaluation, per the ruling of rabbis of the previous generations.

A huge controversy erupted around this issue and the leading rabbis of Mantua turned to the sages of the generation to offer opinions on the issue.

Rav Moshe Chagiz discerned that the issue wasn’t about the money per se, but about the wealthy members’ wish to break free of rabbinical control and da’as Torah. He immediately took up the battle and appealed to the rabbis of Ashkenaz to offer their opinion on the matter. (There are printed opinions and letters from Rav Dovid Oppenheim, the Knesses Yechezkel, Shev Yaakov and Rav Yaakov Emden. Some are mentioned in this letter.)

In this letter, Rav Moshe Chagiz explains that this issue isn’t an internal affair relating to the Italian communities, but an issue with strong ramification for the Ashkenaz and other Diaspora communities.

A few of Rav Moshe Chagiz’ letters on this affair have been printed, but this letter has, apparently, not yet been published.

This letter was written and signed by Rav Moshe Chagiz. He spent many years in Ashkenaz communities and learned how to write in an Ashkenazic hand.

[Hamburg/Altona], 9th of Tammuz. 1732.

3 pages. 18x20 cm.

A few repaired holes. The letter is difficult to read due to the acidity of the ink and because the text shows through to the other side of the leaf. (Transcript of a section of the letter included.)

 For more information about the Mantua polemic and the rabbinical letters refer to: Simonson, Toldot HaYehudim BeDuchsot Mantua, section one, p. 283-284; Kovetz Beis Aharon V’Yisroel (Karlin), issue 70; Shnot Dor V’Dor (Dessler), section two, chapter 10.