Zikaron LeYom Acharon – manuscript, notebook of family inscriptions and yahrzeits, in calligraphy – including: list of names of the Lehren family of Amsterdam for Yizkor (and their ancestors from Prague and Germany); Yizkor prayers; family trees; gravestone inscriptions; and more. [Amsterdam, ca. 1850s-1860s].
Along with the manuscript are included several handwritten and printed leaves, including: an early leaf, apparently handwritten by R. Meir son of R. Fishel of Bumsla (Maharam Fishels, a leading Torah scholar of Prague and member of the Beit Din of the Noda BiYehudah, 1702-1769), with inscriptions of births and deaths in his family during the years 1678-1742. The leaf begins with an inscription on the births of his father R. Fishel son of R. Meir Bems-Margolies of Bumsla in 1680, and of his mother Reizel in 1678, followed by a copying of his father's inscription documenting the birth of R. Meir himself on 27th Tishrei 1702, with details on his circumcision, and the birth of R. Meir's brother, R. Yitzchak, in 1712. The leaf includes inscriptions on the births of sons and daughters of R. Meir ca. 1725-1735. The latest documentation on this leaf is of the birth of R. Meir's son in 1741, and the death of the same child in 1742.
The writer and author of the notebook is
R. Yaakov Meir Lehren, brother of R. Tzvi Hirsch Lehren of Amsterdam, founder of the Pekidim VeAmarkalim society (d. 1853) – also mentioned in the present notebook. Others mentioned include family ancestors R. Meir son of R. Fishel of Bumsla (aforementioned) and his son-in-law R. Baruch HaLevi Duschenes, who moved from Prague to serve as rabbi in the Netherlands (ancestor of several distinguished Dutch families, including his grandson R. Baruch Duschenes Rabbi of Leeuwarden); R. Akiva son of R. Yehudah Leib Lehren, author of HaOhel Olam on Tractate Ketubot; the writer's father R. Avraham Moshe Lehren; his teachers from the Mannheim Kloiz; and others.
The manuscript begins with Yizkor prayers and charts for Yizkor arranged in the order of the months (from Nisan to Adar). The deceased are mentioned with the names of their father and mother. The title page of this section reads "Zikaron LeYom Acharon". Some of those mentioned in these inscriptions are rabbis and emissaries from Eretz Israel who visited Amsterdam over the years, including "R. Chizkiyah Refael Meyuchas Moshe Chaim Yisrael son of R. Shmuel, a grandson of the Pri HaAdamah, an emissary from the Holy City of Jerusalem".
Afterwards is a chapter with family history and gravestone inscriptions. The title page of this part (on leaf 63) has an illustrated cartouche captioned: "The glory of sons is their fathers… In order that the last generation might know, sons who will be born will arise and tell their sons…". On the first page is an introduction by R. Yaakov Meir Lehren, mentioning the lineage of the Lehren family: "In the third month, which is Sivan, 1835, while I was visiting my holy ancestors' graves in Mannheim… I looked at the memorial book with lists of the deceased (Memorbuch) and copied the relevant parts from it – I am the one speaking, Yaakov Meir son of… R. Avraham Moshe Lehren, son of… R. Tzvi Hirschel son of… R. Akiva author of HaOhel Olam on Tractate Ketubot, son of… … R. Akiva of Frankfurt, preacher in the Prague community… son of… R. Yaakov, son of… R. Akiva, son of… R. Elazar… Amsterdam 1854".
On the next page is a partial copying (from the enclosed early leaf) of the inscriptions of Maharam Fishels-Bumsla, on the births and deaths of his parents and children: "Copying from the handwriting of my grandmother's father… R. Meir Fishels".
Further are pages written within frames, with Yizkor and gravestone inscriptions from various locations (Prague, Mannheim, The Hague and Amsterdam) of his ancestors and family members, including gravestone inscriptions from the Prague cemetery (dated 1839), of the Maharal of Prague, of R. Efraim Fishel Bems-Margolies, and of his son R. Meir Fishels-Bumsla. Gravestone inscriptions from the Netherlands of his relatives, including his parents, uncles, his sister-in-law wife of R. Tzvi Hirsch Lehren, his wife "Sarah Feila daughter of R. Yehudah" (d. Cheshvan 1856), and their son "Avraham Moshe" (d. Cheshvan 1859).
Enclosed are several leaves: the abovementioned handwritten leaf by Maharam Fishels; printed leaf – a lamentation on the 1853 death of his brother R. "Avraham Tzvi Hirschel Lehren", founder of the Pekidim VeAmarkalim society; printed leaf – an 1858 bookplate on the donation of a Talmud set to the Etz Chaim Beit Midrash, by his brother R. Akiva Lehren of Amsterdam; an 1865 letter from R. Akiva Lehren regarding the Pekidim VeAmarkalim society and the poor of Eretz Israel, sent to the philanthropist R. Yehudah son of R. Efraim HaLevi in Rotterdam; and more leaves.
[1], 63, [1], 64-77 written leaves + many blank leaves. 18.5 cm. High-quality paper. Good condition. Stains. Minor tears and wear. Loose leaves. Original elaborate leather binding, with tears and defects.
Bookplate of Siegmund Seeligmann of Amsterdam, and bookplate of Mozes Heiman Gans.
