Letter of blessings for Pesach, to the "Lofty g'vir… Chaim ben Chamu", handwritten and signed by Rabbi Yosef Abuchatzira, Colomb-Bechar (Algeria), [ca. 1940s]. Handwritten in Judeo-Arabic on a printed card. The holy Kabbalist Rabbi Yosef Abuchatzira – Baba Su (died ca. 1974), youngest son of Rabbi Aharon Abuchatzira (second son of Rabbi Ya'akov Abuchatzira), grandson of the Abir Ya'akov. Many turned to him for blessings, counsel and salvation. Rabbi Yosef lived in Colomb-Bechar (Béchar – a city on the Moroccan-Algerian border, near Tafilalt, Morocco), with his elder brothers, Rabbi Yisrael Abuchatzira, the "Great Baba Sali" and Rabbi Shalom Abuchatzira (cousins of the renowned Baba Sali, Rabbi Yisrael Abuchatzira son of Rabbi Masud and his brother Rabbi Yitzchak Baba Chaki). Later, he moved to France. See enclosed material. Approximately 9.5X14 cm. Fair condition, wear to margins.

Midrash Raba, Shemot, with Yefe Toar commentary, by Rabbi Shmuel Yaffe Ashkenazi. [Venice, 1657, first edition]. Dozens of long scholarly glosses on the sheets in early Oriental writing, some signed by the writer: "David Chazan", "D.C." "D.C.N." – (leaf 16/a; 68/b; 92/a; 98/b; 132/a; 148/b; 196/b; 195/b; etc.). Several glosses in another handwriting, apparently by other writers. Kabbalist Rabbi David Chazan (ca.1680-1748), author of Chozeh David, was a leading Jerusalem and Izmir sage, son of Rabbi Chaim Chazan, author of Shenot Chaim and grandson of Rabbi Yosef Chazan, author of Edut B'hosef. He was considered one of the prominent Jerusalem sages of the 1700s. In 1724-1725 he was an emissary to Europe, there he printed his celebrated book Chozeh David on Tehillim (Amsterdam, 1724). and was welcomed with great honor in Hamburg in 1725. Four years later he moved to Izmir and established a printing press. In 1739, he returned to Jerusalem and many Torah scholars of his time attended his yeshiva, including the Rishon L'Zion, Rabbi Avraham Meyuchas, author of Sde HaAretz and the Chida, and both present his teachings in their books. In his book, Shem Gedolim (Ma'arechet Sefarim, Chozeh David), his disciple, the Chida, wrote that besides his printed books – Chozeh David on Tehillim, Agan HaSahar on Mishlei, Kohelet ben David on Kohelet and David B'Metzuda on Pirkei Avot – he also wrote a large work on Bereshit. These are hitherto unprinted remnants of his commentary on Shemot. Rabbi Yehuda Chazan and Rabbi Chaim Chazan of Izmir, father of Rabbi Yosef Refael Chazan, author of Chikrei Lev are among his descendants. Missing title page and last two leaves of the indexes: [3], 102, 102-130, [1], 130-225, 224-246, 254-255 leaves. (Originally: [4], 102, 102-130, [1], 130-225, 224-246, 254-256, [1] leaves). 29 cm. Fair-poor condition. Many slightly cutoff glosses. Wear and heavy stains. Major damage to the center of many leaves from a metal object (shrapnel?) which penetrated the spine of the book. Old binding with damaged leather spine. At the end of the introduction is an ownership inscription "Kodesh L'Midrash Knesset Yechezkel" [a well-known Beit Midrash in Jerusalem in the 19th century, established in 1841 by Rabbi Abdallah Chaim, uncle of the Ben Ish Chai, who immigrated to Jerusalem from Baghdad].

Manuscript, Kavanot HaRashash Siddur, for the weekday morning prayer (Shacharit). Extensive and detailed version of kavanot, including combination of Names. [Aleppo? 19th century], Rashi script and square script. The manuscript contains kavanot before prayer, circling the bimah, donning tallit and tefillin, Korbanot, Pesukei D'Zimra, blessing on Kriyat Shema [without the Amida prayer], Nefillat Apayim, Ashrei U'Va L'Zion, Ein K'Elokeinu, Aleinu L'Shabeach. In places without kavanot of the Rashash, the scribe did not copy the prayer and he skipped to the next passage leaving an empty space (apparently he planned to add it at a later time). Glosses and sources by several writers. Bound at the end of the manuscript is a leaf by another writer with a passage of the kavanah of the evening prayer (Arvit). Inscription on first leaf: "I have written this to serve my Creator, Chai [?] Moshe Sasson". Signatures of the "Last Redeemer Yom Tov Yitzchak Yedid HaLevi" [an Aleppo sage who lived in Jerusalem, died 1930]. The Rashash siddur was many years in manuscript form and circulated among sages who were proficient in Kabbalistic matters. Only in 1916, did leading Kabbalists in Jerusalem and abroad decide to print it in holiness and purity (it was printed by G-d-fearing men who sanctified themselves with immersions and fasting while printing the siddur). This is a copy from the days before it was printed. [119] written pages. 16 cm. Good condition. Stains, restored tears to several leaves. Contemporary binding with leather spine.

· Letter by Rabbi David Netanel Rofeh - Tiberias emissary, at the time in Bombay, to the wealthy Chaim Nissim, David Chazan and Mula David son of Ya'akov. The emissary Rabbi Shlomo Elazar Shlomo Refael is also mentioned. [Bombay], Adar Aleph 1889. · Shtar Beit Din concerning the remarriage of Rabbi Shmuel Elfandri with Ms. Esther Mazuz. [Turkey?]. Among the signatures: "Chaim [?] Ye'uda Avraham" [author of Achi V'Rosh of Izmir?]. · Letter in Ladino (torn), by "Yosef Amarilio", sent to "My teacher and rabbi…R' Shmuel Amarilio" of Salonika. · Shtar shelichut l'get (bill for emissary for giving a get). Adrianople (Edirne, Turkey), Iyar 1890. 4 items, size and condition vary (tears and missing sections). Unidentified signatures of the Beit Din members. Provenance: Collection of David Frankel, NY. See page 137.

Letter handwritten and signed by Rabbi Shaul Katzin, Jerusalem, Cheshvan 1909. The letter remonstrates a man who received a ruling by the Yemenite Beit Din to reach a compromise but did not accept the ruling, and instead, applied to other courts claiming that the Beit Din did not rule accurately. The Kabbalist Rabbi Shaul Katzin (1864-1917), author of Klilat Shaul, a leading Aleppo sage, arrived at Eretz Israel in 1891 and studied Torah for three years with the Kabbalist Rabbi Eliyahu Mani, Rabbi of Hebron. In 1894, he moved to Jerusalem and studied at the Kabbalist Beit El Yeshiva together with his friend, HaRav HaSadeh, Rabbi Chaim Shaul HaCohen Dweck, another arrival from Aleppo. In 1896, he was one of the first attendees of the Rehovot HaNahar Yeshiva of Kabbalists founded by his friend HaRav HaSadeh, and he was the regular leader of prayers every Friday and of the Mussaf prayer on Yom Kippur. He also delivered mussar discourses for the public. An outstanding Torah prodigy and public leader in Jerusalem, together with HaRav HaSadeh he opposed deviations from religious practices. Died at the age of 53. His sons were also famed rabbis who served in the rabbinate of prominent communities of Aleppo emigrants in Eretz Israel and abroad. Leaf, approximately 21 cm. fair condition, wear and tears, on the reverse side of the leaf is a half-written letter from 1906, by an unknown writer in Oriental-Persian handwriting.