An assorted collection of handwritten leaves and various documents from Sofia and other Balkan communities.
The collection includes: • Parchment manuscript - Memorial prayers for various figures, including: "Chief rabbi Avraham Sid", "His brother the distinguished R. Yehuda Sid", "Chief rabbi Moshe HaLevi", and others. • Postcards, leaves and documents from the Karnobat, Lom and Ruse communities in Bulgaria. • Two photographic postcards showing religious articles from Bulgaria (one of them is a photograph of the Torah scroll mantle dedicated to King Ferdinand I, from "the Jewish communities in Bulgaria"). • Fragment of a ketubah written in Sofia, 1789. • Fragment of a ketubah written in Vidin (Bulgaria), 1875. • Document signed in Sofia, 1830. • Divorce contract given in Sofia, 1939. • Leaf, official stationery of "Histadrut HaMizrachi BeBulgaria", Sofia. With Ladino inscriptions. • Handwritten and printed leaves in various languages, including Hebrew, Bulgarian and Ladino.
The collection was not thoroughly examined.
Approx. 40 items. Size and condition vary.

Manuscript, Torah novellae handwritten and signed by R. Yaakov Berdugo. [Morocco, ca. first half of the 19th century].
These leaves were handwritten by R. Yaakov Berdugo, head of the Meknes Beit Din. They contain two halachic treatises: 1. Property claimed against an unpaid debt. R. Yaakov's signature appears at the end of the responsum, on p. [7b]: "Tolaat Yaakov", with his distinctive flourish. 2. Shtar Hatava (a deed giving the right to buy back sold property). This part contains many interlinear and marginal deletions, additions and emendations. He mentions the dayanim R. Yosef Ashriki and R. Aharon Monsonego. R. Yaakov writes: "In regard to this topic of Hatava, I see a troop of scholars debating in Halacha, one building and the other one destroying, one obligating and the other one exempting… and I was requested to express my opinion, according to which opinion Halacha should be established, even though I am unintelligent…".
R. Yaakov Berdugo (1786-1843), leading Meknes Torah scholar, served as head of the Meknes Beit Din. He was the son of R. Yekutiel Berdugo (eldest brother of HaMalach Refael Berdugo). "He was renowned throughout the Maghreb for his wisdom and holiness" (Malchei Rabbanan, p. 70). He was known in his times as "L'Haham" (=the Chacham), a title which expressed the veneration for him, and wondrous stories are retold about him (see article). He authored Shufreih DeYaakov, Kol Yaakov and other books.
[9] leaves (18 written pages). 19 cm. Fair condition. Worming and dampness damage, traces of mold, affecting text. Leaves professionally restored.

Signed letter, containing a copying of the letter sent from the Tunis Beit Din to the Livorno community, Italy, documenting the expulsion of the kabbalist R. Avraham Lulu from Tunis, for his use of Holy Names and practical Kabbalah. [Tunis], Cheshvan 1804.
This letter is an official copying of the letter from 1804 which the Tunis Torah scholars sent to Livorno. This copy, (also sent to Livorno), is signed by two Tunis Torah scholars: R. Shlomo Kohen and R. Mordechai Darmon. A countersign in Italian dated February 1805 was added at the foot of the letter, written and signed by R. Yaakov Nunez Vais, rabbi of Livorno, with the signature of R. Avraham Vita (Chaim) Tapia. The letter was written following an inquiry from the Livorno Torah scholars as to "how the verdict regarding R. Avraham Lulu was reached". The Tunis Torah scholars responded that they investigated the claims on R. Avraham Lulu, examined the books he used and found their contents to be even worse than what had been reported, and they therefore buried them. Afraid that he would cause them harm by turning to the authorities, they decided to banish him from Tunis.
Wondrous stories of miracles performed through Holy Names and practical Kabbalah circulated in those times regarding the kabbalist R. Avraham Lulu, whom this letter discusses. Perach Shoshan by R. Shushan HaKohen (Jerusalem 1977) quotes several such stories. Reputedly, he would go to study with his friends at night in the courtyard of the king's palace, miraculously producing donkeys for them to ride on, cause the palace walls to open up, and bring them into the courtyard with no resistance. It is also retold that R. Avraham Lulu succeeded in restoring a wealthy man's entire fortune which had been stolen. Maaseh Tzaddikm by R. Avraham Khalfon (Telamim 2009) quotes "The tale of the wind with R. Avraham Lulu" (see enclosed material).
R. Avraham Lulu, was born in Marrakesh, Morocco, and later wandered to Tunis and Livorno (in the final years of the Chida). This letter reveals that he left Tunis following the opposition of the Tunis rabbis to his actions. He is described by R. Yosef HaKohen Tangi in Toldot Chachmei Tunis: "He was renowned in Tunis as exceptionally proficient in Practical Kabbalah, and could extract wine from a wall, as is retold about the Baal Shem". A lengthy halachic letter from R. Avraham Lulu was printed in the book Pekudat HaMelech by R. Yisrael Nachman Drohobyczer (Livorno 1804). The Pekudat HaMelech met R. Avraham Lulu while passing through Livorno, and printed the latter's words together with his response (this indicates that R. Avraham Lulu was already residing in Livorno in 1804). It is interesting to note that there is an extant manuscript on Practical Kabbalah previously owned by R. Avraham Lulu (National Library of France, MS Hebr. 1380).
[1] double leaf. 30.5 cm. Good condition. Stains. Minor marginal tears. Folding marks.

Manuscript, Taj (Keter Torah) of Bereshit and Shemot - Torah with Targum Onkelos and Arabic Tafsir. Sana'a, Shevat 1653.
Neat Yemenite script. Two columns per page. Hebrew text, with verse by verse Aramaic and Arabic translation. Vocalization - sublinear for the text of the Torah, and supralinear for Targum Onkelos.
Marginal glosses and commentaries in several places, some entitled "P.R." (=Pirush - commentary). Masorah notes in several places.
Colophon on the last page of Shemot, signed by the scribe: "Shlomo son of Halfon son of Avigad (al-Tawili - see: Encyclopedia LeChachmei Teiman, I, p. 186), who wrote this book in Sana'a for "the good friend Yichye son of Yosef al-Dhabani".
Signatures and inscriptions testifying to the sale of the book on the first page of the manuscript: record signed by witnesses attesting that the book was sold in Tammuz 1789; and an earlier record (deleted) from 1783.
[183] leaves. 28 cm. Fair condition. Stains and wear. Worming and damage to text. Open tears, with early paper repairs and text replacement. Stamps. New binding.

Manuscript, Meir Enayim on the Torah, kabbalistic and Midrashic commentary to the Torah, by R. Ya'ish Haddad, and Peirot HaIlan, homilies for Passover and Sukkot. [Yemen, 19th century].
The manuscript begins in the middle of Parashat Noach, and continues uninterruptedly until the end of the Book of Shemot. Passages from the Books of Vayikra and Bamidbar follow (including Achrei, Nasso, Behaalotecha, Korach, Shelach, Chukat, Balak and VeZot HaBeracha). Several sections are entitled "Peirot HaIlan". The homilies for Passover and Sukkot also bear this title. [This manuscript appears to be an autograph, with marginal additions, as well as deletions and emendations to the body of the text].
There are compositions known today bearing these names - Meir Enayim and Peirot HaIlan, authored by the kabbalist R. Ya'ish Haddad (b. 1826), dayan in Moisirya, southern Yemen (Taiz district). His prime teacher was R. Chaim Sinwani. R. Ya'ish Haddad was considered the foremost Torah scholar and kabbalist in southern Yemen, and was the close colleague of Mori Ya'ish Kurin (Mori Ya'ish Haddad was nicknamed Ben Azzai, and Mori Ya'ish Kurin - Ben Zoma). The Lehman collection includes a manuscript (MS 125) with the novellae to Parashiot Bereshit-Noach and the Book of Devarim from the Meir Enayim composition (see: Ohel Chaim, I, pp. 270-273; Encyclopedia LeChachmei Teiman, I, p. 139; Toratan shel Benei Teiman, pp. 124-125). The Ben-Zvi Institute (MS 3269) holds a manuscript of part of the book Peirot HaIlan (though some contend that the author of Peirot HaIlan is R. Shalem son of Moshe HaKohen, and not R. Ya'ish Haddad - see NLI catalog, no. 000193428). This manuscript contains parts of these compositions which are not known from any other source, neither in manuscript nor in print, and this may be an autograph of the illustrious author.
[94] leaves. Approx. 17 cm. Nonconsecutive pagination. Manuscript lacking beginning; opens with leaf 7. Final gathering bound upside down. Fair condition. Tears and wear. Stains. Without binding.