Large, Impressive Letter of Recommendation Signed by Leading Tunisian Sages, 1766

Large, Impressive Letter of Recommendation Signed by Leading Tunisian Sages, 1766

Letter of recommendation for the sage and emissary Rabbi Shmuel Hadas of Jerusalem. In this letter, the sages of Tunisia relate the events experienced by this emissary from the time he left Jerusalem for Morocco. They tell of the loss of the funds raised on the road, and furthermore, of his many medical expenses. The chachamim of Tunisia also detail Rabbi Shmuel's virtues and praises, and also that he has composed a work he wants to publish. This sage is unknown from other sources, and the events of his mission are not mentioned in Ya'ari's Shluchei Eretz Yisrael.

Tunisian sages signed on the letter include:

Rabbi Yosef HaKohen [d. 1786] was one of the leading rabbis in Tunisia during the middle of the century. Towards the end of his life, he served several years as Av Beit Din of Tunisia.

Rabbi David Najar [d. 1773] was a leading adjudicator in Tunisia.

Rabbi Shmaryah Katariwass [d. 1773] was a leading rabbi and sage in Tunisia.

Rabbi Avraham Chait [d. 1786] was an adjudicator in Tunisia.

[1] leaf paper 27x32 cm. Thick, quality paper. Scribal script, beautiful and impressive. Oriental script. More detailed biographies of the above sages can be found in the Hebrew text, and there is further material about these rabbinic signatories included with this lot.

Very fine condition. Aging stains. Fold marks. Binding perforations.