Three Manuscripts – Notebooks of Lists, Rabbi Rapahel Even Tzur Av Beit Din of Fes – Many Historical Items – Fes

Three Manuscripts – Notebooks of Lists, Rabbi Rapahel Even Tzur Av Beit Din of Fes – Many Historical Items – Fes

Three manuscripts, Rabbi Raphael Even Tzur. And an additional notebook handwritten by his son, Rabbi Shlomo Even Tzur.

The notebooks contain detailed lists of thousands of loans and their payment, incomes and expenses of charity funds for which Rabbi Raphael Even Tzur was responsible. With many names of Moroccan Jews including Sages. Appearing throughout the leaves are also historical documentations from the life of the Fes community and personal details related to him and his family.

A. manuscript, notebook of 96 leaves. [192] handwritten pages. Containing many lists of loans, incomes and expenses, all handwritten by Rabbi Rapahel Even Tzur Av Beit Din of Fes. The notebook was written for almost every day, since Friday Seder Re'eh 1896 until Thursday Seder Nitzavim 1897.

B. Manuscript, notebook of 180 leaves. [360] pp. From "Friday Seder Miketz 1903" to "Thursday Seder Veyechi Cheshvan 1905".

C. Manuscript, additional notebook of 66 leaves. [130] pp. From "Tuesday the eve of Sukkot the 13th of Tishrei 666 [1906]" to "Monday the 26th of Kislev 668 1907".

D. Manuscript, notebook of lists like the above, apparently handwritten by his son Rabbi Shlomo Even Tzur. For the years 1928 and1933. 31 handwritten leaves. And many more blank leaves.

As said, the notebooks before us contain personal and historical details. In dozens of places in the notebook, Rabbi Raphael Even Tzur writes general and personal details, family events, marriages, births, visits of dignitaries, droughts, sickness and recovery. Following are but a few examples from the notebooks:

In the first notebook on leaf 54 "Today we have read the bible, Mishnayot, Zohar, Tehillim and Selichot until midday, and after midday, we closed all the stores and gathered in our synagogues and read Tehillim and Shir HaShirim and prayed Minchah and Parashat HaAkedah and Tehillim and after Minchah we went to the cemetery and read Tehillim and Selichot and a Ta'anit Tzibur was announced…"

Later he writes, "Today in Shacharit we read many Selichot and after the prayer we went to the street of the town and read Tehillim … and then we went to the synagogues of the residents and read the Bible and Zohar and prayed that God will reply with rains of blessing and charity …". On the same page, two days later, Rabbi Raphael writes again about reading Tehillim due to the drought.

The topic of the drought, the prayers, and Selichot in the streets, wearing mourning clothes, fasting, continues for several pages, until leaf 26, on which the rabbi writes that rain has fallen "Hodu LaHashem Ki Tov Ki LeOlam Chassdo … on Passover much rain has fallen …".

* On leaf 7, he writes about the birth of his grandson "And his name is Vidal". * on page 23. The Rabbi writes about the death of the rabbi of the Kollel Rabbi Shemaya Cohen, whom Rabbi Shlomo Ibn Danan eulogized * on leaf 86 the rabbi writes at length about the arrival of the King of Morocco to Fes. * on leaf 111 a long story about the death of Rabbi Ya'akov Ben Zimra, the eulogies, the funeral and additional details.

Rabbi Raphael Even Tzur (1830-1917) Av Beit Din of Fes. He was a prominent sage and a wealthy man, the owner of lands, houses and stores. He was also a man of charity. He also owned a very large library, which he inherited from his father Shlomo and added to, collecting manuscripts and single leaves. His library was one of the most important ones in Morocco and he used to loan his books to Moroccan sages. His son, Rabbi Shlomo, inherited the library. Authored the Hassagot on "Beit Oved V'Yom Menuchah" as well as responsa and Psakim, Likutei Dinin and more. He was knowledgeable in the customs and regulations of the west.

Notebooks of various sizes. Good condition. Loose binding and leaves. The inscriptions of incomes and expenses were erased by Rabbi Raphael with a line, except for the historical inscriptions which are not erased by a line.