Handwritten Hebrew Book
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⟦...⟧ This book was completed on the first day of the week, the twenty-fourth of the month of Av the Merciful, the year 5574 from Creation, here in Baghdad, may God protect it and the writer is a servant to God blessed be He, the young Ezra son of Joseph the Kohen, may his memory be for a blessing in the world to come, and may the Lord merit us to meditate on it and on other holy books Amen, may it be so, forever and ever
And during the days of Purim, the wise Mordechai, may his Rock and Redeemer protect him, traveled to Baghdad with the attendant etc., and delayed there until after Passover, and on the 25th day of Nisan he returned and came here as seen on the 30th of Kislev, and delayed for one night here and went on his way, and the wise Eliyahu son of Salman, may his soul rest in Eden, went with him from the people of the city, and went with him until Baghdad, and the aforementioned wise Eliyahu returned here on the Sabbath day, 28th of Iyar, year 5633 ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ And on Thursday the 25th of Elul, year 5633, there came here the exalted sage the honorable Rabbi Isaac Abraham Solomon, may his Rock and Redeemer protect him, on a mission for the community of Hebron, may it be rebuilt and established, and due to his leg ailment he delayed here until after the holidays because he was unable to ride on the animal and during the days of the festival the congregation, may their Rock and Redeemer protect them, gathered in the synagogue and donated to the city of Hebron, may it be rebuilt and established, a sum of two hundred and seventy-six qirsh besides the tailors according to your sight, and the aforementioned sum was collected by the treasurer, the wise Eliyahu son of Salman, may his soul rest in Eden and he handed over the aforementioned sum to the hand of the aforementioned emissary, and on the first day of the week, the 24th of Tishrei, year 5634, the aforementioned emissary traveled from here and went on his way in peace, and the aforementioned wise Eliyahu went with him until a village a night's distance, and from there he separated from him and returned here in peace, and may God save us
With the help of Heaven ⟦line⟧ Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav ⟦...⟧ If it were not for ⟦...⟧ Israel ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ the Holy One, Blessed be He ⟦...⟧ in this world ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ the world ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧
Rav Huna said in the name of Rav ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧
Thursday, 23rd of Kislev, in the year 5687, and I, your humble servant Yosef Baruch David Yosef Chaim of blessed memory, write this as a record that on this day I entered the new apartment which I built for myself and the members of my household; may the Blessed Name grant us merit to dwell in it in joy and with a good heart, and may we merit to raise in it sons and grandsons engaged in Torah and in commandments, Amen, may it be His will. ⟦illegible⟧ ⟦illegible⟧ And I write this as a record that on this day I entered the apartment the new one which I built for myself and the members of my household; may the Blessed Name grant us merit to dwell in it in joy and with a good heart, and may we merit to raise in it sons and grandsons engaged in Torah and in commandments, Amen, may it be His will. I have further written this as a record that on this day I entered the apartment the new one which I built for myself and the members of my household; may the Blessed Name grant us merit to dwell in it in joy and with a good heart, and may we merit to raise in it sons and grandsons engaged in Torah and in commandments, Amen, may it be His will. I have further written this as a record that on this day I entered the apartment the new one which I built for myself and the members of my household; may the Blessed Name grant us merit to dwell in it in joy and with a good heart, and may we merit to raise in it sons and grandsons engaged in Torah and in commandments, Amen, may it be His will. I have further written this as a record that on this day I entered the apartment the new one which I built for myself and the members of my household; may the Blessed Name grant us merit to dwell in it in joy and with a good heart, and may we merit to raise in it sons and grandsons engaged in Torah and in commandments, Amen, may it be His will. I have further written this as a record that on this day I entered the apartment the new one which I built for myself and the members of my household; may the Blessed Name grant us merit to dwell in it in joy and with a good heart, and may we merit to raise in it sons and grandsons engaged in Torah and in commandments, Amen, may it be His will. Friday, Parashat Va'etchanan, the year 5688 according to the minor era, Baghdad A sermon delivered by the Sage Yosef Hayyim, may his Rock and Redeemer protect him In the Great Synagogue, Salat al-Kabiri, may God protect it I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forever For Your kindness is great toward me, and You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol O God, the arrogant have risen against me, and a band of ruthless men has sought my life They have not set You before them; but You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger And abundant in kindness and truth; turn to me and be gracious to me, give Your strength to Your servant And save the son of Your handmaid; work a sign for me for good, that they may see My enemies, and be ashamed, for You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me This is what the scripture says in Parashat Va'etchanan: And I pleaded with the Lord At that time, saying: O Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand, for what god is there In heaven or on earth who can perform according to Your deeds and Your mighty acts? Let me cross over, please, and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan This good mountain and the Lebanon; and the Lord was angry with me on your account And did not listen to me, and the Lord said to me: Enough for you! Do not speak To Me anymore about this matter; go up to the top of the peak and lift up your eyes To the west, the north, the south, and the east, and see with your eyes, for you shall not Cross this Jordan; and command Joshua, and strengthen him, and encourage him For he shall cross over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the Land that you will see; and we remained in the valley opposite Beth-peor And one must understand in these verses, for seemingly one should be precise in them Greatly: first, in what is written 'And I pleaded' (Va'etchanan), for it should have said 'And I prayed'; what is 'And I pleaded'? Furthermore, saying 'At that time' which is redundant, for it is obvious that at that Hour he prayed; and furthermore, saying 'saying' (le'amor) which has no meaning Furthermore, saying 'O Lord God' (Adonai YHWH), for why did he mention two names? Furthermore, saying 'You have begun to show Your servant etc.' For how is this an argument for his prayer? And furthermore, saying 'for what god is there In heaven or on earth etc.' for what is the relevance of this praise here? Furthermore, saying 'Let me cross over, please' (E'ebra na), for it should have said 'Let me cross' (E'ebor) please, and what is 'E'ebra'? And furthermore, saying 'the good mountain this And the Lebanon' for it should have said 'and this good mountain and the Lebanon'
⟦...⟧ I will thank You with great strength to God <del>M</del> awesome in deeds - With all my heart I will praise and seek these While my soul is within me, my God, I will exalt You And I will thank Your name forever, for You have done wonders Counsels from afar, faithfulness and truth, for You are My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust Shield and horn of my salvation, my high tower and my refuge And I will call ⟦...⟧ praised I will call, and from my enemies I shall be saved, for Your kindness is great toward me, and You have delivered My soul from the lowest depths. I will thank You, O Lord my God With all my heart, and I will honor Your name forever, for Your kindness is great toward me, and You have delivered my soul from the lowest Depths. O God, the insolent have risen against me, and a congregation of Violent men have sought my soul, and have not set You before them But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, longsuffering And abundant in kindness and truth. Turn to me and have mercy on me; give Your strength to Your servant, and save the son of Your handmaid. Show Me a sign for good, that my enemies may see it and be ashamed Because You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me. I will exalt You O Lord, for You have lifted me up, and have not let my enemies rejoice over me O Lord my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me. O Lord You brought up my soul from the grave; You kept me alive from among those who go down To the pit. Sing to the Lord, O His godly ones, and give thanks to His holy Name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. And I Said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved. O Lord By Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face, and I was troubled. To You, O Lord, I called And to the Lord I made supplication. What profit is there in my blood, when I go down To the pit? Shall the dust praise You? Shall it declare Your truth? Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper You have turned my mourning into dancing for me; You have put off my sackcloth And clothed me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to You And not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever I will thank You, O Lord, for though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away And You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust M. Lulu name Yitzhak HaKohen M. Eliyahu Yitzhak to Segal Moshe David Yosef Moshe Katz ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ David Moshe ⟦...⟧ David Moshe Yosef Moshe ⟦...⟧ Ezekiel ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ and not ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ David ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧
B"H My dear and pleasant brother, the honorable ⟦Shimon⟧, may his Rock and Redeemer protect him After seeking your welfare with great and intense love, I write to inform you that, thank God, we are in good health, life, and peace; so may it always be with you, Amen. Regarding your precious letter, it has reached me and I rejoiced greatly at your good health. May God grant that you shall always be in goodness and pleasantness, Amen. And I have longingly desired to see your precious face, but what can be done since you are far from me and the way is difficult for me. And now I am here to inform you that ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧
One who wishes to know if he will succeed in his way, in travel, in business, and other matters, shall take his name and his mother's name and the name of the day and calculate it all and cast out 9 by 9 And if there remains: 1 - He will succeed in his way and in all he turns to he will succeed and find favor in the eyes of all who see him 2 - He will soon succeed in his way and find favor in the eyes of all who see him and wherever he goes he will succeed and find favor in the eyes of God and man and find favor and grace - 3 - He will succeed in his way and find favor and grace and in all he turns to he will succeed and find favor and grace in the eyes of God and man and in all he turns to he will succeed 4 - He will succeed in his way and find favor and grace and in all he turns to he will succeed 5 - He will succeed in his way and find favor and grace and in all he turns to he will succeed - 6 - He will succeed in his way and find favor and grace and in all he turns to he will succeed 7 - He will succeed in his way and find favor and grace and in all he turns to he will succeed 8 - He will succeed in his way and find favor and grace and in all he turns to he will succeed - 9 - He will succeed in his way and find favor and grace and in all he turns to he will succeed And if there remains less than 9, he will succeed in his way and find favor and grace and in all he turns to he will succeed and find favor and grace in the eyes of God and man And if there remains more than 9, he will succeed in his way and find favor and grace and in all he turns to he will succeed and find favor and grace in the eyes of God and man And if there remains less than 9, he will succeed in his way and find favor and grace and in all he turns to he will succeed and find favor and grace in the eyes of God and man And if there remains more than 9, he will succeed in his way and find favor and grace and in all he turns to he will succeed and find favor and grace in the eyes of God and man - And if there remains less than 9, he will succeed in his way and find favor and grace and in all he turns to he will succeed and find favor and grace in the eyes of God and man And if there remains more than 9, he will succeed in his way and find favor and grace and in all he turns to he will succeed and find favor and grace in the eyes of God and man <del>⟦illegible⟧</del> And if there remains less than 9, he will succeed in his way and find favor and grace and in all he turns to he will succeed and find favor and grace in the eyes of God and man And if there remains more than 9, he will succeed in his way and find favor and grace and in all And that which its entry is in its center is according to the same as I wrote above, and it is that you write it all as a Persian bench and between each and every bench you write an Aleph, and whether it was seen and regardless of what was at the time, I wrote it in that manner which the Moroccan said, because the bench itself and if she sat down and stood up, understand the time of entry into the assembly and whether it was in the day, I wrote an Aleph and I placed it beforehand and that which is in the day you write in the center of the Aleph which is in the assembly <del>⟦illegible⟧</del> and you may write the bench in the assembly at the time in which it is, and if the assembly was at a time in the night, then the bench shall be in the center of the Aleph which is below the assembly, and that which is in the night shall be in the center of the Aleph which is below the assembly, and you may write the bench in the assembly in which it is, and you may write the bench in the assembly in which it is, and you may write the bench in the assembly in which it is, and you may write the bench in the assembly in which it is, and you may write and if it was in the day, then the bench shall be in the center of the Aleph which is below the assembly, and you may write the bench in the assembly in which it is, and you may write the bench in the assembly in which it is, and you may write the bench in the assembly in which it is, and you may write the bench understand the time of entry into the assembly, and whether it was in the day, I wrote an Aleph and I placed it beforehand, and that which is in the day you write in the center of the Aleph which is in the assembly and you may write in the assembly the bench at the time in which it is, and if the assembly was at a time in the night then the bench shall be in the center of the Aleph which is below the assembly, and that which is in the night shall be in the center
⟦illegible⟧ A story of a Jew who was walking on the way and had with him a horse loaded with a heavy burden, and the Jew was walking and crying before the Holy One, Blessed be He, over his suffering. When he arrived at the entrance of his house, behold, Elijah the Prophet was standing there and said to him: Peace be upon you, Jew. He said to him: Welcome, Elijah the Prophet, of blessed memory. He said to him: Why are you crying? He said to him: Such and such. He said to him: Do not fear, for the Holy One, Blessed be He, has heard your prayer and sent me to you so that you may be happy and good-hearted. He said to him: May it be His will that it be so. Elijah the Prophet said to him: Go and bring me a cup of wine and see what I will do for you. And he went and brought him a cup of wine, and Elijah the Prophet drank and blessed him and said to him: Go in peace. And it was when the Jew went to his house, he found there a great treasure of gold and silver, and he rejoiced with great joy and said: Blessed be the Name, who sent me Elijah the Prophet, of blessed memory. And it was when the Jew saw this, he went and bought himself a large and good house and dwelt in it in tranquility and ease, and he would perform charity and kindness with all the poor, and his name spread throughout the land, for he was a righteous and pious man, performing charity and kindness with everyone. And it happened one day that the king of the country heard about him and sent for him and said to him: I have heard about you that you are a wealthy and righteous man, performing charity and kindness. He said to him: My lord the king, it is so. The king said to him: From where did you get all this wealth? He said to him: The Holy One, Blessed be He, sent me Elijah the Prophet, and he blessed me. And it was when the king heard this, the king said to him: I want to see Elijah the Prophet. He said to him: My lord the king, it is impossible to see him except on the Holy Sabbath day. The king said to him: If so, on the Sabbath day I am coming to your house to see him. He said to him: May it be His will.
Holy Book, Vayishlach, page 242 side B A story about one who went to the overseas country and dwelt there and his name was Tuvia and he had a wife named Sarah and she was barren, she did not bear him children, and it came to pass one day and her husband died, and she remained a poor widow with no livelihood and she went to the Rabbi of the city and told him her words and he said to her that she should go to a certain nobleman and ask him for charity and she went to him and knocked on the door and he came out to her and said to her, what do you seek? she said to him, do charity with me for my husband died and I have nothing to eat; he had mercy on her and gave her enough for her needs, and she went to her house happy and glad of heart and it came to pass one day and she conceived and bore a son and called his name Joseph and the child grew and became a youth of beautiful form and beautiful appearance and it came to pass one day and the youth went out to the market and the Minister saw him and he desired him in his heart and took him to his house and raised him as his son and it was when the Minister grew old and he called for Joseph and said to him behold now, I have grown old and grey and I do not know the day of my death and now my son, listen to my voice for all that I command you go now to that city and ask for a certain man and his name is Reuben, and say to him, thus says my father send me the money which I deposited in your hand and Joseph went and came to the city and found the man and said to him, give me the money which my father deposited in your hand; and the man said to him, as the Lord lives, if I knew who is your father and what is his name and what he deposited in my hand and Joseph returned to his father and told him these things and the father's anger burned greatly and he said to him, return to the man and say to him, if you do not give me the money, my father will come and take it from your hand by force; and Joseph went and spoke to him according to these words; and the man said to him I did not know your father nor his money; go away from me
⟦illegible⟧ A story of one who invited the minister to his house and set before him and gave before him ⟦...⟧ things When he came to his house, he gave him bread and salt and said to him, my lord ⟦...⟧ The minister said to him, thus you have brought me shame, you will not do me honor for honor is from him and from him you shall be ashamed; such is this parable for if they were to do so for Israel and give them all good things they would have great shame that the Holy One, blessed be He, gives them all good and they do not do the will of the Omnipresent, and this is I am unworthy of all the mercies and of all the truth ⟦line⟧ A story of one who had a son and wanted to teach him Torah and he did not want to, and so he hired a teacher for him in his house but he did not want to learn and would flee from the house until he grew up and was idle and sitting on street corners His father saw this and said to him, my son, how long will you go on being idle Behold, I have grown old and you have not learned any craft and what will you do in your end? Go and learn trade and be a merchant and earn much money, and he gave him much money And he went overseas and conducted trade and earned much And on his return, robbers set upon him and took everything that he had, and he came to his father naked and barefoot ⟦line⟧ S S His father saw this and said to him, my son, woe is me for you that you remain empty of everything; if you had studied Torah, they would not be able to take it from you, as it is said: For they are our life and the length of our days; and you left eternal life and engaged in temporary life Therefore it is said And a man wrestled with him, and all his property was not significant in his eyes, as if he had nothing, and this is what is said And Jacob was left alone And they gave permission to Reuben from a standard gift he did not know about to return it back to Reuben via a deed. And the aforementioned Shimon also admitted before us the aforementioned Shimon how the aforementioned Shimon admitted before us how the aforementioned Shimon admitted before us how and also the aforementioned Shimon admitted before us how he admitted before us the aforementioned Shimon how the aforementioned Shimon admitted before us how the aforementioned Shimon admitted before us how and also the aforementioned Shimon admitted before us how he admitted before us the aforementioned Shimon how the aforementioned Shimon admitted before us how the aforementioned Shimon admitted before us how and also the aforementioned Shimon admitted before us how he admitted before us the aforementioned Shimon how the aforementioned Shimon admitted before us how the aforementioned Shimon admitted before us how and also the aforementioned Shimon admitted before us how he admitted before us the aforementioned Shimon how the aforementioned Shimon admitted before us how the aforementioned Shimon admitted before us how and also the aforementioned Shimon admitted before us how he admitted before us the aforementioned Shimon how the aforementioned Shimon admitted before us how the aforementioned Shimon admitted before us how and also the aforementioned Shimon admitted before us how he admitted before us the aforementioned Shimon how the aforementioned Shimon admitted before us how the aforementioned Shimon admitted before us how and also the aforementioned Shimon admitted before us how he admitted before us ⟦illegible - faded/damaged bottom section⟧
H' Yosef bar Yosef ⟦...⟧ Menachem David ben Meir HaLevi ⟦...⟧ And R' Meir son of R' ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ here 24th of Nisan the year 5576 (?) In the city of Baghdad, may the Almighty protect it, under the rule of the King ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧ ⟦...⟧
With God's help, Tuesday, 22nd of Adar II, 5662 To the excellence of my dear friend and companion, the complete and inclusive sage, The honorable Rabbi Yosef Chaim, may his Rock protect and sustain him, After greetings as is due to those who love his good name, behold his precious letter has reached me In its time, and I rejoiced to greet the peace of his pure soul, and regarding What he wrote to me about the matter of R' Eliyahu, may his Rock protect and sustain him, Behold, I have already written to him at length via the special messenger Whom I sent to him yesterday, and it has surely already reached his hand, And God willing, when I arrive there, I will speak with him face to face Regarding the entire aforementioned matter in detail, for writing cannot contain everything. And now I shall be brief and depart in peace, life, and blessing, much peace. Your faithful servant, who seeks your peace and welfare at all times, The humble one, Sasson ⟦illegible⟧ On the guard of his command, I have kept to inform him That regarding the sum of five pounds that he sent me by The messenger, I received them with great joy and many thanks. Regarding the matter of R' Avraham HaKohen, may his Rock protect and sustain him, of which he wrote to me In his aforementioned letter, behold, I have already spoken with him harshly and he Persists in his rebellion and does not want to listen to the voice of teachers, and I Do not have the power in my hand to force him more than this, and what I have done I did for the sake of his exalted honor, and now his honor shall see what To do with him, for I have withdrawn my hand from this matter Entirely, and it is not my desire to deal with this further, for he is A stiff-necked man and has no remedy except through suffering, And may the Blessed Name put in his heart to return in complete repentance, And remove from him the heart of stone and give him a heart of flesh, And peace be upon Israel and upon the Rabbis and upon all those joined To them, as is the soul of your faithful servant, The writer with a broken and contrite heart, Expecting the salvation of the Lord soon. ⟦illegible⟧ may He perform a miracle for him and may he see miracles and wonders and succeed in all his ways and may he be blessed by the mouth of the Most High and be beloved above and pleasant below and find grace and favor in the eyes of God and man and all who see him shall say blessed is He and blessed is His name and all that he does shall succeed and may he have grace and favor and mercy in the eyes of the king and the ministers and all who see him shall honor him and love him and may he have a good name in all the land and may he have great success in all the work of his hands and may he have peace and tranquility and quiet and confidence and may he have life long and good and may he have lasting offspring and may he have wealth and honor and may he have all good forever Amen Netzach Sela and may he have great success in all his business and may he have grace and favor and mercy in the eyes of all who see him and may he have a good name in all the land and may he have great success in all the work of his hands and may he have peace and tranquility Amen, may it be so May it be the will before You, O Lord our God and God of our fathers that You act for the sake of Your great and holy name and grant success to [so-and-so] son of [so-and-so] in all his ways