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Code of the Bikur Cholim Society of Frankfurt
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<b>Rare Historic Document from the Old Jewish Congregation in Frankfurt </b>
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<b>Parchment Manuscript </b>
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<b>Autographed by Rabbi Nosson Adler </b>
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<b>Frankfurt, 1760</b>
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Inscribed entirely on parchment, this captivating Code of the Bikur Cholim Society of Frankfurt encompasses 45 ordinances and signatures of over 270 prominent members of the 18th century Frankfurt Jewish community. This manuscript features the rare and sacred autograph of the saintly kabbalist and miracle-worker Rabbi Nosson Adler who was the prime mentor of the Chasam Sofer.
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The extensive list of Jewish families whose names appear on this deed include many famous names that are synonymous with Frankfurt’s golden age, among them the families Oppenheim, Ansbach, Emmerich, Floersheim, Schiff, Trier Rothschild, Binga, Fulda, Scheier, Speyer, Schwab, Henna, Schwartzshield, Sonnes, Adler, Kahn, Schluss, Wallach, Ittingen, Schuster, Maz, Raff, Manheim and many others.
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The Frankfurt Jewish community prided itself on its precise order and efficiency, and distinguished itself with its cornerstone of mutual help and charity for those in need. The community established an extensive social services network to assist their fellow Jews, and one of the most noteworthy branches was the Bikur Cholim Society which cared for any Jewish patient who could not afford competent medical care. The community further extended Chevra Kaddisha services to a resident who could not afford the costs of burial and arranged learning and shemirah from the hour of death until burial.
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This historic document offers a fascinating glimpse into the rich Jewish community life and culture that prevailed during the golden era of Jewish Frankfurt.
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The Ordinances:
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The Code encompasses 45 sections stipulating the rights and liabilities of the Society members in great detail. Every male and female member of the Society who paid a steady membership fee was entitled to receive medical care from the Society.
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The elected Gabbaim were responsible to supervise and ensure that the patients would be visited at home by a doctor who would determine whether or not it was necessary to admit the patient to the Society’s infirmary which had designated rooms for patients in need of full time care. The Gabbaim were likely liable to ensure that patients received all their meals and medicines regularly.
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The Bikur Cholim Society employed two Jewish doctors who were both members of the Frankfurt Jewish community—Dr. Fes Rofeh and Dr. Rabbi Anschel Rofeh, (who authored Syag LaTorah, printed in Frankfurt am Main, 1766 - Note that even the doctors were Torah giants)—and was charged with providing medical care to all Society members (Sec. 31).
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In the event that a Society member passed away, the Society took responsibility to arrange burial, a tombstone, a Ner Tamid, and learn and recite Kaddish in order to elevate his soul.
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The Code further stipulated the membership fee collection policy, penalties meted out to Gabbaim who did not fulfill their duties faithfully, and election policy.
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Rabbi Nosson Adler’s sacred autograph appears on Page 2, Column 2, Line 15. He was 18 years old when he signed this document
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<b>Rabbi Nosson Adler Katz</b> (1742-1800) was renowned as a “man of G-d, holy and pious priest” (Shu”t Ksav Sofer Orach Chaim 48). He established his yeshiva in Frankfurt when he was 20 years old . He was a saintly kabbalist and miracle worker who was the prime mentor and illustrious teacher of the Chasam Sofer . In his eulogy upon his beloved spiritual master, the Chasam Sofer expressed that “he attained the pinnacle of chassidus and prishus…and there was no secret unrevealed to him, and all gates of Torah were open before him.” He further attests that a fire once tore through the city of Frankfurt, yet the conflagration did not approach Rabbi Nosson’s house (Drashos Chasam Sofer pps 371-373).
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The Chasam Sofer’s son Rabbi Shimon Sofer once inscribed that Rabbi Nosson Adler was “an angel of Hashem”, yet his father rebuked him and said, “Why do you write that he is an angel of Hashem? No angel has ever attained his level! No angel has ever approached the level of my master (Hagahos Shaar Yosef ibid). The Baal Haflaah similarly expressed at Rabbi Nosson Adler’s funeral that “he was beyond human in his greatness” (Mishnas Rabbi Nosson).
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“Frankfurt is a great city to G-d among all the cities in Europe, a beacon to which all turn.” (Rabbi Sheftel son of the Shl”a, preface to Vavey HaAmudim)
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Description: Frankfurt am Main, 7 Adar, 5520 (1760). Written in Hebrew interspersed with Yiddish. Very large folded page with 3 handwritten sides. Size of each side: 62x34 cm. Condition: Minor stains and wear; several autographs faded or erased (some erased at the time that it was written, due to the passing of a member.) Preserved in a leather-bound antique case.
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<b>PROVENANCE</b>: Sotheby's, New York, Printed Books and Autograph Letters, February 25, 1976, lot 371.
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US$80,000
Other
US$1,800
· Dec 2025
<b>Sefer Yesod </b>
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<b>Shu”t Shaar Ephraim, First Edition </b>
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<b>Sulzbach, 1688</b>
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*
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Published by the Author’s Son, Rabbi Leib HaKohen Katz
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One hundred and seventy questions and answers by Rabbi Ephraim HaKohen of Vilna, among the leading poskim of his generation, close friend of the Shach, and grandfather of the Chacham Tzvi.
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Rabbi Ephraim, who “illuminated the eyes of all Yisrael with his rulings and judgments” (as stated in the approbations), was widely sought after for halachic decisions, and his sefer came to be regarded as one of the foremost halachic works of his era.
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The sefer was printed by his son, “the chassid among the kohanim” (in the words of the Chida), the Gaon Rabbi Aryeh Yehudah Leib HaKohen, who wrote an important and interesting introduction, added extensive glosses to the main body, and composed a Kuntres Acharon at the end of the sefer — all of which are quoted in later poskim, including the Shvus Yaakov.
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Rabbi Leib traveled to Jerusalem in 1686 and dedicated an entire year almost exclusively to preparing the sefer for print. On his journey he obtained rare and distinguished approbations from the rabbanim of Jerusalem, Chevron and Tzfas, Rabbi Moshe Zacuto of Mantua, and the rabbanim of Prague.
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In another lot of this catalog appear rare autograph glosses by Rabbi Leib HaChassid himself; in one of them he defends his father’s position in Shaar Ephraim, the very sefer before us.
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<b>On leaf 47a, a small note has been affixed, containing five handwritten lines by an unidentified gaon. <br /><br /></b>
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<b>The author, Rabbi Ephraim HaKohen of Vilna</b> (c. 1616–1678), was one of the disciples of the Chelkas Mechokek, and dayan in Vilna alongside his friend the Shach, Rabbi Aharon Shmuel Kaidanover (Birkas HaZevach), and the Beis Hillel. In 1655 he fled the Chmielnicki massacres to Moravia, serving there in several communities (Mezritch Gadol, Prague, and others), and ultimately settled in the city of Óbuda (Buda) in Hungary, where he passed away.
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Among his noted descendants are his son, the chassid Rabbi Leib mentioned above, his grandson the Chacham Tzvi, and his great-grandson the Yaabetz, from whom emerged a distinguished lineage of Torah luminaries.
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<b>The author’s son, Rabbi Leib HaKohen Katz</b> (after 1648 – before 1732) was the youngest son of the renowned posek Rabbi Ephraim HaKohen of Vilna, and studied Torah under him with his nephew, Rabbi Tzvi Ashkenazi, the Chacham Tzvi (who was a grandson of Rabbi Ephraim).
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He immigrated to Jerusalem in 1686, where he studied under Rabbi Moshe Galanti (HaMagen), and became one of the leading figures of the Ashkenazic community there. He was the one who proposed appointing Rabbi Dovid Oppenheim of Nikolsburg and Prague as “Nasi of Eretz Yisrael.” He also signed the Jerusalem cherem against remnants of the Sabbateans, together with his father-in-law, the chief rabbi of Jerusalem, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchaki.
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<b>Sulzbach, 1688. First and rare edition. </b>
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<b>Page Count:</b> 114 leaves.
<b> Size: </b>31.3 cm.
<b>Condition: </b>Generally good; minor repair at margins of the first four leaves. Antique binding, slightly defective.
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On the title page appears the signature of Rabbi Yaakov Koppel Schaningen, dayan of the district of Würzburg, alongside Rabbi Avraham Bing, who passed away in 1816.
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<b>Bibliography:</b> Stefansky, Sifrei Yesod, no. 302.
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US$1,800
Other
US$70,000
· Feb 2025
<p>Hundreds of Handwritten Hagahos by the <b>Tosfos Shabbos</b></p>
<p> and Hagahos <b>Yitav Lev of Satmar</b></p>
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<p> on Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim <br /><b>*</b></p>
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Hundreds (!!!) of annotations by the holy hand of Rabbi Refael Meisels, author of ‘Tosfos Shabbos’, and the Admor Rabbi Yekusiel Yehuda Teitelbaum, Av Beis Din of Sighet and author of ‘Yitav Lev’. This sefer also features one autographed annotation with the Rebbe’s famous acronym of YYT”V.
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These marginalia are written in the wide margins of a volume of the Maginei Eretz Edition of Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim (Amsterdam, 1754).
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In leaf 251, Rabbi Refael Meisels refers the learner to his sefer ‘Tosfos Shabbos’: “See my sefer T”S Ch. 276…”
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These hagahos were printed by the Tosfos Shabbos’ son Rabbi Chaim Meisels, who was one of the esteemed dayanim in Lvov, in ‘Sefer HaYakar’ (Lvov, 1795). Several of the hagahos were also included in the ‘Sefer HaPla’im’ which was printed in the later edition of ‘Tosfos Shabbos’ (Zolkova, 1807).
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<b>Rabbi Refael Meisels</b> (circa 1698-1778), Av Beis Din of Harkov and Paritzk and author of ‘Tosfos Shabbos’, was one of the legendary Rabbanim of 18th century Poland and among the greatest of the Achronim. He was a descendant of the Rema, Bach, and a grandson of the Chelkas Mechokek whom he refers to as “my grandfather” in the present hagahos (leaf 65b). He was renowned for his remarkable sanctity and abstention from worldly pleasures.
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Rabbi Refael gained worldwide acclaim for his magnum opus ‘Tosfos Shabbos’ which became one of the fundamental sefarim on Hilchos Shabbos and was studied extensively by Gedolei Yisrael, among them the Pri Megadim, Machatzis Hashekel, Mishnah Brurah and other notable poskim of the ensuing generations. His wisdom and righteousness was extolled by the contemporary Gedolim of his time such as the Noda B’Yehudah, Baal Haflaah and Rabbi Itzik’l of Hamburg who all inscribed remarkable haskamos to his sefer.
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The Maggid of Trisk, who authored the ‘Magen Avraham’, attested that the author of Tosfos Shabbos was “a holy man of G-d” and journeyed specially to pray at his tomb (Hakdamah to Toldos Yosef Landau, Av Beis Din of Iasi in Note #5.)
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<b>The Admor Rabbi Yekusiel Yehuda Halberstam </b>(1808-1883) was the author of ‘Yitav Lev’ and founder of the illustrious Sighet Chassidic dynasty. He was the son of Rabbi Eliezer Nissan, Av Beis Din of Dhurovitch, who was the son of the Yismach Moshe. Rabbi Yekusiel Yehuda Halberstam was renowned as one of the greatest Rebbes and poskim in Hungary. In 1858, he was appointed Av Beis Din of Sighet where he founded a famous yeshivah and was eventually crowned Rebbe, attracting thousands of avid chassidim from across Hungary and beyond. His famous sefarim include ‘Yitav Lev’, ‘Yitav Panim’, ‘Rav Tuv’ and ‘Shu”t Avnei Tzedek’.
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The margins of the present volume of Shulchan Aruch feature a handful of hagahos by his holy hand, chiddushim on the Magen Avraham, Taz and some corrections. On leaf 18a, the Yitav Lev sketched the shape of the letter shin in order to clarify the Magen Avraham’s intention. His autograph appears at the end of one annotation on leaf 29a. The title page of the sefer includes a list of kvittelach from his chassidim and talmidim.
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<b> Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim with Pri Chadash and Even HaOzer. Amsterdam, 1754. </b>
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<b>Page Count: </b>[2], 36, [4], 37-331.
<b>Page Size:</b> 33.5 cm. Wide margins.
<b>Condition:</b> Illustrated title and
<b>last 6 leaves of ‘Pri Chadash’</b> (leaves 332-338)
<b>missing</b>. Several of the hagahos are slightly cropped. Light damage to several leaves. New leather binding.
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US$70,000
Other
US$2,200
· Jul 2025
<b>Printed at the Behest of the Vilna Gaon! </b>
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<b>Sefer Kaneh HaMiddah on the Science of Astronomy Including the Rare Folding Charts! </b>
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<b>Prague, 1784 </b>
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<br />Sefer Kaneh HaMiddah, a work on the computation of triangles — both planar and spherical — as a tool for understanding the heights of the heavens, the distances of the stars and their movements, translated by Rabbi Baruch Schick of Shklov, author of Amudei Shamayim.
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<b>The sefer was translated into Lashon HaKodesh by direct instruction of the Vilna Gaon! </b>
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In 1778, Rabbi Baruch visited the luminary of the generation, the Vilna Gaon, and they spoke at length about the vital importance of secular sciences as a necessary and complementary aid to the study of Torah. The Gaon instructed him to extract from the works of non-Jewish scholars and “translate whatever possible into our holy tongue, ” for “Torah and wisdom are inseparable.”
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Indeed, Rabbi Baruch went on to translate two scientific works into Hebrew. The first was Sefer Euclides, printed in The Hague in 1780; four years later, he printed Sefer Kaneh HaMiddah, as presented here.
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The story of the Gaon’s directive is recorded by Rabbi Baruch himself at the beginning of Sefer Euclides, and is also cited by Rabbi Avraham Simchah of Mstsislaw (a nephew of Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin), who writes:
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“It is already known among trustworthy G-d-fearing individuals, that our great and holy master, the pious genius, a saint as of old — our master and teacher Eliyahu of blessed memory of Vilna — yearned that the necessary works of sciences for understanding the sacred words of our holy prophets and our holy sages of the Talmud and their cryptic sayings in many places, be translated into our holy language,
<b>and he urged the distinguished sage, Rabbi Baruch of Shklov, to translate them to the best of his ability.” </b>
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It is noteworthy that the Vilna Gaon himself authored a treatise on this very discipline, which was published from his autograph manuscript under the title Eil Meshulash (Vilna 1834).
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<b>The Rare Charts <br /><br /></b>
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Bound at the end of the sefer are three folding charts containing diagrams and illustrations for calculating distances and angles between celestial bodies and the earth.
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On the third chart, three illustrated flaps are affixed above three diagrams, designed to be lifted, transforming the chart into a magnificent three-dimensional display!
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<b>The sefer itself is rare, the charts are exceedingly rare, and the third chart is not recorded at all in some bibliographic sources! </b>
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The third chart does not appear in the scanned copy in Otzar HaChochma, and even in Winograd’s Otzar HaSefer HaIvri only two charts are listed.
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The calculations presented in this sefer are “the very soul of astronomical wisdom and the laws of Kiddush HaChodesh, ” as the Nodah B’Yehudah wrote, and “they are of great necessity for understanding the profound reasoning of our Talmudic sages in various places throughout Shas” (from his approbation, found in some copies - see below).
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<b>Rabbi Baruch Schick of Shklov </b>(1744-1808) was a scion of the illustrious Schick family of Shklov. A genius and kabbalist who was versed both in Revealed and Hidden Torah and secular wisdoms, he received semichah from Rabbi Avraham Katzenellenbogen, Av Beis Din of Brisk, and served as Dayan in the community of Minsk. In addition to the present work, he also edited and published the sefarim Yesod Olam, Euclides and Derech Yesharah. His descendants include the brilliant brothers, authors of Mishkenos Yaakov and Keren Orah.
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<b>Prague, 1784. First edition. </b>
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<b>Page Count: </b>[2], [1] 3–12 leaves + [3] folding charts.
<b>Size:</b> 20.3 cm.
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On the front flyleaf is a handwritten note that the sefer was given as a gift for the bar mitzvah of Reb Daniel, son of the dignitary Rabbi Michael Steinschneider, by Rabbi Gavriel Bindlish. (Rabbi Michael Leib Steinschneider was likely a cousin of Rabbi Daniel Prostitz-Steinschneider, Av Beis Din of Pressburg. See Alei Zikaron, no. 63, p. 7.)
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An unusual antique binding, featuring an embossed monogram: D.S.S. [Daniel Steinschneider].
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<b>Provenance:</b> William Gross Collection, Tel Aviv.
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<b>Variant <br /><br /></b>
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The first leaf was printed twice by the author. In the initial printing, on the verso of the title page, he included a foreword in which he explained that he did not seek approbations for this sefer, as had been done by other authors of similar works.
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Apparently, shortly afterward he changed his mind and requested the approbation of the Nodah B’Yehudah, and he reprinted the first leaf, omitted the foreword, and replaced it with the approbation.
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<b>The present copy contains the first printing of the opening leaf, with the foreword. This variant is not recorded in the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book! </b>
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US$2,200
Other
US$60,000
· Apr 2017
Derashot (sermons) by Rabbi Ya'akov Antebi, which were delivered by him in Damascus before a large audience, halachic responsum, halachic novellae and novellae on the Shas and separate Torah novellae on the books of the Poskim. A manuscript that has never been printed. A historical and religious discovery! Includes biographic information which was unknown so far.
264 leaves written on both their sides. A large, thick volume. 16x23 cm.
The manuscript and the background for its writing
Rabbi Ya'akov Antebi started writing the manuscript in Damascus and completed it after immigrating to Jerusalem. When he was still in Damascus, he wrote his sermons and responsum, including "the version of the Prozbul that I had done here in 1820 the year of the Shemitah in Damascus".
After the "Damascus Affair" of 1840, he left Damascus and immigrated to Jerusalem. He took the manuscript with him as well as some other separate leaves with sermons he had written.
In Jerusalem, he organized the Sermons he had delivered in Damascus and wrote them down. In addition, he added to the manuscript halachic responsum he had written in Damascus and Jerusalem, Halachic novellae, novellae on the Tur and the Shulchan Aruch and novellae on the Poskim, Rishonim and Achronim, novellae on the Shas, Aggadah and Midrash, different Segulot and more.
The content of the manuscript
Forty one long sermons that he had delivered in Damascus
In some of the sermons for Sabbath, in several places, Rabbi Ya'akov notes were the sermon was delivered and that "a large audience" was present. Long sermons, some of them of 20 pp. some contain a poetic preface with the topic of the sermon. Some of them are dated. His handwritten signatures appear at the end of some of the sermons and responsum. On esignature is in the initials "Y.A.K". on leaf [49] his handwritten signature with a calligraphic curl.
Sermons for Shabbat Ha'Gadol: 1815, 1825, 1826, 1827, 1829.
Sermons for the Sabbath before Rosh Ha'Shana: 1828, 1829, 1831.
Sermons for Shabbat Teshuvah: undated, 1826, 1828.
Sermons for Shabbat Zachor: 1822, 1827 (about 30 pp.), 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, 1834.
Sermons for weddings.
Sermons about respect for one's parents.
Sermons for eulogies: the anniversary of Ezra's death, the anniversary of Menachem Farkhi's death (on the virtue of those who suppert learners of the Torah), sermon about the day of death and the importance of repentance, sermon about the death of the pious which granst atonement, eulogy for his father a month after his death, eulogy for his father a year after his death, eulogy for Rabbi Bechor Laniado (1817), eulogy for his mother a month after her deat, sermon about the virues of the elderly.
Twelve long halachic responsum
Among them: a responsum about the holiness of writing God's name, a halachic responsum regarding the Cultural Mandate, a polemic responsum regarding a Yevamah who came to him and the Rishon Le'Zion Rabbi Moshe Suzin – in his responsum, the rabbi recalls his dispute with the Rishon Le'Zion, responsum regarding an apartment Rabbi Ya'akov had rented in Jerusalem – a polemic responsum with his biography and his adjustment to Jerusalem and more.
In addition: dozens of halachic and Aggadic novellae, novellae on the Shas and many other matters.
A full description of the content of the manuscript, leaf by leaf, will be given upon request.
A special historical discovery!
The Torah of Rabbi Antebi that appears in this manuscript has never been printed!
The quill pen and the script
In the manuscript, we find changes in the quill pen and times of writing. Sometimes, the script is small and dense and sometimes it is spaced. Throughout the manuscript, there are erasures and corrections, footnotes and various additions (as detailed in the attached list), which clearly indicate that all that was written is in the author's handwriting (except for single pages, as detailed hereinafter).
Th ewriting of the manuscript was done during the years 1815-1846.
On leaf [8] to leaf [9] on the lower third of the page, stylish script that differs from Rabbi Ya'akov's handwriting. It is most likely the script of a scribe or the handwriting of his son.
In several places in the manuscript, there is different script (see leaves [18] first page, [21] second page and onwards and the title on page [26]), most likely, his son's handwriting.
The importance of the manuscript
We can learn many important things from the manuscript, things which so far had been unknown regarding his personality and doctrine. We will note two of them here:
Personal and historical information
The manuscript contains personal and historical information.
For example, on the inner side of the binding: "year 5602 to the creation [1842], I have left Damascus for a good life and peace … and I have come, me and the members of my household … to the holy city of Jerusalem on the 25th of Sivan 5602. And today the 13th of Elul was the wedding of my daughter Esther with the groom Shmuel Akiva Ben Reb Yesha'aya and he travelled abroad on Motza'ei Pesach 5604 may it be God's will that he returns …" Under this inscription, his son wrote: "The death of my father and teacher Wednesday the 8th of Tishrei 5607 [1847] the young Moshe Chaim Antebi S.T".
In the sermons, we find his relationship with the respected Farkhi family.
From the last responsum of the manuscript, regarding an apartment rented by Rabbi Ya'akov in Jerusalem, which recalls how evil people came to throw him out of the apartment and to blackmail him, we learn about Rabbi Ya'akov's attitude towards the Rishon Le'Zion Rabbi Avraham Chaim Gagin and how he coped with those who slandered him.
His style of learning Halacha and Aggadah
The manuscript teaches us about Rabbi Ya'akov style of learning Halacha and Aggadah. The style of the sermons is similar to that of Sephardic rabbis in general and the rabbis of Aleppo in particular – to question the Midrash or verse and then explain it according to prefaces of Sugiyot Ha'Shas or halachic prefaces of books by the Poskim and halachic responsa.
The responsum demonstrates Rabbi Ya'akov's insistence to get to the bottom of things and his vast knowledge of the books of the Rishonim and Achronim and responsa books.
It also demonstrates that his piety preceded his wisdom since he ends each responsum with a sentence like the following: "and may God direct me in finding the truth and save me from mistakes and will show me the wonders of His Torah and will illuminate my heart with it…"
At the beginning and end of the manuscript he introduces several Segulot that he had copied from different books. At the beginning of the manuscript: "a prayer to be said before a sermon". At the end of the manuscript, a Segulah he had copied from a manuscript "of Rabbi Shmuel Pinto in the name of Rabbi Chaim Vital Segulah against illness… and he cursed in that manuscript anyone who revealed the secret to a gentile".
Another interesting thing is that despite the torments and suffering Rabbi Ya'akov had gone through, he continued to study and teach Torah in Jerusalem and wrote responsum on complicated halachic matters and novellae on the Shas and Aggadah.
On leaf [49] it is written "and I have added now a little frro what is written in my small book" indicating that Rabbi Ya'akov had authored another book of novellae which has not been discovered.
Rabbi Ya'akov Antebi – his life, greatness and holiness and the "Damascus Affair"
Rabbi Ya'akov Antebi, the Chief Rabbi of Damascus for thirty years, a Torah, Kabbala and Hassidism genius, who had gone through great torments and suffering.
He was born in Aleppo in 1787 to his father Rabbi Yitzchak Antebi. In his youth he was ordained as a "Posek" by Rabbi Yosef Chazan author of "Chikrei Lev". After his marriage to the Rebbetzen Mazal Tov, he left Aleppo and moved to Damascus.
At the time, there was an intense dispute between the community leaders regarding the position of Chief Rabbi of Damascus, which opened up at the time. The wealthy men of the community believed that he who pays the piper calls the tune and therefore did not want a rabbi who was economically self-sufficient and will therefore also be politically self-sufficient. The favorite candidate at the time was the prominent Rabbi Chaim Nissim Abulafia, who was wealthy, old and a great Torah scholar. However, the wealthy men of the community preferred a poor, modest and inexperienced person – Rabbi Ya'akov Antebi - not because of his modesty or erudition but because they wanted a person they thought will be submissive to their authority because of his economic dependence on them. In 1809, when he was only 22 years old, Rabbi Antebi became the Chief Rabbi and Av Beit Din of Damascus.
Yet to the bitter surprise and disappointment of the wealthy leaders of the community, and despite his poverty, Rabbi Ya'akov remained loyal to his principles, to Din Torah and to the Halacha. The wealthy men did not cease to abuse him by holding back his wages for years, as indicated by a letter he sent to Sir Moses Montefiore in 1841 in which he describes three of the leaders of the community of Damascus: "these are my enemies, since they do not follow in God's footsteps and I admonish them and therefore they have been holding back my wages for the last two and a half years".
Rabbi Ya'akov was not intimidated and continued to serve as the Chief Rabbi of Damascus for more than thirty years.
When he was Chief Rabbi of Damascus, there was a scandal in the Farkhi family due to a struggle over the estate of the wealthy Reb Chaim Farkhi between the sons of Chaim Farkhi and his brother.
The scandal preoccupied the Beit Din of several large Jewish communities: Damascus, Aleppo, Jerusalem, Tiberius, Turkey and more. Against his will and despite his inconvenience, Rabbi Ya'akov was asked to rule how to divide the estate – emotions were stirred up so much so that Rabbi Ya'akov was cursed and disgraced and was even informed on to the government. All these upset him yet he continued to observe the commandment of "do not be afraid of the face of any man".
The affair accompanied Rabbi Ya'akov even after he immigrated to Jerusalem.
The "Damascus Affair"
Rabbi Ya'akov was titled "the well-known holy and pious rabbi" for sanctifying God's name by being tortured for months during the "Damascus Affair". The Damascus affair of 1840 refers to the arrest of thirteen notable members of the Jewish community of Damascus who were accused of murdering a Christian monk for ritual purposes. The anti-semitic blood libel resulted in the accused being imprisoned and tortured by the Ottoman authorities and the populace attacking and pillaging a local synagogue.
The background of the blood libel was the disappearance of Father Thomas, a French citizen originally from Sardinia, and the superior of a Franciscan convent at Damascus.
Upon Thomas' disappearance the French consul at Damascus, Ulysse de Ratti-Menton, who supported Christian merchants and advisers over Jewish ones, and Christian families seeking economic ascendancy over the formerly empowered Farkhi family, instituted investigations in the Jewish quarter giving rise to the suspicion that Jews were behind the priest's disappearance. The Egyptian governor of Syria, Sherif Pasha, wishing to court French sympathies engendered by relations between the French government and the Egyptian pasha, Muhammad Ali, allowed the accusations to take root. A confession was extorted by torture from a Jewish barber named Negrin, who claimed he had given a bottle with Thomas' blood to the Chief Rabbi of Damascus Rabbi Ya'akov Antebi. He also claimed that Rabbi Antebi was the one who had planned the murder and agreed to translate several verses of the Talmud that might explain the behavior of the Jews who committed the ritual murder. Thus, Rabbi Ya'akov Antebi became the major culprit of the affair.
On the 28th of February, bones "were found" in a canal of the Jewish Quarter. They were declared as the remains of Father Thomas and were buried in a festive ceremony. The authorities started looking for the blood that the Jews had taken. They used all the means they had and 63 Jewish children were captured and tortured.
The imprisonment and letter to Montefiore
Rabbi Ya'akov was imprisoned and suffered indescribable tortures (described in his letter to Montefiore).
In time, Rabbi Ya'akov's letter to Montefiore served as the main source for describing and documenting the affair. The letter was printed in the book "Be'Or Ha'Chaim", published by Rabbi Ya'akov's grandson, Rabbi Avraham Ya'akov Antebi (Jerusalem, 1929).
The struggle, release and immigration to the Land of Israel
The rumor about Rabbi Ya'akov's imprisonment reached the Jewish world, which was shocked. The Rothschild family, the French lawyer Adolphe Crémieux and of course, Sir Moses Montefiore acted to release the prisoners.
With his release from the prison of Damascus, Rabbi Ya'akov decided to leave the town and immigrate to Jerusalem, to spend the rest of his days in holiness and purity. He packed his belongings and left with his family on the long journey to the Land of Israel. On his way, he visited all the graves of the Tzaddikim in the Land of Israel, saying "Birkat Ha'Gomel" and "Mi She'Berach" for Sir Montefiore and his wife.
When he arrived in Jerusalem, he wrote a Piyut expressing his gratitude for his release and noting Sir Montefiore's assistance.
Rabbi Ya'akov showed kindness to all the residents of Jerusalem and did not discriminate against any of them, wealthy or poor, Jews or gentiles, Sephardic or Ashkenazic. Actually, he befriended the Ashkenazic rabbis. About this friendship, Rabbi Eliyahu Mordechai Eisenstein, the scribe of Rabbi Shmuel Salant, wrote: "… that deep love existed between Rabbi Ya'akov Antebi and Rabbi Moshe Maggid, the leader of Adat Ha'Prushim, their love was such that even in their death they did not separate and died in the same month, one after the other".
His death and gravestone
During the last years of his life, Rabbi Ya'akov lived with his family in Jerusalem, where he ruled and wrote responsum to questions on different matters.
He died in 1846 and was buried in Jerusalem on the 7th of Tishrei (27.9) 1846.
On his gravestone it was written: "Here is buried the great rabbi, well-known for his holiness and piety, who sanctified God's name with his body and soul and suffered bitter torture due to the known affair … in 1840".
His holy customs
When Rabbi Ya'akov died in Jerusalem, everyone talked about his greatness. Only then did his wife, the Rebbetzen Mazal Tov, tell what she had not dared to tell when he was alive: the Rabbi used to fast during the Shovavim days from Sabbath to Sabbath, for six consecutive days. She said that on Sabbath, Rabbi Ya'akov used to eat three meals and then the "Melaveh Malka" meal; however, after Havdalah, he would eat only a little and then start his fast until the next Sabbath. His wife, who fully understood him, would respect his wishes and not object.
Sources: "Chayav U'Fo'alo shel Ha'Rav Ha'Rashi Le'Damesek Ha'Rav Ya'akov Antebi" by Dr. Elioz Chefer Antebi, a descendant of the author. "La'Kedoshim asher Ba'Aretz", "Mamlechet Olam Ha'Halacha", "Arzei Ha'Levanon", different archives and websites.
His teachings
Much was written about Rabbi Ya'akov's Torah greatness.
For example, the fact that his great uncle, Rabbi Avraham Antebi, asked him to express his halachic opinion on one of the questions he was asked is mentioned in the book "Mor Ve'Ohalot". The book "Poel Tzeddek" by Rabbi Avraham Dayan present his responsum regarding the law of Moredet. His responsum on the matter of an Agunah was printed in the book "Zerah Ya'akov" by Rabbi Ya'akov Ninio. In addition, in his youth, Rabbi Ya'akov corresponded with the "Chikrei Lev", a correspondence that remained a manuscript (the Ben Zvi Institute).
He wrote a preface to the books "Mo'adei Hashem Ve'Kriei Kodesh" and "Chibat Yerushalayim", an important preface to the book "Nava Tehilah" on the Book of Psalms, with several Segulot, one of which was later cited by the "Ben Ish Chai".
There are several books which were printed with his glosses such as "Yad Malachi" and "Zechor Le'Avraham".
Rabbi Ya'akov wrote many songs and Piyutim that were printed in Sifrei Bakashot and were sung by the Jews of Damascus on Sabbath and Holidays.
Several of his teachings were printed in the book "Be'Or Ha'Chaim" as well as a halachic responsum titled "Abir Ya'akov" (the book is added, as follows).
And now, to all his known teachings is added a complete manuscript of his teachings. Our generation has merited discovering teachings by him which have never been printed, which have been unknown until now and which indicate his Torah greatness.
Imrei Ya'akov
Added is the book "Be'Or Ha'Chaim" (Jerusalem, 1929, first edition) – Derashot on the Torah by the kabbalist Rabbi Chaim Capoussi, the disciple of the Ari. At its end, "Imrei Ya'akov" – Divrei Torah by Rabbi Ya'akov Antebi. With the detailed letter written by Rabbi Ya'akov to Sir Moses Montefiore regarding the Damascus Affair.
The book was published by Rabbi Ya'akov's grandson, Rabbi Avraham Ya'akov Antebi and was prepared for printing by Rabbi David Zion Laniado.
On the reverse side of the title page, hand-filling by Rabbi Avraham Ya'akov Antebi with his signature.
Condition: Very Good. Original binding. Detached leaf.
Rabbi Avraham Ya'akov Antebi was born in Safed to his father Rabbi Yehuda Shabtai Raphael. He died in Cairo on the 17th of Shevat 1923. Was known for his piety and holiness. During World War I, he moved to Cairo and published the book "Be'Or Ha'Chaim".
Condition: Fair. On most of the leaves at the beginning of the manuscript, moth damage to the inner margins, with damage to text; however, it is readable. Detached leaves and damaged margins due to wear. Worn, original leather binding.
![<p>Hundreds of Handwritten Hagahos by the <b>Tosfos Shabbos</b></p>
<p> and Hagahos <b>Yitav Lev of Satmar</b></p>
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<p> on Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim <br /><b>*</b></p>
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Hundreds (!!!) of annotations by the holy hand of Rabbi Refael Meisels, author of ‘Tosfos Shabbos’, and the Admor Rabbi Yekusiel Yehuda Teitelbaum, Av Beis Din of Sighet and author of ‘Yitav Lev’. This sefer also features one autographed annotation with the Rebbe’s famous acronym of YYT”V.
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These marginalia are written in the wide margins of a volume of the Maginei Eretz Edition of Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim (Amsterdam, 1754).
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In leaf 251, Rabbi Refael Meisels refers the learner to his sefer ‘Tosfos Shabbos’: “See my sefer T”S Ch. 276…”
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These hagahos were printed by the Tosfos Shabbos’ son Rabbi Chaim Meisels, who was one of the esteemed dayanim in Lvov, in ‘Sefer HaYakar’ (Lvov, 1795). Several of the hagahos were also included in the ‘Sefer HaPla’im’ which was printed in the later edition of ‘Tosfos Shabbos’ (Zolkova, 1807).
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<b>Rabbi Refael Meisels</b> (circa 1698-1778), Av Beis Din of Harkov and Paritzk and author of ‘Tosfos Shabbos’, was one of the legendary Rabbanim of 18th century Poland and among the greatest of the Achronim. He was a descendant of the Rema, Bach, and a grandson of the Chelkas Mechokek whom he refers to as “my grandfather” in the present hagahos (leaf 65b). He was renowned for his remarkable sanctity and abstention from worldly pleasures.
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Rabbi Refael gained worldwide acclaim for his magnum opus ‘Tosfos Shabbos’ which became one of the fundamental sefarim on Hilchos Shabbos and was studied extensively by Gedolei Yisrael, among them the Pri Megadim, Machatzis Hashekel, Mishnah Brurah and other notable poskim of the ensuing generations. His wisdom and righteousness was extolled by the contemporary Gedolim of his time such as the Noda B’Yehudah, Baal Haflaah and Rabbi Itzik’l of Hamburg who all inscribed remarkable haskamos to his sefer.
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The Maggid of Trisk, who authored the ‘Magen Avraham’, attested that the author of Tosfos Shabbos was “a holy man of G-d” and journeyed specially to pray at his tomb (Hakdamah to Toldos Yosef Landau, Av Beis Din of Iasi in Note #5.)
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<b>The Admor Rabbi Yekusiel Yehuda Halberstam </b>(1808-1883) was the author of ‘Yitav Lev’ and founder of the illustrious Sighet Chassidic dynasty. He was the son of Rabbi Eliezer Nissan, Av Beis Din of Dhurovitch, who was the son of the Yismach Moshe. Rabbi Yekusiel Yehuda Halberstam was renowned as one of the greatest Rebbes and poskim in Hungary. In 1858, he was appointed Av Beis Din of Sighet where he founded a famous yeshivah and was eventually crowned Rebbe, attracting thousands of avid chassidim from across Hungary and beyond. His famous sefarim include ‘Yitav Lev’, ‘Yitav Panim’, ‘Rav Tuv’ and ‘Shu”t Avnei Tzedek’.
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The margins of the present volume of Shulchan Aruch feature a handful of hagahos by his holy hand, chiddushim on the Magen Avraham, Taz and some corrections. On leaf 18a, the Yitav Lev sketched the shape of the letter shin in order to clarify the Magen Avraham’s intention. His autograph appears at the end of one annotation on leaf 29a. The title page of the sefer includes a list of kvittelach from his chassidim and talmidim.
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<b> Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim with Pri Chadash and Even HaOzer. Amsterdam, 1754. </b>
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<b>Page Count: </b>[2], 36, [4], 37-331.
<b>Page Size:</b> 33.5 cm. Wide margins.
<b>Condition:</b> Illustrated title and
<b>last 6 leaves of ‘Pri Chadash’</b> (leaves 332-338)
<b>missing</b>. Several of the hagahos are slightly cropped. Light damage to several leaves. New leather binding.
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![<b>Printed at the Behest of the Vilna Gaon! </b>
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<b>Sefer Kaneh HaMiddah on the Science of Astronomy Including the Rare Folding Charts! </b>
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<b>Prague, 1784 </b>
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<br />Sefer Kaneh HaMiddah, a work on the computation of triangles — both planar and spherical — as a tool for understanding the heights of the heavens, the distances of the stars and their movements, translated by Rabbi Baruch Schick of Shklov, author of Amudei Shamayim.
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<b>The sefer was translated into Lashon HaKodesh by direct instruction of the Vilna Gaon! </b>
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In 1778, Rabbi Baruch visited the luminary of the generation, the Vilna Gaon, and they spoke at length about the vital importance of secular sciences as a necessary and complementary aid to the study of Torah. The Gaon instructed him to extract from the works of non-Jewish scholars and “translate whatever possible into our holy tongue, ” for “Torah and wisdom are inseparable.”
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Indeed, Rabbi Baruch went on to translate two scientific works into Hebrew. The first was Sefer Euclides, printed in The Hague in 1780; four years later, he printed Sefer Kaneh HaMiddah, as presented here.
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The story of the Gaon’s directive is recorded by Rabbi Baruch himself at the beginning of Sefer Euclides, and is also cited by Rabbi Avraham Simchah of Mstsislaw (a nephew of Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin), who writes:
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“It is already known among trustworthy G-d-fearing individuals, that our great and holy master, the pious genius, a saint as of old — our master and teacher Eliyahu of blessed memory of Vilna — yearned that the necessary works of sciences for understanding the sacred words of our holy prophets and our holy sages of the Talmud and their cryptic sayings in many places, be translated into our holy language,
<b>and he urged the distinguished sage, Rabbi Baruch of Shklov, to translate them to the best of his ability.” </b>
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It is noteworthy that the Vilna Gaon himself authored a treatise on this very discipline, which was published from his autograph manuscript under the title Eil Meshulash (Vilna 1834).
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<b>The Rare Charts <br /><br /></b>
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Bound at the end of the sefer are three folding charts containing diagrams and illustrations for calculating distances and angles between celestial bodies and the earth.
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On the third chart, three illustrated flaps are affixed above three diagrams, designed to be lifted, transforming the chart into a magnificent three-dimensional display!
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<b>The sefer itself is rare, the charts are exceedingly rare, and the third chart is not recorded at all in some bibliographic sources! </b>
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The third chart does not appear in the scanned copy in Otzar HaChochma, and even in Winograd’s Otzar HaSefer HaIvri only two charts are listed.
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The calculations presented in this sefer are “the very soul of astronomical wisdom and the laws of Kiddush HaChodesh, ” as the Nodah B’Yehudah wrote, and “they are of great necessity for understanding the profound reasoning of our Talmudic sages in various places throughout Shas” (from his approbation, found in some copies - see below).
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<b>Rabbi Baruch Schick of Shklov </b>(1744-1808) was a scion of the illustrious Schick family of Shklov. A genius and kabbalist who was versed both in Revealed and Hidden Torah and secular wisdoms, he received semichah from Rabbi Avraham Katzenellenbogen, Av Beis Din of Brisk, and served as Dayan in the community of Minsk. In addition to the present work, he also edited and published the sefarim Yesod Olam, Euclides and Derech Yesharah. His descendants include the brilliant brothers, authors of Mishkenos Yaakov and Keren Orah.
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<b>Prague, 1784. First edition. </b>
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<b>Page Count: </b>[2], [1] 3–12 leaves + [3] folding charts.
<b>Size:</b> 20.3 cm.
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On the front flyleaf is a handwritten note that the sefer was given as a gift for the bar mitzvah of Reb Daniel, son of the dignitary Rabbi Michael Steinschneider, by Rabbi Gavriel Bindlish. (Rabbi Michael Leib Steinschneider was likely a cousin of Rabbi Daniel Prostitz-Steinschneider, Av Beis Din of Pressburg. See Alei Zikaron, no. 63, p. 7.)
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An unusual antique binding, featuring an embossed monogram: D.S.S. [Daniel Steinschneider].
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<b>Provenance:</b> William Gross Collection, Tel Aviv.
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<b>Variant <br /><br /></b>
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The first leaf was printed twice by the author. In the initial printing, on the verso of the title page, he included a foreword in which he explained that he did not seek approbations for this sefer, as had been done by other authors of similar works.
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Apparently, shortly afterward he changed his mind and requested the approbation of the Nodah B’Yehudah, and he reprinted the first leaf, omitted the foreword, and replaced it with the approbation.
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<b>The present copy contains the first printing of the opening leaf, with the foreword. This variant is not recorded in the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book! </b>
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![Derashot (sermons) by Rabbi Ya'akov Antebi, which were delivered by him in Damascus before a large audience, halachic responsum, halachic novellae and novellae on the Shas and separate Torah novellae on the books of the Poskim. A manuscript that has never been printed. A historical and religious discovery! Includes biographic information which was unknown so far.
264 leaves written on both their sides. A large, thick volume. 16x23 cm.
The manuscript and the background for its writing
Rabbi Ya'akov Antebi started writing the manuscript in Damascus and completed it after immigrating to Jerusalem. When he was still in Damascus, he wrote his sermons and responsum, including "the version of the Prozbul that I had done here in 1820 the year of the Shemitah in Damascus".
After the "Damascus Affair" of 1840, he left Damascus and immigrated to Jerusalem. He took the manuscript with him as well as some other separate leaves with sermons he had written.
In Jerusalem, he organized the Sermons he had delivered in Damascus and wrote them down. In addition, he added to the manuscript halachic responsum he had written in Damascus and Jerusalem, Halachic novellae, novellae on the Tur and the Shulchan Aruch and novellae on the Poskim, Rishonim and Achronim, novellae on the Shas, Aggadah and Midrash, different Segulot and more.
The content of the manuscript
Forty one long sermons that he had delivered in Damascus
In some of the sermons for Sabbath, in several places, Rabbi Ya'akov notes were the sermon was delivered and that "a large audience" was present. Long sermons, some of them of 20 pp. some contain a poetic preface with the topic of the sermon. Some of them are dated. His handwritten signatures appear at the end of some of the sermons and responsum. On esignature is in the initials "Y.A.K". on leaf [49] his handwritten signature with a calligraphic curl.
Sermons for Shabbat Ha'Gadol: 1815, 1825, 1826, 1827, 1829.
Sermons for the Sabbath before Rosh Ha'Shana: 1828, 1829, 1831.
Sermons for Shabbat Teshuvah: undated, 1826, 1828.
Sermons for Shabbat Zachor: 1822, 1827 (about 30 pp.), 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, 1834.
Sermons for weddings.
Sermons about respect for one's parents.
Sermons for eulogies: the anniversary of Ezra's death, the anniversary of Menachem Farkhi's death (on the virtue of those who suppert learners of the Torah), sermon about the day of death and the importance of repentance, sermon about the death of the pious which granst atonement, eulogy for his father a month after his death, eulogy for his father a year after his death, eulogy for Rabbi Bechor Laniado (1817), eulogy for his mother a month after her deat, sermon about the virues of the elderly.
Twelve long halachic responsum
Among them: a responsum about the holiness of writing God's name, a halachic responsum regarding the Cultural Mandate, a polemic responsum regarding a Yevamah who came to him and the Rishon Le'Zion Rabbi Moshe Suzin – in his responsum, the rabbi recalls his dispute with the Rishon Le'Zion, responsum regarding an apartment Rabbi Ya'akov had rented in Jerusalem – a polemic responsum with his biography and his adjustment to Jerusalem and more.
In addition: dozens of halachic and Aggadic novellae, novellae on the Shas and many other matters.
A full description of the content of the manuscript, leaf by leaf, will be given upon request.
A special historical discovery!
The Torah of Rabbi Antebi that appears in this manuscript has never been printed!
The quill pen and the script
In the manuscript, we find changes in the quill pen and times of writing. Sometimes, the script is small and dense and sometimes it is spaced. Throughout the manuscript, there are erasures and corrections, footnotes and various additions (as detailed in the attached list), which clearly indicate that all that was written is in the author's handwriting (except for single pages, as detailed hereinafter).
Th ewriting of the manuscript was done during the years 1815-1846.
On leaf [8] to leaf [9] on the lower third of the page, stylish script that differs from Rabbi Ya'akov's handwriting. It is most likely the script of a scribe or the handwriting of his son.
In several places in the manuscript, there is different script (see leaves [18] first page, [21] second page and onwards and the title on page [26]), most likely, his son's handwriting.
The importance of the manuscript
We can learn many important things from the manuscript, things which so far had been unknown regarding his personality and doctrine. We will note two of them here:
Personal and historical information
The manuscript contains personal and historical information.
For example, on the inner side of the binding: "year 5602 to the creation [1842], I have left Damascus for a good life and peace … and I have come, me and the members of my household … to the holy city of Jerusalem on the 25th of Sivan 5602. And today the 13th of Elul was the wedding of my daughter Esther with the groom Shmuel Akiva Ben Reb Yesha'aya and he travelled abroad on Motza'ei Pesach 5604 may it be God's will that he returns …" Under this inscription, his son wrote: "The death of my father and teacher Wednesday the 8th of Tishrei 5607 [1847] the young Moshe Chaim Antebi S.T".
In the sermons, we find his relationship with the respected Farkhi family.
From the last responsum of the manuscript, regarding an apartment rented by Rabbi Ya'akov in Jerusalem, which recalls how evil people came to throw him out of the apartment and to blackmail him, we learn about Rabbi Ya'akov's attitude towards the Rishon Le'Zion Rabbi Avraham Chaim Gagin and how he coped with those who slandered him.
His style of learning Halacha and Aggadah
The manuscript teaches us about Rabbi Ya'akov style of learning Halacha and Aggadah. The style of the sermons is similar to that of Sephardic rabbis in general and the rabbis of Aleppo in particular – to question the Midrash or verse and then explain it according to prefaces of Sugiyot Ha'Shas or halachic prefaces of books by the Poskim and halachic responsa.
The responsum demonstrates Rabbi Ya'akov's insistence to get to the bottom of things and his vast knowledge of the books of the Rishonim and Achronim and responsa books.
It also demonstrates that his piety preceded his wisdom since he ends each responsum with a sentence like the following: "and may God direct me in finding the truth and save me from mistakes and will show me the wonders of His Torah and will illuminate my heart with it…"
At the beginning and end of the manuscript he introduces several Segulot that he had copied from different books. At the beginning of the manuscript: "a prayer to be said before a sermon". At the end of the manuscript, a Segulah he had copied from a manuscript "of Rabbi Shmuel Pinto in the name of Rabbi Chaim Vital Segulah against illness… and he cursed in that manuscript anyone who revealed the secret to a gentile".
Another interesting thing is that despite the torments and suffering Rabbi Ya'akov had gone through, he continued to study and teach Torah in Jerusalem and wrote responsum on complicated halachic matters and novellae on the Shas and Aggadah.
On leaf [49] it is written "and I have added now a little frro what is written in my small book" indicating that Rabbi Ya'akov had authored another book of novellae which has not been discovered.
Rabbi Ya'akov Antebi – his life, greatness and holiness and the "Damascus Affair"
Rabbi Ya'akov Antebi, the Chief Rabbi of Damascus for thirty years, a Torah, Kabbala and Hassidism genius, who had gone through great torments and suffering.
He was born in Aleppo in 1787 to his father Rabbi Yitzchak Antebi. In his youth he was ordained as a "Posek" by Rabbi Yosef Chazan author of "Chikrei Lev". After his marriage to the Rebbetzen Mazal Tov, he left Aleppo and moved to Damascus.
At the time, there was an intense dispute between the community leaders regarding the position of Chief Rabbi of Damascus, which opened up at the time. The wealthy men of the community believed that he who pays the piper calls the tune and therefore did not want a rabbi who was economically self-sufficient and will therefore also be politically self-sufficient. The favorite candidate at the time was the prominent Rabbi Chaim Nissim Abulafia, who was wealthy, old and a great Torah scholar. However, the wealthy men of the community preferred a poor, modest and inexperienced person – Rabbi Ya'akov Antebi - not because of his modesty or erudition but because they wanted a person they thought will be submissive to their authority because of his economic dependence on them. In 1809, when he was only 22 years old, Rabbi Antebi became the Chief Rabbi and Av Beit Din of Damascus.
Yet to the bitter surprise and disappointment of the wealthy leaders of the community, and despite his poverty, Rabbi Ya'akov remained loyal to his principles, to Din Torah and to the Halacha. The wealthy men did not cease to abuse him by holding back his wages for years, as indicated by a letter he sent to Sir Moses Montefiore in 1841 in which he describes three of the leaders of the community of Damascus: "these are my enemies, since they do not follow in God's footsteps and I admonish them and therefore they have been holding back my wages for the last two and a half years".
Rabbi Ya'akov was not intimidated and continued to serve as the Chief Rabbi of Damascus for more than thirty years.
When he was Chief Rabbi of Damascus, there was a scandal in the Farkhi family due to a struggle over the estate of the wealthy Reb Chaim Farkhi between the sons of Chaim Farkhi and his brother.
The scandal preoccupied the Beit Din of several large Jewish communities: Damascus, Aleppo, Jerusalem, Tiberius, Turkey and more. Against his will and despite his inconvenience, Rabbi Ya'akov was asked to rule how to divide the estate – emotions were stirred up so much so that Rabbi Ya'akov was cursed and disgraced and was even informed on to the government. All these upset him yet he continued to observe the commandment of "do not be afraid of the face of any man".
The affair accompanied Rabbi Ya'akov even after he immigrated to Jerusalem.
The "Damascus Affair"
Rabbi Ya'akov was titled "the well-known holy and pious rabbi" for sanctifying God's name by being tortured for months during the "Damascus Affair". The Damascus affair of 1840 refers to the arrest of thirteen notable members of the Jewish community of Damascus who were accused of murdering a Christian monk for ritual purposes. The anti-semitic blood libel resulted in the accused being imprisoned and tortured by the Ottoman authorities and the populace attacking and pillaging a local synagogue.
The background of the blood libel was the disappearance of Father Thomas, a French citizen originally from Sardinia, and the superior of a Franciscan convent at Damascus.
Upon Thomas' disappearance the French consul at Damascus, Ulysse de Ratti-Menton, who supported Christian merchants and advisers over Jewish ones, and Christian families seeking economic ascendancy over the formerly empowered Farkhi family, instituted investigations in the Jewish quarter giving rise to the suspicion that Jews were behind the priest's disappearance. The Egyptian governor of Syria, Sherif Pasha, wishing to court French sympathies engendered by relations between the French government and the Egyptian pasha, Muhammad Ali, allowed the accusations to take root. A confession was extorted by torture from a Jewish barber named Negrin, who claimed he had given a bottle with Thomas' blood to the Chief Rabbi of Damascus Rabbi Ya'akov Antebi. He also claimed that Rabbi Antebi was the one who had planned the murder and agreed to translate several verses of the Talmud that might explain the behavior of the Jews who committed the ritual murder. Thus, Rabbi Ya'akov Antebi became the major culprit of the affair.
On the 28th of February, bones "were found" in a canal of the Jewish Quarter. They were declared as the remains of Father Thomas and were buried in a festive ceremony. The authorities started looking for the blood that the Jews had taken. They used all the means they had and 63 Jewish children were captured and tortured.
The imprisonment and letter to Montefiore
Rabbi Ya'akov was imprisoned and suffered indescribable tortures (described in his letter to Montefiore).
In time, Rabbi Ya'akov's letter to Montefiore served as the main source for describing and documenting the affair. The letter was printed in the book "Be'Or Ha'Chaim", published by Rabbi Ya'akov's grandson, Rabbi Avraham Ya'akov Antebi (Jerusalem, 1929).
The struggle, release and immigration to the Land of Israel
The rumor about Rabbi Ya'akov's imprisonment reached the Jewish world, which was shocked. The Rothschild family, the French lawyer Adolphe Crémieux and of course, Sir Moses Montefiore acted to release the prisoners.
With his release from the prison of Damascus, Rabbi Ya'akov decided to leave the town and immigrate to Jerusalem, to spend the rest of his days in holiness and purity. He packed his belongings and left with his family on the long journey to the Land of Israel. On his way, he visited all the graves of the Tzaddikim in the Land of Israel, saying "Birkat Ha'Gomel" and "Mi She'Berach" for Sir Montefiore and his wife.
When he arrived in Jerusalem, he wrote a Piyut expressing his gratitude for his release and noting Sir Montefiore's assistance.
Rabbi Ya'akov showed kindness to all the residents of Jerusalem and did not discriminate against any of them, wealthy or poor, Jews or gentiles, Sephardic or Ashkenazic. Actually, he befriended the Ashkenazic rabbis. About this friendship, Rabbi Eliyahu Mordechai Eisenstein, the scribe of Rabbi Shmuel Salant, wrote: "… that deep love existed between Rabbi Ya'akov Antebi and Rabbi Moshe Maggid, the leader of Adat Ha'Prushim, their love was such that even in their death they did not separate and died in the same month, one after the other".
His death and gravestone
During the last years of his life, Rabbi Ya'akov lived with his family in Jerusalem, where he ruled and wrote responsum to questions on different matters.
He died in 1846 and was buried in Jerusalem on the 7th of Tishrei (27.9) 1846.
On his gravestone it was written: "Here is buried the great rabbi, well-known for his holiness and piety, who sanctified God's name with his body and soul and suffered bitter torture due to the known affair … in 1840".
His holy customs
When Rabbi Ya'akov died in Jerusalem, everyone talked about his greatness. Only then did his wife, the Rebbetzen Mazal Tov, tell what she had not dared to tell when he was alive: the Rabbi used to fast during the Shovavim days from Sabbath to Sabbath, for six consecutive days. She said that on Sabbath, Rabbi Ya'akov used to eat three meals and then the "Melaveh Malka" meal; however, after Havdalah, he would eat only a little and then start his fast until the next Sabbath. His wife, who fully understood him, would respect his wishes and not object.
Sources: "Chayav U'Fo'alo shel Ha'Rav Ha'Rashi Le'Damesek Ha'Rav Ya'akov Antebi" by Dr. Elioz Chefer Antebi, a descendant of the author. "La'Kedoshim asher Ba'Aretz", "Mamlechet Olam Ha'Halacha", "Arzei Ha'Levanon", different archives and websites.
His teachings
Much was written about Rabbi Ya'akov's Torah greatness.
For example, the fact that his great uncle, Rabbi Avraham Antebi, asked him to express his halachic opinion on one of the questions he was asked is mentioned in the book "Mor Ve'Ohalot". The book "Poel Tzeddek" by Rabbi Avraham Dayan present his responsum regarding the law of Moredet. His responsum on the matter of an Agunah was printed in the book "Zerah Ya'akov" by Rabbi Ya'akov Ninio. In addition, in his youth, Rabbi Ya'akov corresponded with the "Chikrei Lev", a correspondence that remained a manuscript (the Ben Zvi Institute).
He wrote a preface to the books "Mo'adei Hashem Ve'Kriei Kodesh" and "Chibat Yerushalayim", an important preface to the book "Nava Tehilah" on the Book of Psalms, with several Segulot, one of which was later cited by the "Ben Ish Chai".
There are several books which were printed with his glosses such as "Yad Malachi" and "Zechor Le'Avraham".
Rabbi Ya'akov wrote many songs and Piyutim that were printed in Sifrei Bakashot and were sung by the Jews of Damascus on Sabbath and Holidays.
Several of his teachings were printed in the book "Be'Or Ha'Chaim" as well as a halachic responsum titled "Abir Ya'akov" (the book is added, as follows).
And now, to all his known teachings is added a complete manuscript of his teachings. Our generation has merited discovering teachings by him which have never been printed, which have been unknown until now and which indicate his Torah greatness.
Imrei Ya'akov
Added is the book "Be'Or Ha'Chaim" (Jerusalem, 1929, first edition) – Derashot on the Torah by the kabbalist Rabbi Chaim Capoussi, the disciple of the Ari. At its end, "Imrei Ya'akov" – Divrei Torah by Rabbi Ya'akov Antebi. With the detailed letter written by Rabbi Ya'akov to Sir Moses Montefiore regarding the Damascus Affair.
The book was published by Rabbi Ya'akov's grandson, Rabbi Avraham Ya'akov Antebi and was prepared for printing by Rabbi David Zion Laniado.
On the reverse side of the title page, hand-filling by Rabbi Avraham Ya'akov Antebi with his signature.
Condition: Very Good. Original binding. Detached leaf.
Rabbi Avraham Ya'akov Antebi was born in Safed to his father Rabbi Yehuda Shabtai Raphael. He died in Cairo on the 17th of Shevat 1923. Was known for his piety and holiness. During World War I, he moved to Cairo and published the book "Be'Or Ha'Chaim".
Condition: Fair. On most of the leaves at the beginning of the manuscript, moth damage to the inner margins, with damage to text; however, it is readable. Detached leaves and damaged margins due to wear. Worn, original leather binding.](/img/aHR0cHM6Ly9iaWRzcGlyaXQtaW1hZ2VzLmdsb2JhbC5zc2wuZmFzdGx5Lm5ldC9qZ29sZC9jbG9uZWQtaW1hZ2VzLzc4MDc3LzI1LzI1LmpwZw.Z_WdOHKhDcQLPN_ACr3nkw)
