Lot 119
Four Books with Signatures and Glosses of the Or Shraga Family
Four books with signatures, ancient stamps, glosses and owners' inscriptions of rabbis descending from Or Shraga family of Yazd (Persia): · Kol Shmuel commentary on the Torah, by Rabbi Shmuel Conforti. Salonika, [1787]. Single edition. · Brit Ya'akov, homiletics; Yagel Ya'akov on Shita Mekubetzet, by Rabbi Ya'akov Feitusi. Livorno, [1800]. First edition. Added to the end of the book are 4 leaves, from an ancient book of homiletics. · Zechut Avot, commentary on Pirkei Avot, by Rabbi Ya'akov Pintzi. Belgrad, [1878]. Single edition. (Includes cover title page). · Tikunei HaZohar. Livorno, [1854]. On the pages of the book and on the endpapers: Many glosses (Kabbalistic content), signatures, stamps and ownership inscriptions of rabbis of the dynasty of Or Shraga family of Yazd, descendants of the Kabbalist "Mula Or Shraga", a prominent Persian rabbi. Among the signatures: "Moshe son of Rebbe Refael Shraga", "Yitzchak son of R' Moshe…R' Or Shraga…", "…R' Moshe son of Yitzchak grandson of R' Or Shraga", etc. Stamps of Rabbi Moshe son of Rabbi Or Shraga, and his son Rabbi Yitzchak son of Rabbi Moshe son of Rabbi Or Shraga. The illustrious Torah sage Mula [Rabbi] Or Shraga (died in 1794), rabbi and luminary of the Jews of Yazd, Persia, served for decades in the rabbinate and his reinforcement of Torah study and mitzvah adherence preserved Jewish observance among Yazd Jewry in spite of their remoteness from Jewish centers. Mula Or Shraga and his descendants led the local community for about two hundred years. According to hearsay, two hundred and fifty years previously, Rabbi Or Shraga reached Yazd from the city of Isfahan in which the king decreed to kill ten great Torah scholars; seven died sanctifying G-d’s Name and three managed to flee and escape the decree. One of those three was Mula Or Shraga who reached Yazd. His move affected much growth among the city’s Jewry and transformed it into a Torah center. Yazd Jews were among the first to emigrate from Persia to Jerusalem and there they established the famous Yazdim community. The signatures of Rabbi Or Shraga’s grandson Rabbi Yitzchak son of R’ Moshe Or Shraga can be found on bills (shtarot) from 1839-1865, and his son Rabbi Moshe son of R’ Yitzchak Or Shraga served in the rabbinate from 1890-1900. On the title page of the book Brit Ya’akov are more signatures: “Ezra Attie”; “I have acquired it to serve my Creator Sasson Barazani”. 4 books. Size and condition vary, good condition.
