Collection of important documents including: early Ketubot from the 19th-20th centuries, documents, Shiviti leaves and amulets which were pasted into a volume of Rav Pe'alim, recovered in 1970 from the library of the Meir Taweig Synagogue in Baghdad.
The documents and leaves were collected and pasted into the book by Chacham Salman Dabby, the last beadle of the Meir Taweig synagogue in Baghdad, ca. 1948-1970. Salman Dabby immigrated to Eretz Israel after the community disintegrated following the Six Day War, succeeding in bringing with him to Eretz Israel a collection of books from the immense library of the synagogue (which he claimed contained some quarter of a million books, many documents and dozens of Torah scrolls – see below). He habitually saved and pasted various documents, printed items and manuscripts in the books.
We have here one of those books, in which were pasted particularly important documents (see also following item). On many of these documents, Salman Dabby added a handwritten inscription: "Brought it, the lowly Salman Eliyahu Binyamin Daniel Dabby from the Meir Taweig synagogue".
This volume contains amongst others:
· Responsa Rav Pe'alim, part I, by R. Yosef Chaim, the Ben Ish Chai. Jerusalem, [1901]. First edition. Title page printed with golden ink. Signatures and many inscriptions by Salman Dabby, with memorial inscriptions for his father and other relatives, and inscription attesting the book's provenance from the Meir Taweig [synagogue] library. An additional signature appears on the title page: "the young Yaakov son of R. Elisha Nissim".
· Handwritten Ketubah, for the marriage of the groom Tzalach Nachum Yitzchak Aharon. Baghdad, Tamuz 1834. Neat, calligraphic script. Decorated with a border made from colored strips of paper. Signed by the witnesses: "Mordechai son of R. Sasson" (R. Mordechai Shanduch [d. 1852], was the eldest son of R. Sasson Shanduch author of Kol Sasson); "the young Mordechai son of R. Yitzchak Shamash". (In the Sassoon manuscript no. 467, an additional Ketubah signed by these two witnesses appears, dated Cheshvan 1833). Inscription on the verso of the Ketubah, with colored floral ornaments.
· Handwritten Ketubah, for the marriage of the groom David Eliyahu Mordechai Yaakov Yaakov Faraj, with the bride Tzlacha daughter of (the abovementioned) Tzalach Nachum Yitzchak Aharon. Baghdad, Adar II, 1853. In neat calligraphic script. Decorated with a border of colored strips of paper. Signed by the witnesses: "the young Shimon son of Moshe son of R. Sasson"; "the young Mordechai son of R. Yitzchak Shamash".
· Handwritten document, transferring property from the ownership of (the abovementioned) Tzalach Nachum Yitzchak Aharon to his daughter the bride Farcha. Signed by the witnesses: "the young Yechezkel Mordechai Bazoom"; "the young Ezra Rachamim Chaim Shlomo Moshe Gurgi". Baghdad, Kislev 1852.
· Handwritten document, concerning the widow of Tzalach Eliyahu Yaakov, and her daughter-in-law Farcha daughter of Tzalach Nachum Yitzchak (abovementioned), signed by five witnesses and dayanim, including the dayanim: "the young Ovadia Avraham HaLevi", "the young Nissim Aharon Eliya Kohen", "the young Sasson Eliyahu son of R. Moshe Moshe HaLevi". Baghdad, Kislev 1858.
· Handwritten document, regarding the inheritance of Eliyahu Mordechai Yaakov (father-in-law of Tzlacha, daughter of the abovementioned Tzalach Nachum Yitzchak Aharon). Signed by the three (aforementioned) dayanim of the Beit Din: "the young Ovadia Avraham HaLevi", "the young Nissim Aharon Eliya Kohen", "the young Sasson Eliyahu son of R. Moshe Moshe HaLevi". Baghdad, Tamuz 1868.
· Pasted onto p. 29a is a printed document completed by hand: Document authorizing the relay of a Get (divorce document), with the handwritten signatures of five witnesses and dayanim, including the dayanim: "the young Salman Chogi Aboudi"; R. "Yehoshua Moshe Yechezkel" and "the young Refael Yitzchak Chaim". Baghdad, Tamuz 1938.
· On the back endpaper – a handwritten divorce document (Stam script). Baghdad, Sivan 1938.
· Draft memorandum by Salman Dabby, written after he reached Eretz Israel ca. 1970, containing a plan of action for retrieving the property of the Jewish communities in Iraq in those days (interesting historic documentation): "…to rescue the Torah scrolls and all holy items in Baghdad. The books are located: 1) in the Meir Taweig synagogue, (there are some quarter of a million early books, 16 Torah scrolls in silver mounted cases, 19 Torah scrolls in cases mounted with part silver – everything was ready to be sent to London by the community. 2) in Basra 170 Torah scrolls. 3) In the Iraqi Governmental Museum 370 Torah scrolls. 4) in the Masouda Shem Tov synagogue, approximately 100 Torah scrolls…". (It is noteworthy that most of the abovementioned Jewish property was stolen and lost during Saddam Hussein's rule of Iraq. Small parts of these libraries were salvaged by soldiers of the United States Army during the 2003 invasion, approximately 30 years after this memorandum was written). Later in the memorandum, Salman Dabby describes the positions he held in Baghdad prior his immigration to Eretz Israel: "I was for 22 years the mohel, chazan, shochet, toke'a and I was one of the leaders of the community and a religious authority".
Rav Pe'alim volume: 31 cm. Original binding, damaged. Various documents of varying size and condition (some folded), good to fair.

Manuscript, Passover Haggadah, with Judeo-Arabic translation (Sharh), Iraqi-rite. [Baghdad? ca. 19th century].
Neat oriental semi-cursive script, characteristic of Baghdadi Jews. The text of the Haggadah is followed by Judeo-Arabic translation, paragraph by paragraph.
On p. [5], the Simanim of the Seder "Kadesh URechatz" are written across the whole page. Enlarged initial words on all the pages. Decorated initial words on pp. [14] and [50]. The piyyut "Emunim Archu Shevach LaEl" by R. Aharon HaKohen appears on p. [38].
[61] pages. 15.5 cm. Good condition. Stains, wine-stains. Light wear. Tear to the top of the first leaf, affecting the owners' signature. Original binding, slightly damaged.

Two leaves (3 pages) in autographic script, part of a letter draft by R. Yosef Fiammetta Rabbi of Ancona, to the Sephardi rabbi of Amsterdam R. Shlomo Ayllon. [Ancona, Shevat 1714].
Section of a polemic letter against the Sabbatian Nechemia Chayyun and his books. Autographic writing in Italian script, with interlinear corrections and additions. Unsigned.
Background to the letter: In 1713, the Sabbatian Nechemia Chayyun published in Berlin an early Sabbatian work named Meheimanuta D'Kala, with two commentaries he composed, Oz L'Elohim and Beit Kodesh HaKodashim, around it. In this book, he tries to bring so-called proofs from the words of the Zohar and the Ari for Sabbatian principles. Several approbations from leading rabbis, forged by Chayyun himself, were printed at the beginning of the book. Amongst them was an approbation by R. Yosef Fiammetta of Ancona. At the end of that year, Chayyun came to Amsterdam to disseminate his Sabbatian beliefs and writings. The leaders of the Ashkenazi community in Amsterdam, Chacham Tzvi and R. Moshe Chagiz, immediately realizing that the views propagated in his books are invalid, banned his books and expelled him from the synagogue. In contrast, the Sephardi-Portuguese Beit Din in Amsterdam, headed by R. Shlomo Ayllon, legitimized him and his writings. This aroused a huge controversy in Amsterdam and other countries, including Italy. Books and booklets around this polemic were printed, for and against Nechemia Chayyun and his writings. In this letter draft, R.Yosef Fiammetta relates to R. Shlomo Ayllon about Chayyun and the development of the controversy, as well as expressing his sharp opposition to Chayyun's views. The letter was printed in its entirety, based on a copying, in the Sefunot journal (10, pp. 573-588), yet the section here, which as mentioned is a draft handwritten by the author, contains several variations.
Chacham Yosef Fiammetta (known also by the surname Lehava – the translation of the Italian surname to Hebrew; 1655?-1721) was the rabbi of Ancona and a leading Torah scholar and kabbalist in Italy. He composed the Or Boker book of prayers (Venice, 1709). He is mentioned many times in the works of the Chida, who calls him "the holy kabbalist", and quotes his Torah thoughts (for instance, in Responsa Chaim Shaal, Part 2, section 11: "and we have heard that the holy R. Yosef Fiammetta instated the recital of Hallel in his community, following their salvation from danger…"). R. Yosef was the teacher and father-in-law of R. Shimshon Morpurgo, author of Shemesh Tzedaka, who succeeded him as rabbi of Ancona after his passing. He left behind manuscript books of responsa and sermons.
[1] folded leaf, [3] written pages. 20.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and wear. Tears and holes affecting text. Folding marks.