Handwritten document, regarding the appointment of three representatives of the Ashkenazi community to the united committee of the Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jerusalem communities, for reducing rental fees in the city. Signed by six community and kollel leaders: Rabbi Yeshaya Bardaky, Rabbi Eliyahu Yosef Rivlin, Rabbi Yisrael Bak, Rabbi Nachum of Szadek, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Segal and Rabbi Yochanan Schlank. Jerusalem, 1858. Stamps of the Kollelim with various illustrations of the Western Wall.
The subject of the document is presenting a united front for balancing the housing market and rental contracts drawn with non-Jewish landlords, and with Jews who held rights of residence in non-Jewish owned properties and rented these rights to others.
"Since for a number of years, the rental fees of non-Jews in Jerusalem has been on a constant rise, ensuing in numerous disputes between those who held rights and their neighbors regarding rights of these properties. We have gathered together the scholars and rabbis of the kollels of the Sephardic and Ashkenazic communities and have reached the following conclusions: the Sephardim will choose three rabbis and the Ashkenazi kollels will also choose three rabbis and these six will sit together and discuss this matter… according to the Torah law and according to justice and integrity demanded by this issue, accepted by all parties. We, the Ashkenazic kollels have chosen Rabbi Moshe Yehuda Leib Av Beit Din of Kutna, and Rabbi Shmuel Salant, and Rabbi Mordechai Meir…".
The first signature: Rabbi Yeshaya son of R' Yissachar Ber Bardaky, son-in-law of Rabbi Yisrael of Shklow a disciple of the Vilna Gaon. Illustrious leader of the Jerusalem Perushim community. Died in Cheshvan 1862.
The second signature: Chairman of the Chabad Kollel - Rabbi Eliyahu Yosef Rivlin (1805-1864), author of Ohalei Yosef, exceptionally erudite in revealed and hidden Torah knowledge, leading Chabad Chassid of the Middle Chabad Rebbe and the Rebbe author of the Tzemach Tzedek. Disciple of Rabbi Menashe of Ilya. He served in the rabbinate abroad and moved to Eretz Israel in 1855. Inscribed on his tombstone on Har HaZeitim: "Great rabbi, sharp and erudite in revealed and hidden Torah, famous Chassid with many followers…".
The third signature: Chairman of the Wohlin Kollel - the famous printer Rabbi Yisrael Bak (1792-1874), disciple of Rebbe Yisrael of Ruzhyn and Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev. A skilled printer, he established a printing press in Berdychiv and reputedly also designed the Slavita letters for printing. In 1831, he moved to Safed and established his printing press there, but following the 1937 earthquake which destroyed large sections of the city and following the Arab revolt, he moved to Jerusalem where he established his printing press for the third time. It was the first printing press in Jerusalem which produced Hebrew books.
The fourth signature: Chairman of the Poland Kollel - Rabbi Nachum Av Beit Din of Szadek (1813-1868), son of Rabbi Moshe Avraham Loewy-Weisfish. Disciple of the author of Chemdat Shlomo, a Polish Torah scholar. At the age of 18, his rabbi ordained him a Torah authority (semicha). He served for several years as rabbi of Szadek, Poland and in 1843, moved to Eretz Israel together with his two brothers, Rabbi Asher Lemel Av Beit Din of Golina and Rabbi Ya'akov Eliyahu Leib. One night, the three brothers all dreamed that they should ascend to Eretz Israel without informing the other two brothers. Most of the day, he would sit wrapped in his tallit and donning his tefillin and diligently study Torah. He established the Ran Yeshiva in which he delivered scholarly discourses to young Jerusalem Torah scholars. Together with the tsaddik Rabbi Yosef Zundel of Salant, he studied Kabbalah from the Kabbalist Rabbi Yehuda HaCohen. Died in a cholera plague in 1868. Inscribed on his tombstone on Har HaZeitim: "Holy pure man, at the age of eight he began searching for G-d and dedicated all his days to Torah study, fasting and abstinence. He studied Torah day and night without respite. He merited studying and teaching Torah and had many disciples…pious and humble…".
The fifth signature: Rabbi Menachem Mendel Segal was one of the heads of the Holland-Deutsch Kollel, together with his friend, the sixth rabbi signed on the document, Rabbi "Yochanan Hirsh son of R' M. Schlank", (1815-1884) - disciple of the Chatam Sofer, moved to Jerusalem with his father Rabbi Mordechai Shlank who was a leading disciple of the Chatam Sofer. Became a founder of public institutions in Jerusalem - See HaChatam Sofer V'Talmidav, pp. 188-189.
Leaf, 28 cm. Fair condition. Wear damages and heavy foxing.