Extremely rare historical ledger of bylaws which opens a window into the conduct of the holy community and contains the decisions of the rabbis and leaders of the Lida community during the years 1871-1893.
Content of the ledger: Every year, a meeting was held in the community room in order to approve new or old appointments: Adjudicators headed by the Gaon Av Beit Din, the seven leaders of the community, trustees, synagogue gabbais, gabba’ei hakodesh, gabba’ei Talmud Torah, gabba’ei bikkur cholim, and trustees of the Land of Israel.
Various regulations about “the leadership of the leaders of the community”, the ritual slaughter tax, contracts for operating the public bath house, the appointment of a prayer leader, the prohibition against opening a textile store, decisions regarding various disputes, a regulation about the sale of etrogs by the trustees of the community only, with the revenues dedicated to supporting the Talmud Torah (21, b), lists of girls who might have technically lost their virginity due to a fall and lest they be slandered in the future, their names were written in the ledger, and more.
Rabbis who are referred to in the ledger and who served during the above years and a copy of their signatures appears in the ledger are the following:
Rabbi Mordechai Meltzer- Klecki, rabbi of Lida 1865-1883. One of the leading scholars of his generation, known as a righteous gaon whom the Divine Spirit visited in his study hall, and many experienced salvation though his blessings and wonders.
Rabbi Yitzchak Yaakov Reines – rabbi of Lida starting in 1884, where he headed a large yeshivah.
66 pages of which 23 remained blank. 31×19 cm. Very fine condition. Aging stains. Original half-leather binding.