Pair of unique and rare documents from the Bucharest community signed by city leaders led by the gaon Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Schorr, who signed twice. Rabbi Schorr was also the author of Meorei Ohr and other sefarim . Bucharest, 1875-1880.
* Agreement arranged between a donor who gave a Torah scroll and mantel to the Great Synagogue in Bucharest, with the condition that after 120, the community leaders hire someone to say kaddish for her every year on her yahrtzeit, and recite the K-l Maleh Rachamim prayer during Yizkor on Yom Tov. Her children have no right to object to this, to inherit the Torah scroll when the donor’s time comes. This is followed by the donor’s signature, along with that of the av beit din Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Schorr in his quill and with his stamp. He adds that he signed in front of the donor. Later on, another condition is mentioned – that the synagogue cannot sell the scroll to anyone at all. The donor signs here as well, in front of the rabbi, and the rabbi signs again on this condition.
* On the other side of the leaf is another contract, common at the time, yet no longer used, regarding the sale of a place in the great synagogue. At the top of the contract is a copy of what was written and signed at the time, in 1849 – that the widow of R’ Yitzchak b”r Ya’akov Blecher sold her husband’s place in the synagogue to Mordechai Yehudah Leib b”r Avraham Guttman, as well as her own place to the latter’s wife, at full price. The purchaser “has no right to sell the place … to anyone else … unless he has become poverty-stricken, in which case he may sell, but only with the agreement of the people with the seats on either side, and with the full knowledge of the gabbaim at the time.
Continuing with this agreement, there is another agreement from 1880 by order of the gabbaim to write a new contract according to the old one, letter by letter, carrying out this sale … and the mediators attest that the contract is true, and that these places now belong to the above and his heirs after him forever … and no objection may be raised …” This is signed by the attendants: Meir Ze’ev Pines – first gabbai / Mordechai Hecht – second gabbai / Yosef Klein / Shlomo Eliweinbad / Avraham Tzvi Leichter / Mendel Eisen, with the Great Synagogue stamp.
Acquiring a place in the synagogue in previous generations was an extremely important financial transaction. Owning a seat in the synagogue, especially with a location in the mizrach or ma’arav was a symbol of the owner’s social status. The place was considered his exclusive property, and he would bequeath it to his children. Responsa literature of the time is filled with questions related to this type of property. For example, if the father was a prominent member of the community and acquired a place in the mizrach , as befit his stature, and his son did not follow in his ways, does the son have the right to sit in this place in the mizrach ? It is interesting to note that in previous generations the place in the synagogue was referred to as an ir [Yiddish: a shtadt ]. For example, if it was said that Ploni bought an ir , this meant that he bought a seat in the synagogue.
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Schorr, av beit din of Bucharest .
[2] pp. 22.5×35.5 cm. The two contracts are written on alternate sides of the same leaf. The Torah scroll contract was apparently written entirely in Rabbi Schorr’s penmanship.
Fine condition. Fold marks. Tears in the margins, without damage to text.
