Letter handwritten and signed by Rabbi Refael Baruch Toledano—Mekhnes, Rosh Chodesh Kislev of 1946

Letter handwritten and signed by Rabbi Refael Baruch Toledano—Mekhnes, Rosh Chodesh Kislev of 1946

Letter sent from Meknes, written entirely by hand and signed by Rabbi Refael Baruch Toledano, Ra’avad of Meknes. On letterhead of the Mekhnes Beit Din, sent to Rabbi Moshe Malka to celebrate his appointment as a rabbi and dayan in Morocco. He also writes about a question from Rav Malka regarding whether one has done kiddushin if one uses his wife’s ring (long discussion in the poskim). Size: 31x21cm. Creases from folding, light stains in the margins, overall good condition.

Author Rabbi Refael Baruch Toledano (1890-1971) was the son of Rabbi Yaakov, Av Beit Din of Marrakesh and Mekhnes, son-in-law of Rabbi Shalom Amar of Mekhnes. He was a great kabbalist of the Mekhnes community, and the name Refael was added to his name when he was sick as a child. He was a student of the geonim Rabbi Haim Birdogo, Rabbi Haim Masas, and Rabbi Yosef Elkobi. He was appointed a dayan in Mekhnes in place of his father and he founded the Shuvu Banim organization to return Jewish children to the religion. He lost his possessions in anti-Jewish riots. He studied at the Kollel Avrechim established by Rabbi Zeev Halprin, the first of its kind in Morocco. He was a founder of the Dovev Sfatei Yeshanim group for publishing ancient books. He moved to Israel and settled in Haifa and then Bnei Brak. He was a close friend of Rabbi Yosef Masas, later rabbi of Haifa. He wrote an abbreviated Shulchan Aruch and also wrote poems and piyyutim (Eshorer Shira Lichvod HaTorah, using the initials of his name). See Arzei HaLevanon 1933.

The addressee is Rabbi Moshe Malka (1911-1997), son of Rabbi Yehi of Todga in Morocco. He studied under his father Rabbi Yaakov, and in 1932 began to give shiurim in Shas and the poskim in Arbet. He was a student of Rabbi Yehoshua Birdogo, the Chief Rabbi of Morocco, and was appointed as a shochet and bodek, a dayan in a number of cities, until in 1959 he was appointed by the government as dayan in Casablanca. In 1967 he moved to Israel and was a member of the Rabbinate in Petah Tikva, until he died. He wrote Shut Mikveh Mayim on the 4 sections of Shulchan Aruch, Netafei Mayim with drashot on the Torah. See Arzei HaLevanon 1679.