Sefer HaPesakim – Minhagei Fez, Autograph of Rabbi Yaakov Toledano. 1750 (5510)

Sefer HaPesakim – Minhagei Fez, Autograph of Rabbi Yaakov Toledano. 1750 (5510)

Manuscript of Responsa and Rulings from the Greatest Rabbis and Dayanim of Morocco, 1700–1750. A Documentation of the Customs of the Great Communities of Fez and Meknes, Morocco. Written in Western Rabbinic Script. [18th Century, Early 1700s]. Unpublished!

Minhagei Fez from the Greatest and Holiest Rabbis of Fez and Meknes. A Manuscript that has Never Been Published or Printed.

The manuscript contains dozens of responsa and halachic rulings from the years 1700–1750 from the greatest Torah scholars and rabbis of Morocco, including:

Rabbi Yehuda Ben Attar

Rabbi Yaakov Ibn Tzur

Mahari HaLevi

Rabbi Yisrael Ibn Yaish

Rabbi Yosef Bouchbout

Rabbi Vidal HaTzarfati

Rabbi David HaCohen

Rabbi Shmuel Ibn Danan

Rabbi Yaakov Ibn Danan

Rabbi Saadia Ibn Danan

Rabbi Yosef HaTzarfati

And more…

In several places, the writer adds his own commentary in the margins (in a smaller script), signing with the initials "Y.T.N." (Yaakov Toledano). From the content, it is evident that this is Rabbi Yaakov Toledano, known as "Maharit" (Mahari”T), Av Beit Din of Meknes. This manuscript is identical to another autograph of the author on the Torah, found in The Ben-Zvi Institute, Jerusalem, Israel, Ms. 2710.

The significance of these halachic rulings and responsa is immeasurable, as they were collected and compiled by the leading halachic authority of the generation, the Av Beit Din of Meknes, Rabbi Yaakov Toledano (Mahari”T).

This manuscript was previously unknown and is not listed among the known works of Mahari”T.

79 pages. 13×19 cm. Clear and legible script.

Condition: Good. Fine-quality paper. Minor worming in the white margins. New leather binding.

Rabbi Yaakov Toledano (Mahari”T; 1690–1772)

Leader of the Torah scholars of Meknes, Av Beit Din, and Rosh Yeshiva in the 18th century. Born in 1690 (5450) in Meknes, his father Rabbi Moshe Toledano descended from the Toledano family of Toledo, Spain. After the Expulsion from Spain, the family settled in Fez and later migrated to Meknes, where they were among the first rabbis to establish the city's yeshiva. His mother was the sister of Rabbi Moshe Toledano, Chief Rabbi of Meknes.As a youth, he studied under Rabbi Moshe Birdugo (known as the Mashbir), who cites him multiple times in his work "Rosh Mashbir". Very quickly, his reputation as a great Torah scholar spread, and many students sought his teachings. In 1730 (5490), after the departure of Rabbi Yaakov Ibn Tzur from Meknes, Rabbi Birdugo appointed him as a dayan (rabbinic judge) in his Beit Din. A few years later, he was entrusted with various communal responsibilities, including overseeing the Chevra Kadisha and appointing ritual slaughterers. After the passing of Rabbi Moshe Birdugo, his brother Rabbi Chaim Toledano (Mahari”T) succeeded him as the city's Chief Rabbi. Upon his passing in 1750 (5510), Rabbi Yaakov Toledano assumed the position. As the city's Chief Rabbi, he became one of the most important halachic authorities in Morocco, earning the title "Nosei Degel HaHora’ah BeChol Arei HaMa’arav" (Bearer of the Halachic Leadership in All the Cities of the West). He was regarded as a leading authority throughout Morocco, and even the greatest rabbis of his time sent him halachic inquiries.