Messengers Letter to the ‘Ten Lost Tribes’ from Rabbi Yisrael of Sklow; Amsterdam, 1831
Fascinating letter written by Rabbi Yisrael of Sklow, disciple of the Vilna Gaon and leader of the Prushim communities of Tzfas and Jerusalem, addressed to the missing ten shvatim.
The purpose of finding the missing Ten Tribes is in order to renew the smichus which is a necessary condition for the FInal Redemption. Rabbi Yisrael writes: "We have heard that they have a Sanhedrin of smuchim."
The letter includes interesting news regarding the Jews residing in Eretz Yisrael during that time.
The letter was delivered to a rabbinic messenger of the Prushim community in Tzfas, Rabbi Baruch ben Rabbi Shmuel who was went out to Seria, Persia, Kurdistan and cities of the Persian Gulf. His goal was to discover the missing ten shvatim while making his rounds for the bettering of the Tzfas settlement.
The messenger arrived in Yemen in 1833 where he was appointed doctor of the King’s court after successfully curing the Imam Al-Mahdi. Tragically, the Imam later shot him, suspecting that he was a spy.
This manuscript was published in Amsterdam, 1831.
4 leaves | 19 cm | Inner marginal reinforcement | fine condition
