The Baal Shem Tov’s Nephew
Autographed Letter of Endorsement
Jerusalem, 1771
The Baal Shem Tov’s Nephew Rabbi Yakar, Jerusalem, 1771
Son of Rabbi Avraham Gershon Kitover
Autographed Letter of Endorsement
Rabbi Avraham Gershon Kitover, one of the great scholars in the city of Brod, was deeply inspired by the Baal Shem Tov and became one of his prime disciples. His sister was wed to the Baal Shem Tov, and the two brothers-in-law were exceedingly close. The Baal Shem Tov appointed his brother-in-law to teach his son Rabbi Tzvi, and subsequently charged him with the formidable task of teaching and spreading chassidus in Eretz Yisrael.
In 1747, Rabbi Avraham Gershon journeyed to the Holy Land and settled in Chevron. Following repeated appeals however, he relocated to Yerushalayim where he served as spiritual leader of the Ashkenazic Yishuv until his passing in 1761. Throughout the years, he corresponded frequently with his brother-in-law the Baal Shem Tov, and many of these letters became famous. In one letter, he writes, “Your name is already renowned throughout Yerushalayim, and the sages here have requested that I urge you to settle permanently here, as they yearn to see your face.”
Rabbi Avraham Gershon’s son, Rabbi Yakar, traveled with his father to Eretz Yisrael where he gained repute for his brilliance in Torah and fear of heaven. After his father’s death, he succeeded him as Rav of the Ashkenazic community yet traveled frequently abroad to fundraise for the poverty-stricken residents of the Yishuv. He passed away in 1779 and was buried beside his father on the Mount of Olives.
This letter, autographed by Rabbi Yakar, son of Rabbi Avraham Gershon Kitover and nephew of the Baal Shem Tov, is an endorsement letter from the sages of Jerusalem to the spiritual leaders of Fez, recommending Rabbi Avraham Revach, a renowned fundraiser, as an emissary of the Yishuv. In the letter, the signing Rabbanim describe the grave challenges plaguing the beleaguered residents of the Holy Land due to the burden of debt.
The deed is signed by Rabbi Yakar ben Rabbi Avraham Gershon Kitover, as well as ten Sephardic sages.
1. Rishon Letzion Rabbi Refael ben Rabbi Shmuel Meyuchas (d. 1771), author of Pri Ha’Adamah.
2. Rabbi Refael Moshe Bula (d. 1773), one of the great sages of Yerushalayim and author of Get Mekushar.
3. Rabbi Chaim Nissim Hakohein was a great sage in Yerushalayim who signed alongside the above on numerous halachic declarations and letters.
4. Rabbi Yisrael Yaakov Burla (d. 1784) was Raavad in the Beis Din of Maharit Elgazi, and author of Mekor Yisrael.
5. Rabbi Efraim Navon (d. 1784) was the son of Rabbi Yehudah Navon, author of Kiryas Melech Rav, and a grandson of the Machaneh Efraim. He authored Beis Moshav.
6. Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Meyuchas,
Rishon Letzion, son-in-law of Maharit Elgazi, and author of Birkos Mayim and other sifrei kodesh.
7. Rabbi Mantzur Marzuk (d. 1789) authored Tzur Teudah and Korban Elitzur, among others.
8. Rabbi Seadia Marzuk (d. 1773), Rabbi Matzur Marzuk’s brother.
9. Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu Bechar Meyuchas, one of the illustrious sages in Yerushalayim.
10. Rabbi Eliyahu Tzvi, one of the venerable sages of Yerushalayim. His signature appears on many a letter and endorsement, and he traveled abroad to raise funds for the Yishuv together with Rabbi Yaakov Burla and Rabbi Yakar Kitover whose names are mentioned above.
Jerusalem, 1771. Page size: 26×21 cm. Small tears with no missing text. Small
holes. This letter was written in 1771 on behalf of the shlucha d’rabbanan Rabbi Avraham Revach (Yeari, Shluchei Eretz Yisrael p. 851).
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