Jerusalem, CAHJP MS. IT/Lu 1/293

Receipt / Donation Acknowledgment

The Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People (Jerusalem, Israel)

Entry in a book/register

Paper

Brown (iron-gall)

Calamus

No ruling

1732

18th Century CE

Italy, Lugo

Hebron

Hebrew

With the help of Heaven
This is to serve as testimony that, by the authority entrusted to us by the community of the Holy City of Hebron, may it be rebuilt and established, we received from the community of the holy congregation of Lugo, may their city be established in faith, a sum of fifty ducats: that is, thirty as ketoret, and the remaining twenty, they graciously and kindly gave us as a voluntary gift, in advance, in accordance with the principle “according to the pain is the reward,” for it is a time of distress for us. And they [the community of Lugo] have committed themselves for four years, according to their long-established custom, to give to the community of Hebron, may it be rebuilt and established, five ducats per year, beginning today and continuing until the end of the year 5496, may their reward from God be complete, and may blessings be poured upon them without limit. And as proof in their hands, we have written and signed our names here in Lugo, may their city be established in faith, in the presence of the leaders and their head, the complete sage, the distinguished judge, the great rabbi, our teacher and master Yiṣḥaq da Fano, may his Rock preserve him and grant him life. And this took place on day 4 of the month of Tevet, in the year “to the holy ones who are in the land,” according to the abbreviated era, and it is valid and established.
And in order to fulfill the wish of the petitioners, we have decided to clarify that if, by chance, an emissary from the Holy City of Hebron, may it be rebuilt and established, should come during these four years mentioned above, he has no right to make any claims from them, not even a single perutah, for thus we have agreed with them, by the authority granted to us by the aforementioned Holy City of Hebron. And as proof, we have signed our names again, and it is valid.

I, the undersigned, acknowledge that I have received from the holy congregation of Lugo, may their city be established in faith, fifteen ducats that they owed for three years, from the beginning of the year 5497 until the end of 5499 . In addition, I received, as ketorat, an advance for another three years, beginning with the year 5500 and ending at the close of the year 5503. As proof of the truth, I signed my name here in Lugo, on the 20th of Tammuz, 5499. Emissary of the Holy Community of Hebron, may it be rebuilt and established speedily in our days, amen.

Ḥayyim Joseph Eliashar
Eli' [Eliyahu] ben Arḥa

The emissaries drafted the documents in their own hand—a practice that appears to be relatively rare in the context of Italian Jewish communal registers, where scribes or communal secretaries typically recorded such transactions. This autographic act lends the document both heightened authenticity and a personal dimension of commitment. Notably, the emissaries’ signatures are executed in the form of stylized calligraphic tughra—ornamental monograms rooted in Ottoman chancery culture, where they served as imperial emblems combining name, title, and sovereign formula. By adopting this visual idiom, the emissaries draw on a tradition of bureaucratic authority and visual distinction, thereby asserting both their individual identity and the official capacity in which they act on behalf of the Holy Community of Hebron.

Receipt

No vowels or accents

The document records a financial agreement between the Jewish communities of Hebron and Lugo. The community of Lugo transferred a sum to Hebron, part as a voluntary gift and part under specific conditions. Hebron will receive annual payments over several years, with clearly established terms and deadlines. The agreement includes blessings, restrictions on the powers of the emissaries, and is signed by the emissaries themselves with distinctive tughra-style signatures, confirming the validity of the transaction. The document is formally entered in the minute register (pinqas) of the Jewish community of Lugo, which spans the years 1670–1759.