Haskamot kehal ha-ashkenazim bi-Tsfat (The Regulations of the Ashkenazic Community in Safed)

A list of regulations passed in the Ashkenazic community of Safed, may it be sustained, by order of the officials, some rabbis, and certain members, for fifty years, from Shevat 12 in the year 5336 [1576].

1. They agreed regarding the first regulations which they instituted in the aforementioned holy community [i.e., congregation] in the year 5325 [1565] for a period of ten years, that they will maintain them, in general and in particular, for fifty years.
2. Now they have added new regulations to the first ones, stating that every member of the aforementioned holy community, when he is called upon to read from the Torah—aside from the fee he is required to give—must make a contribution, in accordance with the customary donation.
3. They also agreed that no member of the holy community may write to anyone from outside the country anything that is detrimental to the holy community. Furthermore, one may not write to any person to send money to a yeshiva or to the poor. If someone sends money to any individual, that person is required to share it, by giving that money to the elected officials of the holy community.
4. They also agreed not to give supplies to any Torah scholar, unless he comes to study in the synagogue. Even if a sum is sent from abroad, and it is written explicitly that it should be given to so-and-so, it is agreed not to give him anything if he does not come to study in the synagogue.
5. They also agreed that no member of the holy community may leave to pray outside of the synagogue, and one may not fix a place to pray at any time throughout the year. At the very least on every Sabbath all are required to come to pray in the synagogue.
6. They further agreed that no one may make a contribution to any person, not even to modest people. If some Sephardi or Ashkenazi comes from abroad and swears that he is giving to so-and-so to distribute the money as he sees fit, that person must give that money to the wardens.
7. They also agreed that even if a rabbi rules that his student may not sign one of these regulations, that student must sign.
8. They also agreed that everyone must sign, and if some person or people do not wish to sign, they will pursue them and compel them to sign, and punish them, with either a corporal or financial penalty, as well as all sorts of persecutions.
9. If a rabbi or rabbis of the city arise and oppose their opinion and provide assistance to someone who does not wish to sign, their words will be entirely negated, like a broken potsherd that has no value.
10. They likewise agreed that if the rabbis and the holy congregation of the city oppose them and give aid to someone who did not sign, they will separate their community from the holy communities and from the various charities. They accepted all the aforementioned upon themselves and upon their descendants by force of a strong and powerful decree of excommunication. They have issued the decree on pain of severe punishments, including numerous details that may not be written down. May our rabbis instruct us on whether the congregation must fulfill these conditions.