Letter to Rome

Behold, from the time of our settlement in the city that the Lord has chosen, which He had desired for His habitation (Psalms 132:13), we heard your voice and obeyed, for you stand in the breach pursuing justice, upholding the maintenance, and holding the hands of those who learn Torah. Every day you added a voice of rejoicing and salvation (Psalms 118:15) to that which was heard. This day is a day of good tidings, for the entire house filled up with the light of your praises and exaltations from within your writings and your epistles, which testify to your uprightness and your well-being, and to the degree of your attributes. Happy are you, and happy are your sons who come after you, for your light has shone in the dark. You shall eat fruits in this world, for you are now blessed; and your table shall be set like that of Abraham, and your ray of light shall rise in glory to the world in which all is good, the world in which all life is lengthened. Your gift was received with great love, and according to your will before your God, it was divided among the poor of our people, as you had decreed, and according to your desire, it was divided anonymously in our synagogue; and we prayed for your well-being before we prayed for our holy and beautiful temple.

Behold, we inform the splendor of your highness that we received scrolls from the communities of Italy, and in particular from the great city of Rome, in which they asked about the well-being of Jerusalem (Psalms 122:6), the well-being of its people and its wise men, the matters of the land, its leaders, its luminaries, its laws, and its statutes. They asked if there are teachers of Torah among us, and how many people are settled there; and if there are yeshivas and students, and if there is any new sign of redemption among us, for we heard that an echo from the Temple came out from there: what was happening there? And behold, we answered them from the first question and until the last, as my lord can see in the edition of the book that the Roman scribe carries with him. In any case, we believe that our coming redemption is close.

Behold the man who has been raised above the rest, the exemplar of the generation, the Nagid¹ and commander of the people, behold, our lord, the crown on our heads and the turban of the kingdom, our rabbi, our minister, the holy minister of the army of the Lord, the exalted and lofty, for the glory of the divine name, our honorable teacher, the rabbi, named R. Isaac ha-Kohen, may his splendor be exalted and his glory grow and his beauty increase and his kingship be exalted. As he sat on his throne of leadership with the king in his kingdom, he sought for the well-being of the learners of Torah and the wise men who were within this kingdom.

And behold, all of those who learned Torah were helpless, for they had no help from any place; work weighed heavy upon this people, and he girded up his loins, to give a portion to the rabbis and the learners so that they could strengthen themselves in the Torah of the Lord. And he instituted yeshivas in Jerusalem, in the upper Galilee, and in Egypt, so that all who were hungry for the bread of Torah could come and eat. He cooked their food and poured their wine, and he even set their table, and counted us among those who came into their midst in order to learn at two yeshivas in Jerusalem, may it be rebuilt and reestablished speedily and in our days. And behold, praise be to God, may He be blessed! Torah is returning to those who study it. We learn the entire Talmud according to its order, and according to the commentaries of Rashi, may his memory be for a blessing, and the Tosafot, our French rabbis. And behold, we memorize Jewish law every day, from the long Talmud: two pages, or a page and a half, every day, as much as is possible in the morning. And in the evening, we learn one chapter from the Mishnah and one chapter from Maimonides, may his memory be for a blessing. We spend very little time at home, and more time in the tent of Torah learning.

Behold, it is within his power to help us and the students who learn Torah with his money; and that which he has spent every year for the needs of those in Jerusalem who learn Torah has come out of his own pocket, for there is no help coming from other places. Until now, he has given close to one thousand florins every year. In any case, the amount of those who study Torah has expanded, for the Lord has expanded the borders of the yeshivas with students. He who desires to do so should also give, and his glory shall be exalted, and others will then also give. And behold, when our testimony was heard in the kingdom of Turkey, they too began to send aid this year, for they said: “We too have a portion and an inheritance in Jerusalem.” You, too, our brothers, the people of our redemption, may your right hand reach out in strength, to help the Lord. And may anyone who is in exile, who has it in his heart to contribute, send his gift by way of the glory of your perfection. It will reach us by way of our lord, for every day, those who study Torah come closer, as we have said. And with the increase of Torah, there has been an increase in those who consume it, and prosperity has increased, and the purpose of the Lord shall prosper by their hand.