Subject: Manuscripts, Hebrew

This manuscript almanac, created by Avraham son of Eliezer Katz (Cohen), covers the Jewish year 5539 (1778-1779). Written in Hebrew, it details daily readings, holidays, and significant dates. The almanac was begun in Philadelphia and completed in Lancaster following the British occupation of Philadelphia. The manuscript's author demonstrates a high level of knowledge of Jewish calendrical calculations, while also showing some interesting minor errors and spellings, indicating personal creation rather than transcription from another source. Internal evidence and scholarly analysis strongly suggest the author was a learned and observant individual, possibly a teacher or shamash (synagogue caretaker).

Manuscript bill of divorce (Get) written in Hebrew and Aramaic. Dated 14 Marheshvan 5648, corresponding to Tuesday, November 1, 1887. The document details the divorce of Ya'akov ben Eliyahu and Leah bat Yosef, with witnesses Yitshak ben Yosef and Yisrael ben Yeshayahu. Written in ink on a single sheet of paper (39.5 x 28 cm). Found and analyzed by Dr. Arthur Kiron, University of Pennsylvania. Shows an ink stain on the back and folding marks. The document's provenance is San Francisco, California, although the original auction description notes this as 'apparently' the location. The elegant scribal hand suggests the scribe possessed rabbinical training; however, no rabbi is mentioned on the document.

This manuscript, written by Isaac Leeser, is an 8" x 6" page in English and Hebrew. Leeser notes that he found the Hebrew text in 1806 within a manuscript in the possession of the Rabbi of Berlin, dating back to the 16th century. The Hebrew text itself is in fine block letters with points and contains the year 5601 (1841), marking the beginning of a new 28-year Hebrew solar cycle. The significance of this date in relation to the manuscript's content requires further investigation. The manuscript was found among other Leeser papers and has been reviewed by Dr. Arthur Kiron and Bruce Nielsen at the Katz Center, University of Pennsylvania.

This 40-page manuscript, written circa 1863, is a lengthy essay exploring Masonic ceremony and symbolism. The author, Rabbi Alexander Barnard Davis, examines the significance of the numbers three and seven in relation to human life stages and their symbolic representation within Masonic rituals. The manuscript incorporates biblical texts and Hebrew words and phrases, reflecting a blend of Masonic and Kabbalistic thought. Written in an exercise book from the Rev. A.B. Davis's Academy in Kingston, Jamaica.

Handwritten book containing a philosophical and metaphysical explanation of six chapters concerning the history of Ancient Israel. The manuscript is leather-bound, written on light blue paper, and dates to between 1750 and 1840, according to a brief examination by Dr. Arthur Kiron of the University of Pennsylvania. It is believed to have been written in the Middle East.