[Letter to a mohel].
[שכירת מוהל ליילוד].

Format:

Book

Manuscript

Author/Creator:

Segel, Shelomoh ben Mosheh.

Contributor:

Karp, Abraham J., former owner.

Abraham J. and Deborah Karp Collection of Judaica (University of Pennsylvania)

Language:

Hebrew

Subjects (All):

Jews.

History.

Jewish physicians.

Germany--Mülheim an der Ruhr.

Berit milah.

Circumcision--Religious aspects--Judaism.

Circumcision.

Jewish physicians--Germany--Mülheim an der Ruhr--18th century.

Jews--Germany--Mülheim an der Ruhr--History--Sources.

Genre:

Sources.

Letters (correspondence)

Manuscripts, European.

Penn Provenance:

Formerly in the collection of Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Karp.

Physical Description:

1 leaf : paper ; 190 x 120 (150 x 105) mm

Production:

Milheim, 6 Be-har Bi-ḥuḳotai 5538 [Friday, May 22, 1778]

Language Note:

Hebrew.

Summary:

This is a manuscript letter to a Jewish doctor concerning the circumcision of a newborn; Shelomoh (Solomon) Segel (meaning, a Levite) seeking to hire an Avraham to perform the circumcision for his son, who had been born the previous day, and to remain at his home for the festive meal following the ceremony. Avraham is singled out as an expert physician and doctor; this is specific to the Franco-German custom strictly to hire medical professionals to circumcise (see Rashi to BT Sanhedrin 17b and Avodah zarah 26b) and not rabbis; the final decision as to whether the circumcision was to take place would therefore be at the discretion of the doctor, as indicated by the final line of text ("אשתי ת' יבא יום ד' לתקן נר של מצוה בנחיצה רבה", my wife will arrive on Wednesday to confirm the commandment (of the circumcision's date on the eighth day, by her confirming that the child is healthy and not a Cesarean birth; the eight day here means the following Friday); this doctor lived in Mülheim as well). Segel refers to the mohel's wife as Mrs. Unknown ("מרת איך וויזניט", Mrs. Ich-weiß-nicht).

Notes:

Ms. document.

Title supplied by cataloger.

Layout: Written in 23 lines; two additional lines as a header and two more as a postscript.

Script: Written in a Ashkenazic cursive script; first letters of paragraphs written larger, with flourishes.

Origin: Written in Mülheim an der Ruhr in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, by Shelomoh (Solomon) Segel.

Item brittle; previously folded. Mohel is addressed on the verso: "אהובי ה' האלוף התורני חו'או' כתר"ת כהרר אברהם מק"ק מילהיים על דיר רור".

Item housed with a transcription by Karp (formerly Karp BII.16).

Cited as:

UPenn Karp BII.17.

OCLC:

1274518670

Access Restriction:

Access to this item is subject to staff review.