Magazine 2023-08 web

Regardless of how the Codex found its way to Syria, it is known that the Jews of Aleppo guarded the Codex like a precious treasure for nearly six centuries, as they had received a tradition warning of grave calamity if the sacred manuscript would be taken from them. It was stored in the famous Central Synagogue of Aleppo, the foundations of which, according to legend, were built by King David’s general, Yoav, who led the Israelite kingdom’s conquest of the region (see Shmuel II 8:2-7). The iron chest in which the book was kept had two keys, which were entrusted to two guardians. It is believed that the text was stored in “Eliyahu’s Cave,” one of the seven arks in the synagogue, together with other precious manuscripts, including the “Damascus Crown” ( Keter Damesek ), which was written in the 13 th century. Rabbi Goldhaber notes that the Aleppo community’s efforts to protect and preserve the precious text paid off. In the 17th century, English Christian missionaries came to Syria to research Christianity’s roots. The scholars studied the manuscripts at the book depository in Damascus, and then brought the texts back with them to England and gave them to Oxford University where they still have a home. Had the Aleppo Codex remained with these other manuscripts, it would have ended up in Oxford. Fortunately, Syria’s Jews had the foresight to carefully protect the Codex so it would not be lost. A Heroic Rescue Following the United Nations’ vote on November 29, 1947, to create a Jewish State in Palestine, a wave of violence targeted Jews throughout the Arab world, including Syria. Just days after the vote, mobs of Syrians, abetted by the Syrian army, attacked the synagogue. Chanting, “Palestine is our land, and the Jews are our dogs,” the mob set the sacred building on fire. The Jews barricaded themselves in their homes during the three days of violence, and when they finally emerged and surveyed the damage, they found that the Codex had disappeared. It was later discovered that a courageous Jew named Asher Baghdadi had managed to sneak into the synagogue and rescue the Aleppo Codex from the flames. Unfortunately, the book was severely damaged, and only 295 of the original 487 leaves remained intact. Asher brought the book to the home of the synagogue’s rabbi, Rabbi Salim Zafrani. Together with the community’s Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Moshe Tawil, Rabbi Zafrani buried the burned segments of the Codex, and announced that the book was entirely burned, fearing that the rioters might try to seize or damage the remnants of the manuscript if they knew that it had survived. A decade later, the manuscript was miraculously shipped from Syria to the newly-established State of Israel. A cheese merchant named Murad Faham, an Iranian national living in Syria, was caught smuggling Jews out of the country. The authorities ordered his expulsion, and before he left, Rabbis Zafrani and Tawil secretly gave him the Aleppo Codex to bring with him so it would be safe. Faham hid the sacred text in a washing machine, beneath bags of food and clothing. In 1958, it was presented to Yitzhak Ben-Tzvi, Israel’s President at the time. After undergoing extensive restoration, it was put on display by the Israel Museum in Jerusalem in the Shrine of the Book. The Aleppo Codex: The Aleppo Codex, hidden for nearly 600 years, is regarded as the most prized possession of Syrian Jewry. The Torah scroll used by the Rambam is on public display in Jerusalem, a glorious testament to our steadfast commitment to preserve our sacred tradition. The Great Synagogue of Aleppo before and after the riots of 1947. Model of the Aleppo Synagogue on display at the ANU Museum in Tel Aviv, Israel. 22 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE