Meshulach Explained

A meshulach (; plural: meshulachim), also known as a shaliach ^[1] or SHaDaR (acronym for), was an emissary sent to the Diaspora to raise funds (ḥalukka) for the existence of the Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel. The institution of the Emissaries of the Land of Israel, which began in ancient times, developed and contributed greatly to the connection between Diaspora Judaism and the Jews in the Land of Israel, and to the cultural life of the Jewish communities.

Role of the meshulach

Often an individual meshulach may operate as an independent contractor for several different organizations, taking a portion of the proceeds as profit.

Notable meshulachim

• 1441. Esrim ve-Arba‘ah: Europe
• 1587. Joseph ben Moses Miṭrani the Elder (or di Ṭrani, 1569–1639): Egypt
• 1598–1599. Joseph ben Moses Miṭrani the Elder (or di Ṭrani, 1569–1639): Istanbul (first mission)
• 1600. Judah de Leon: Italy
• 1600s–1606. Joseph ben Moses Miṭrani the Elder (or di Ṭrani, 1569–1639): Istanbul (second mission)
• 1650. Nathan ben Reuben David Spiro: Italy and Germany
• 1659. Benjamin ha-Levi: the Levant and Italy
• 1670s. Judah Sharaf: Livorno, Italy
• 1676. Joseph ben Eliezer: Italy and Germany
• 1676. Joseph Shalit Riqueti: Italy and Germany (with the preceding, author of Iggeret Mesapperet)
• 1688–1692. Ḥezekiah ben David da Silva (1656–1697): Western Europe (including Amsterdam)
• 1690. Judah Sharaf: the Levant and Italy
• 1695. Avraham Yitzchaḳi: Italy
• 1695. Shmuel ha-Kohen: Italy, etc.
• 1695. Abraham ben Levi Conque: Italy, Germany, and Poland
• 1700. Hayyim Asael ben Benjamin: Smyrna
• 1705. Gedaliah Hayyim: Italy
• 1709. Nathan Mannheim: Germany and Poland
• 1709. Jacob of Vilna: Germany and Poland (with the preceding, author of Me’orot Natan)
• 1710. David Melammed
• 1712. Hayyim Hazzan
• 1712. Abraham Rovigo
• 1718. Hayyim Jacob ben Jacob David: the Levant and Europe
• 1720. Ephraim ben Aaron Nabon: Italy
• 1730. David Capsoto: Holland
• 1730. Moses Hagiz: the Levant and Europe for a period of 50 years^[2]
• 1740. Baruch Gad: Media and Persia
• 1740s–1749. Ḥayyim ben Elias Moda‘i
• 1750. Baruch of Austria
• 1750. Hayyim Joseph David Azulai (1724–1806): the Levant and Europe (including Egypt, Amsterdam, England, and Livorno, for 56 years. His Ma‘agal Yashar contains part of his itinerary)
• 1750. Hayyim Abraham Tzebi: Italy
• 1750. Hayyim Mordecai Tzebi: Italy, etc.
• 1750. Rahmim Nissim Mizrahi: the Levant and Italy
• 1759. Moses Malki: America^[3]
• 1760. Hayyim Nissim Jeroham of Vilna: Germany^[4]
• 1760. Yom-Ṭob al-Ghazi: the Levant and Italy
• 1760s. Ḥayyim ben Elias Moda‘i (1720–1794): Holland (wrote approbation to Pe’er ha-Dor) and elsewhere in Europe
• 1765. Jacob al-Yashar: Persia
• 1767. Issachar Abulafia: Italy (wrote approbation to Yad Mal’akhi)
• 1770. Abraham Solomon Zalmon: Europe
• 1772. Abraham Segre: Germany
• 1773. Raphael Chayyim Isaac Carregal: West Indies and the British Colonies of North America
• 1776. Jacob Raphael Saraval: Holland and England
• 1780. Judah Samuel Ashkenazi
• 1783. Abraham ha-Kohen of Lask: Germany and Poland
• 1790. David Hayyim Hazzan: Italy
• 1793. Yosef Maimon: Bukhara
• 1796. Joseph Aben Samon: Tripoli (wrote approbation to Ḥayyey Abraham)
• 1800. Israel of Shklov: Lithuania and Belarus
• 1804. Israel Raphael Segre
• 1807. Hayyim Baruch of Austria: Germany (wrote approbation to Otsar ha-Ḥayyim)
• 1810. Solomon David Hazzan: the Levant and Italy
• 1830. Joseph Edels Ashkenazi: Italy
• 1848. Isaac Kovo: Egypt
• 1848. Jacob Saphir: Southern countries (first mission)
• 1850. Isaac Farhi: Italy
• 1850. Levi Nehemias: Italy
• 1850. Joseph Schwarz: the United States (author of Ṭevu’at ha-Arets)
• 1854. Jacob Saphir: Yemen, British India, Egypt, and Australia (Second mission)
• 1856. Moses Hazzan: the Levant (author of Naḥalah le-Yisra’el)
• 1865. Raphael Meir Panigel: Europe (haham başı and author of Lev Marpe’)
• 1870. Moses Pardo: North Africa
• 1885. Moses Riwlin: Australia
• 1885. Nathan Natkin: the United States (d. 1888, in New York)
• 1890. Abraham ibn Ephraim: Persia (Sephardic)
• 1894. Yosef Haim HaCohen: Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Caucasus Mountains
• 1899. Yosef Haim HaCohen: Bukhara.
• 1903 (then serving):
  • Shalom Hamadi: Yemen (Sephardic)
  • Benjamin ha-Kohen: Caucasus, Russia (Sephardic)
  • J. Meynhas: India (Sephardic)
  • Eliezer Zalman Grajewski: the United States
  • Joshua Loeb Suessenwein: the United States (author of Tsir Ne’eman, Jerusalem, 1898)
  • Solomon Joseph Eliach
  • Yosef Haim HaCohen: Algiers, Constantine, Algeria
• 1934. Amram Aburbeh: Morocco.

Bibliography

• Avraham Yaari - Emissaries of the Land of Israel - The History of Missions from the Land to the Diaspora, from the destruction of the Second Temple to the Nineteenth Century, Hebrew, Jerusalem (1871. Reprinted in 1977; and in 1977, in two volumes).

External links

• Sheluhei Eretz-Israel collection of documents, at the National Library of Israel.
• Sheluhe de-rabanan, wide variety of pictures, books and other digital items related to Sheluhe de-rabanan from the National Library of Israel collections.

Notes and References

1. Encyclopedia: Shaliaḥ. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. September 29, 2022.
2. Book: Azulai, Ḥayyim Joseph David. Chaim Yosef David Azulai. Shem ha-Gedolim. i.. 34. Livorno. 1774.
3. Book: Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society. 18.
4. Book: Qiryah Ne'emanah. 114.