Illuminated Beth Bookmark by Jean-Jacques LEVI

Certificate attesting to Davidic origins of the BERDUGO family


This document was written in 1840 and is based on on an earlier document by the Castillian Rabbis dating from the generation which was expulsed from Spain in 1492. Rabbi Moshe Alachkar was Great Rabbi of Egypt and Rabbi Moshe Pardo became emissary of the Holy Land.

Original Hebrew

French translation

Translated by Jacob BERDUGO, 1982, Neuilly-sur-Seine.

Temoignage precieux que nous avons eu entre les mains (?), que nous a transmis le Grand Rabbin (?) Moshe PARDO zatsal qui etait membre du Tribunal Rabbinique de la ville de Thora (?) Amman (?); ce document a ete redige par (?) le Rabbin de Kollel renomme Mordehai BERDUGO zal, un des fils du Rabbin zal auteur (du livre Ketoret Yossef), alors qu'il etait de passage a (?) Amman, en route pour monter et s'etablir en Erets Israel (?) Tiberius :

Je soussigne viens declarer, etant encore (?) a Meknes (?) en l'an (?), que mes yeux ont vu un vieux parchemin(?) decrivant la genealogie de la famille BERDUGO celebre (?) chacun par son nom d'apres ses ascendants, Rabbin un tel, fils de Rabbin un tel, etc..., et ainsi de suite, ils etaient (?) : et l'ascendance remontait jusqu'au Gaon reconnu et repute Rabbi Bustenai Gaon qui appartenait a la descendance du Roi David alav hashalom de la famille Zeroubbabel ben Saltiel zekher tsadik vekadoch livrakha ; et en redescendant de generation en generation jusqu'au Grand Rabbin Ner Hama'arav Yaacov BERDUGO, zekher tsadik vekadoch livrakha, rabbin enseignant (?) dans la ville de Meknes (?).

Ce document etait signe en premier lieu par les Rabbins de Castille (?), comme des anges, (??) signatures confirmees par les juges des Tribunaux, generation apres generation, confirmant les premieres signatures et ajoutant a l'eclairage des hommes de leurs generations qui sont nes plus tard en leur temps : et parmi les derniers Rabbins de Castille, le neuvieme signataire etait le Rabbin Moshe ALSHAKER (?) qui etait Rabbin en Egypte a l'epoque du Mahri Birb zekher Tzadik livraha. Je me rappelle de cela quand j'etais Shadar de la ville sainte de Tiberius.

Serviteur de Dieu Moshe PARDO (?)
Place de sa signature

English translation

Precious testimony which we have in our hands (?) given to us by the Great Rabbi (?) Moshe PARDO of blessed memory who was member of the Beit Din (Religious Court) for the city of Amman.

This document was written by (?) Rabbi of the Kollel, Mordehai BERDUGO of blessed memory, one of the sons of the Rabbi of blessed memory author of the book Ketoret Yossef while he was travelling to (?) Amman on the way to make aliyah and settle in the land of Israel (?) Tiberias.

I the undersigned declare, living in (?) Meknes (?) in the sixth year (?) that my eyes have seen an old parchment describing the descent of the Famous BERDUGO Family (?)

The document list each name after his ancestors, so-and-such Rabbi son of so-and-such Rabbi, etc. The genealogy continued in this fashion up until the famous and respected Rabbi Bustenai Gaon one of the descendants of King David through the family of Zeroubbabel ben Saltiel of blessed memory. And by redescending the genealogy generation by generation until the great luminary Rabbi Jacob BERDUGO of blessed memroy, Rabbi teaching (?) in the city of Meknes (?).

This document was first signed by the Rabbis of Castille (?) like angels (?) signatures confirmed by judges of tribunals, generation after generation, confirming the earlier signatures and completing the information of earlier generations by names born in their generation.

Among the last Rabbis of Castille, the ninth signature was the Rabbi Moshe ALSHAKER (?) who was Rabbi in Egypt in the time of (?), of blessed memory.

I remember this when I was (?) of the holy city of Tiberius.

Signed, G-d's servant Moshe PARDO (?)


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Daniel E. LOEB, eMail: loeb17@gmail.com