Pinkas Chevra Kadisha Temesvar. Commemorating the activities of the Burial Society of the Hugarian town of Temesvar (or Timisvar in Rumanian), Transylvania

Temesvar, (or Timisvar in Rumanian), Transylvania, is one of the oldest and most important communities in Hungary. Indeed, the oldest gravestones dates from 1636. It was populated by Jews of both Sephardic and Ashkenazic origin as it was originally under Turkish Jurisdiction. The Pinkas contains details of the rules and regulations on the Chevra Kadisha including distribution and order of Aliyoth to the Torah, with preferance given to seniority; the timing of the traditional Chevra feast (at noon and not in the evening); collection of dues; the powers of the Gabbaim; election of the Parnes Ha’chodesh - a different communal leader elected every month; as well as customs of the Chevra before burial, such as how many members must remain with the body. Included is a list of members and the dues paid. The budget was run professionally with an accountant checking the figures. (See ff. 176-7). The Chevra also served as a free loan society, on ff. 175-183, are listed collateral against loans. A surprising notation on f.140b, dated 1809, relates an incident of a member who on two seperate occasions began aviolent quarrel during the annual Chevra Feast, embarrassing the entire Society. Following the first infraction, he was fined and forgiven, but after the second, he was ejected from the Chevra. The Regulations on f.3b, are written in the hand of David Oppenheim, the Rabbi of Temesvar and the document is signed by him several times, the earliest dated 1801, the year he was appointed Rabbi. Later signatures include his son, R. Tzvi Hirsch Oppenheim, the author of Einei Ha’dath (Ofen, 1829) and dated 1826 as well as the Gabbaim and other members. R. David Oppenheim was named after his great-grandfather, David Oppenheim of Prague, and was a notable scholar of his generation, cited by the Noda Be’yehudah and the Chatham Sopher. He was a disciple of R. Jeremiah of Mattersdorf and R. Meir Barbi of Pressburg. R. Tzvi Hirsch Oppenheim was a disciple of the Chatham Sopher, R. Mordechai Banet and R. Moses Mintz and is cited in Parashath Mordechai and Chatham Sopher. ACCOMPANIED BY: David Oppenheim. Nachlath Dovid [homilies to the Book of Genesis]. FIRST EDITION. ff. 6,54. [Friedberg, Nun 303]. Beclean, Josef Hirsch, 1931