Aspectos sociales y espirituales de los sefardíes de Ragusa a través de la documentación testamentaria (siglos XVI-XVI)

Abstract

In this study, we will learn about the spiritual life and religious attitudes of the Sephardim of Ragusa, during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, by examining
Jewish wills preserved in the Historical Archives of Dubrovnik. These wills were drafted by Christian notaries and later deposited in the local registry. While some of the wills are lengthy and others succinct, they all attest to the importance of these bequests in their dual role as spiritual and economic documents. The bequests and legacies, with their emphasis on donations to charitable causes and on bringing order to one’s worldly possessions, reveal much about the donor’s social-spiritual world, about his economic status and his spiritual priorities. We learn, for example, about the importance of preserving unison within the family and about the special connection to the Land of Israel. Reflected as well in these documents is the influence of the Catholic cultural milieu.