I recently acquired a handwritten manuscript diary by Rav Yitzchak Kaduri.
Rav Kaduri was born in the end of the 19th century in Iraq, arrived in Israel in 1923, and passed away in 2006. In his younger years, Rav Kaduri served as librarian and caretaker of Yeshivat Porat Yosef in Jerusalem, binding sefarim and copying the manuscripts in the yeshiva’s collection.
He was reputed to have had a photographic memory, with the contents of each sefer he handled committed to his memory. In his later years, he achieved world renown as a kabbalist and writer of amulets.
The 24-page manuscript I acquired contains entries by Rav Kaduri with the names, details, and problems of various people who came to him for advice, blessings, and amulets. The rav kept a detailed log of every request that came before him, often following up with the person to confirm that the issue was resolved.
Each entry has the name of the person, his mother’s name, and the nature of his request. These are often followed by secret symbols and designations, detailing the amulets or tikkunim that Rav Kaduri gave the person.
