Long Psak Din [more than 100 words] entirely handwritten and signed by the GH”K Rabbi Shmuel Heller Av Beit Din of Safed. Manuscripts by Rabbi Shmuel Heller are extremely rare (unlike Piskei Din on which his signature only appears).
The Psak Din deals with the estate of the late MO”H Yitzchak ZLLH”H, who left many creditors, including powerful people who seized the properties and the estate is insufficient to cover the debts and the widow’s Ketubah. Rabbi Shmuel Heller on behalf of the Beit Din and of compassion (in a Psak Din against the spirit of the times – when women had no rights whatsoever), confiscates the apartment for the widow, a total and irrecoverable confiscation.
[1] double leaf, approx. 20X16 cm. Handwritten entirely by him and with his signature.
Fine condition. Aging stains. Fold marks. Small tears in the margins, not affecting the text.
Important and long letter entirely handwritten and signed by the Gaon Rabbi Azriel Hildesheimer one of the leaders of the Jews of Ashkenaz, to the Gaon Rabbi Yosef Shaul Nathansohn the author of the ‘Sho’el U’Meshiv’. The letter deals with the dire situation of Judaism in general and in Eretz Israel in particular.
The letter before us opens with many honorifics for Rabbi Nathansohn. The letter deals with the dire situation of Judaism. At the beginning of his letter, Rabbi Azriel refers to a horrible letter that was published in the ‘Izraelit’. Then he continues to list the troubles of the Jews, referring to the cholera epidemic in that year in Jerusalem which killed many. Rabbi Azreil in his important and interesting letter tries to prioritize in Dinei Nefashot, in the allocation of the already limited resources. Rabbi Azriel adds at the end of the letter that he had sent a letter on the matter to the rabbi of Pressburg (the Ketav Sofer) and to additional rabbis as well.
[2] pp., 22 cm. Bluish paper, entirely handwritten by him and with his signature.
Fine condition. Aging stains. Creases. Restored tears, with no lack of text. Small tears in the margins far from the text.
Letter entirely handwritten and signed by the gaon Rabbi Yehoshua Greenwald, Av Beit Din of Ungvar and Chust. The letter contains a warm recommendation for a disciple.
In his letter, Rabbi Yehoshua Greenwald warmly recommends his disciple, Rabbi Shmuel Nathan Nota, and concludes by lyrically mentioning that he will be a “faithful sapling” [“נאמן נטע”] of the Jewish people.
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of Rabbi Yehoshua Greenwald .
[1] leaf paper, 23 cm. Graph paper, entirely in Rabbi Yehoshua Greenwald’s handwriting, with his signature and stamp.
Very fine condition. Fold marks. Tiny tears in the folds.
Lengthy letter from the legendary Sha’arei Chessed gema”ch – the organization that later initiated and constructed the Sha’arei Chessed neighborhood in Jerusalem. The letter was sent to the Jews of the Diaspora with a request for assistance for Jerusalem’s poor. Signed by the mara-d’ara-Yisrael, the gaon Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld and other rabbis.
The rabbis report in their letter about the financial situation of this important institution, and about its goals, and also the properties in its possession. Rabbinic leaders bless: “May you soon be blessed to joyously ascend to Tziyon and view and prostrate yourselves on Hashem’s mountain in Jerusalem.”
“Gema”ch Sha’arei Chessed HaKlali” served as a charity organization beginning in 1870, led by Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Porush (who signed this letter) and Shmuel Zanvil Shpitzer, who established ‘The Sha’arei Chessed Society for Constructing Homes in Jerusalem.’ In this letter, the rabbis explain the addition of the word “General” [הכללי] to the institution’s name.
[1] leaf paper, approximately 22×28 cm. Ink on graph paper, scribal script, signed by the gaon Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld and another six rabbis, and with gema”ch of Sha’arei Chessed’s stamp.
Moderate-fine condition. Aging stains. Fold marks. Tears in the folds, some restored, with slight damage to text.
Rabbinic ordination of the gaon Rabbi Zalman Hernreich, renowned rabbi of Shamloy and author of Lechem Shlomo . The rabbinic ordination is entirely written by hand, by the gaon Rabbi Shaul Hernfeld, Av Beit Din of Siks.
The rabbinic ordination before us was given to the ‘Lechem Shlomo’ when he was a young married scholar of only 28 years of age. Upon receipt of this certificate, he was indeed appointed to his first rabbinic position in Chova, near Mishkoltz, Hungary. This appointment was at first opposed by some of the city residents due to his young age, but after rabbinic leaders were brought in on the matter and recognized his unique leadership and extraordinary knowledge, he received the appointment effective 1894. Five years later, the ‘Lechem Shlomo’ moved on to the larger city of Shamloy, where he served as rabbi and rosh yeshivah until his passing, and he is known for this highly respected position. In the certificate of rabbinic ordination before us, aside from what is written about the ‘Lechem Shlomo”s tremendous greatness in Torah, his yichus [pedigree] as the son of the ‘Kol Aryeh’ is also mentioned.
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of the gaon Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Hernreich .
[1] leaf paper, 14×22 cm. Ink on graph paper, entirely in the hand of the gaon Rabbi Shaul Hernfeld, Av Beit Din of Siks.
Very fine condition. Fold marks with two tiny perforations in the folds. Stain in the margins of the letter, possibly a remnant of a wax seal, with a reflection of the stain in the body of the certificate without compromising the visibility of the text.
Letter of rabbinic ordination [approximately 20 lines] handwritten and signed by the gaon Rabbi Yechezkel Bennet, Av Beit Din of Nitra, 1842. The gaon of Nitra mentions his teacher, the Chatam Sofer.
Ordination letter written for Rabbi Yehoshua son of Rabbi Aharon HaLevi, Av Beit Din of Batirkez. The gaon of Nitra writes, inter alia, that Rabbi Yehoshua does not actually need his ordination, as he was already ordained in his youth by “Rabbeinu the gaon of Pressburg” – referring, obviously, to his teacher, the “Chatam Sofer.”
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of Rabbi Yechezkel Bennet, Av Beit Din of Nitra .
[1] double leaf paper, 11×19 cm. Greenish paper entirely in the gaon of Nitra’s hand and with his signature.
Very fine condition. Aging stains. Fold marks.
Rare and lengthy letter [approximately 100 words], entirely handwritten and signed by the prince of Torah, the gaon of Tchebin, Rabbi Dov Berish Weidenfeld, to the gaon Rabbi Yitzchak Yedidyah Frankel, rabbi of Tel Aviv. The letter discusses the appointment of Rabbi Aryeh Leibush Halberstam, later Admo”r of Sanz-Zhmigrad, who became renowned at the end of his life as a wonder worker, and many flocked to his home in Bnei Brak.
As is known, the gaon of Tchebin avoided conferring rabbinic qualifications, or even letters of recommendation that could be interpreted as rabbinic qualifications, as much as he could. This letter before us is exceptional, as the gaon of Tchebin explicitly recommends the Admo”r of Sanz-Zhmigrad as a suitable candidate for the rabbinate and adjudication, such that this is, practically speaking, a certificate of ordination. The gaon of Tchebin makes another exception, and in contrast to his renowned gentleness, he pleads persistently that Rabbi Frankel not leave his request unheeded, and concern himself with Rabbi Aryeh Leibush’s appointment as rabbi. The reason for this also appears in the body of the letter, and that is Rabbi Aryeh Leibush Halberstam’s yichus (pedigree): “Grandson of the Admo”r of Sanz [- author of Divrei Chaim ] may his merit protect us and the entire Jewish people, amen.” It is known that the ‘Divrei Chaim”s grandchildren had, according to the gaon of Tchebin, like according to all the Chassidim of Galicia, a different and preferable yichus.
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for brief biographies of Rabbi Dov Berish Weidenfeld and the Admo”r Rabbi Aryeh Leibush Halberstam of Sanz-Zhmigrad .
[1] leaf paper, approximately 21×14 cm. Official stationery, entirely handwritten and signed by the gaon of Tchebin.
Moderate-fine condition. Aging stains. Fold marks. Tear (restored with tape) across the main fold, as well as other tears, primarily in the margins. The tears are all without lack to text. Taped reinforcements on the back of the letter.
Certificate of rabbinic ordination for the accomplished young man Rabbi Yehudah Leib Grodzovsky, entirely handwritten and signed by the gaon and tzaddik Rabbi Simchah Zelig Riger, the famous dayan of Brisk (teacher of Rabbi Aharon Leib Steinman). The certificate is stamped with the stamp of the Beit Din of Brisk. Brisk, 1932.
Rabbi Simchah Zelig is more expansive here than is customary, possibly due to the recipient of the certification still being unmarried. Rabbi Simchah Zelig writes as follows, inter alia: “Studied in the Mir and Kaminetz yeshivahs … I have found him to be very successful in his studies, innovative and deliberative … I have also spoken to him in matters of rabbinic instruction and he is very capable and fit to be a rabbinic instructor; he may be relied upon.” Rabbi Simchah Zelig concludes with a blessing: “May he be supremely successful in his Torah ascension, and may Hashem desire his success. May he be a glory to the Jewish people and his banner honorably raised. Signed, Simchah Zelig, moreh tzedek here in Brisk.”
The gaon Rabbi Simchah Zelig Riger [1864-1943] was one of the leading disciples of the Volozhin yeshivah. Rabbi Chaim of Brisk brought him to Brisk especially to serve as an adjudicator and dayan at the Brisk beit din. Rabbi Chaim once said of him: “On the subject of instruction, Rabbi Simchah Zelig is unique in his generation!” It is known that the Brisker Rav almost never cites Later Authorities in his books; however, he quotes the words of Rabbi Simchah Zelig three times, calling him, ‘My friend the Rash”z.’ Even after R’ Chaim of Brisk’s passing and the appointment of his son Rabbi Yitzchak as successor to the city’s rabbinate, Rabbi Simchah Zelig continued in his position and worked together with the rabbi, who admired him to the extreme. Rabbi Simchah Zelig Riger was murdered in the Holocaust together with the rest of the Brisk community in Cheshvan 1942. His known disciples include Rabbi Aharon Leib Steinman; Rabbi Simchah was the one who granted him rabbinic ordination.
[1] leaf paper, approximately 19×12 cm. Entirely handwritten and signed by Rabbi Simchah Zelig Riger. Stamped with the Beit Din of Brisk’s stamp.
Fine condition. Aging stains. Ink smudges. Tear without lack in the center of the leaf. Tiny tear. Placed in a laminate envelope; has not been examined outside the envelope.
Before us is a rare and important lengthy halachic ruling [over 100 words] that deals with the attitude of the gaon Rabbi Ya’akov Yisrael Kanievsky – the “Steipler” – to religious Zionism. The ruling is entirely in the Steipler’s hand and with his signature. The halachic ruling was written on the letter bearing the question, such that all the particulars of the question can be seen.
The ruling was given as a response to Rabbi Avraham Kavelkin’s question as to whether to recommend to a prominent Torah scholar, one of the rabbinic leaders of Jerusalem, who is suffering greatly, for the position of rosh yeshivah (the yeshivah’s name is mentioned in this letter, but out of respect, we won’t mention it), or, should he not do this, and possibly also dissuade this Torah scholar from his intention. Due to the urgency of the matter, Rabbi Kavelkin requests that the Steipler respond to him in writing via the messenger bearing this letter.
From the Steipler’s response, we can see his (negative) opinion of said yeshivah. The Steipler preliminarily states: “These matters cannot be rendered for halachic ruling” – and for this he relies on the Brisker Rav who answered a similar question as follows: “I cannot intervene in matters of your livelihood.” The Steipler then hammers in his shocking decision: the standing of this yeshivah will be strengthened by said Torah scholar serving as its rosh yeshivah, and its prestige will increase, so this Torah scholar may not serve as rosh yeshivah there! And if the other candidates are like him, and there is no preference for him over them, there is room to be lenient.”
[1] leaf paper, 20×21 cm. Rabbi Kavelkin’s question is in the center of the leaf, and the Steipler’s response surrounds it – [106] words in his hand and with his signature.
Very fine condition. Fold marks, tiny tears in the folds and in the margins without damage to text.
“…and do not move from there until they become beloved to one another, as it says: ‘As an outermost boundary I have given you [‘אֶת וָהֵב בְּסוּפָה’]'”
Extremely sharp halachic responsum from the gaon Rabbi Eliyahu Mordechai Mazah, author of Siftei Re’em , to the gaon Rabbi Yosef Eliyahu Henkin, among the most prominent halachic adjudicators on the United States and head of Ezrat Torah.
The letter deals with the halachahs of mikvehs and is written as a response to a letter Rabbi Henkin sent to Rabbi Mazah. Rabbi Mazah, after opening the letter with exalted praises about Rabbi Henkin, writes very firmly: “from the walls of [your] letter I could see that [you] did not find it necessary to read my letter carefully.” Rabbi Mazah writes him that at first he did not even want to respond to the letter, and only because of the serious nature of the halachahs of mikvehs is he required to do so. Rabbi Mazah continues: “And do not bear resentment towards me … and correct everything that must be corrected … I wrote all this for the sake of truth and peace … I ask [your] forgiveness once again … and that [you] immediately look in the book … and try to correct this oversight.”
Up to this point the letter is standard, although somewhat sharp, between two Torah scholars. What is interesting is that at the end, as if he did not just sharply attack him, Rabbi Mazeh writes “I would request, if it is possible to send, with [your] assistance, about ten dollars, as my situation is presently difficult … and if [you send] more, all the better. Regarding this, it is written: “Rabbi Chiyya said: Even father and son, teacher and disciple who occupy themselves with Torah in the same place, become enemies and do not move from there until they become beloved to one another, as it says: ‘As an outermost boundary I have given you [‘אֶת וָהֵב בְּסוּפָה’]'”
[2] pp, 14×21 cm. Ink on official stationery, entirely in Rabbi Mazah’s hand and with his signature.
Fine condition. Fold marks. Aging stains. Slight tears in the margins without damage to text.
Letter handwritten and signed by the gaon Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Greenwald, Av Beit Din of Tzehlim, with respect to assistance for the gaon Rabbi Ya’akov Henig – one of the rabbinic leaders of Jerusalem and father-in-law of the Admo”r of Alexander-Cleveland, shlit”a, and in-law of the Admo”r of Vizhnitz, shlit”a.
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak explains Rabbi Ya’akov Henig’s situation in detail. Until now, the latter was a rosh yeshivah (of Vizhnitz and Nadvorna), and he was forced to leave his position. The “Tzehlmer Rebbe” blesses in his letter: “May we merit the stated blessings … the small one, Levi Yitzchak Greenwald.”
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of the gaon Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Greenwald .
[1] leaf paper, approximately 27 cm, ink on official stationery, approximately 15 lines in his hand, with his calligraphic signature and with his stamp!
Fine condition. Fold marks. Tears in the folds and the margins without damage to text.
Manuscript [2 pages] of Torah novellae handwritten by the leading rosh yeshivah of the previous generation, the gaon Rabbi Shmuel Rozovsky, rosh yeshivah of Ponovezh.
The novellae are on the topic “Plaginan Dibura” (Ketubot 18 and other places) and it is not known if they were ever printed.
The gaon Rabbi Shmuel Rozovsky [1913-1979] was the rosh yeshivah of Ponovezh. As a young man, his name was already renowned over the entire yeshivah world, and while he was yet unmarried, he was appointed rosh yeshivah of Ponovezh, which is almost completely unheard of. In fact, he was the one who shaped the character of the “ben yeshivah” of our times. He served as a bridge to transmit the Torah of the Lithuanian yeshivahs from the generation before the Holocaust to the generation after it. His Torah thoughts that appear in Shiurei Rabi Shmuel and Zichron Shmuel constitute, to this day, the basis of lessons delivered by rashei yeshivahs, many of whom are among his disciples.
[2] pp, 27 cm. Ink on official stationery, entirely in his hand.
Fine condition. Fold marks.
Lengthy, rare and interesting letter, entirely in the hand of Rabbi Shlomo Heiman, one of the Torah giants of Lithuania and then rosh yeshiva of Torah Vodaas. New York, 1939.
This lengthy letter before us covers four leaves and deals with one of the greatest mashgichim of the Lithuanian yeshivahs – Rabbi Zalman Radiner (Dolinsky), ‘The Mashgiach’ of the Mir and Slobodka yeshivahs at a time when mashgichim were held in high esteem, occasionally at the same level as the rosh yeshivah, and sometimes even higher. In this letter, Rabbi Heiman cites the mashgiach’s deep insight as to how we, as human beings, perceive the essence of life. Important and interesting letter.
The gaon Rabbi Shlomo Heiman [1892-1945] was one of the leading rashei yeshivah in Lithuania and then in the United States. He was the rosh yeshivah of Ohel Torah in Baranovich and at Yeshivat Ramailes in Vilna. He then moved to the United States where he served as rosh yeshivah of Torah Vodaath in New York, and as a member of the Council of Torah Sages. His novellae were printed by Rabbi Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz, rosh yeshivah of Ponovezh, who was his disciple at the Ramailes yeshivah, in two volumes entitled Chiddushei Rebbi Shlomo, as well as in Shiurei Rebbe Shlomo, which was printed in Lakewood.
[4] leaves, 24 cm. Ink on official stationery, entirely in Rabbi Heiman’s hand, with his signature.
Very fine condition. Isolated aging stains and fold marks.
Lengthy, important and interesting letter from the mashgiach – the gaon and tzaddik Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz of Mir, to the gaon Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Ginzburg, with respect to a conflict with his community members. Mir, 1935.
The gaon Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Ginzburg appealed to Rabbi Yerucham with a request for counsel and guidance regarding a conflict with members of his community, mainly with the ritual slaughterer. Rabbi Yerucham, who was one of the rabbinic leaders of the generation, indeed attended to the issue and sent two important rabbis to the city, the rabbi of Kazan and another rabbi named in the letter, in order to settle the conflict. The mashgiach also gives practical advice in his letter regarding how to calm the atmosphere.
Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz [1874-1936] was one of the leading mashgichim and mussar personalities. He was a protege of the Slabodka and Kelm schools of thought. His teachers were Rabbi Natan Tzvi Finkel (the “Alter of Slablodka”) and Rabbi Simchah Zissel Ziv (the “Alter of Kelm”). He served as mashgiach in several yeshivahs, including the Chafetz Chaim’s yeshivah in Radin. He was later appointed by Rabbi Eliezer Yehudah Finkel to serve as spiritual dean of the Mir yeshivah, a position he held for decades. Rabbi Yerucham was actually considered something of a ‘Lithuanian Admo”r’ and was even referred to by his disciples using the description ‘Admo”r.’ His status in most cases was higher than that of the rosh yeshivah in the yeshivahs in which he served. The renowned mashgiach Rabbi Yechezkel Levenstein would stand on a bench and crowd together with his students to hear Rabbi Yerucham’s discourses at the Mir yeshivah. His disciples include rabbinic leaders of recent generations: Rabbi Shlomo Harkavi – mashgiach of Grodno; Rabbi David Povarsky; Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz; Rabbi Yechiel Michel Epstein; Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe – in the preface to his book
Alei Shor , Rabbi Wolbe writes, “Rabbi Yerucham revived me from actual spiritual death”; Rabbi Zalman Rottenberg, rosh yeshivah of Beit Meir; Rabbi Shmuel Rozovsky, rosh yeshivah of Ponovezh, and many more.
Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Ginzberg was the final rabbi of Nowojelna (Belarus).
[1] leaf paper, official Mir yeshivah stationery. 20×27 cm. 15 lines in his hand and with his signature. Fine condition.
Pay Attention: VAT should be added to the commission for foreign residents as well.
Two letters on one leaf; each letter is on a different page, all in his hand and with his signature.
Rabbi Shmaryahu Yitzchak Bloch was born in Lithuania in 1866. He was one of the most prominent disciples of Rabbi Itzeleh Blazer’s and was rabbinically ordained by Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan of Kovno. He was rabbi of several communities in Lithuania, and then moved to England, where he became one of the most prominent rabbis, initially in Sunderland, then in Birmingham, and finally in London, where he served until his passing in 1924. His Torah thoughts appear in
Divrei Shmaryahu Yitzchak [2016] which also contains his biography.
[1] leaf, on his official stationery as rabbi of Stamford Hill, London. 27×21 cm. Fine condition.
Lengthy letter from the gaon Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Bloch, Av Beit Din and rosh yeshivah of Telz to Rabbi Eliyahu Botchko, rosh yeshivah of Montreux, Switzerland. Telz, Elul, 1930.
The gaon Rabbi Eliyahu Bloch opens his letter with the blessing, “May [you] be inscribed and sealed in the book of the righteous.” In his letter, he makes a request on behalf of his student, Dov Hamburg, one of the best students at the yeshivah, who is not well. The doctors’ opinion is that being in Switzerland would improve his health. The name of the young man, Dov Hamburg, is unknown to us, yet would have been expected to have been familiar as one of the best students at the glorious Telz yeshivah, considered one of the most prominent of the European yeshivahs, with well-known personalities among the students there. We cannot know whether it was illness that subdued him, the Nazi blade, or another, unknown reason.
The gaon Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Bloch [1890-1941] was the successor of the rashei yeshivah of the glorious Telz yeshivah: Rabbi Shimon Shkop; his grandfather Rabbi Eliezer Gordon; and his father Rabbi Yosef Yehudah Leib Bloch. The gaon Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Bloch was known as a tremendous gaon from his youth, and already in 1920, during his father’s lifetime, he was appointed the main lecturer and head of the yeshivah, as well as the rabbi of Telz. With the Nazi conquest in 1941, he was executed together with hundreds of the yeshivah’s students and its rabbis. His lessons were anthologized in
Shiurei HaGra”y MiTelz .
[1] official stationery leaf in Hebrew, English and Russian. 22×29 cm, entirely in his hand and with his signature. Fine condition. Aging stains. Fold marks. Tiny tears in the margins and in the folds without damage to text. Taped reinforcements.
Lengthy halachic responsum [over 250 words!] in the hand of Rabbi Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz, author of Chazon Ish .
The ‘Chazon Ish, ‘ the foremost authority on Land-of-Israel-dependant-mitzvahs, replies by hand to halachic-practical questions on the laws of orlah sent to him by his disciple and close associate, Rabbi Kalman Kahana, rabbi of Kibbutz Chafetz Chaim.
Refer to the Hebrew text for a brief biography of
Rabbi Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz .
This responsum was printed in the book
LeCheker Biurei HaGR”A (Tel Aviv, 1957) in the part called ‘סיפוק בערלה ושורש פטור’ (p. 8).
[1] leaf paper, approximately 14×15 cm. Lined paper. Entirely in the hand of the Chazon Ish. Novellae in a different script on the other side of the leaf. Fine condition. Small tear in the lower right corner without damage to text.
Handwritten and signed letter from Rabbi Zelig (Zelik) Tarshish to Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Ferber of London.
The tzaddik Rabbi Yehoshua Zelig Tarshish Segal (1862-1940) became renowned among Lithuanian Jewry for his great righteousness and asceticism due to his many years of abstaining from worldly matters. He toiled in Torah and Divine service in Slabodka and Kelm. He was known in his time as Rabbi Zelig Kelemer. For more about his life, refer to the Hebrew text.
[1] leaf paper. 22×18 cm. Fine condition.
“… Blessing and success in all your endeavors for wealth and honor …”
In Rabbi Elchanan’s letter, we can see that despite his tremendous greatness in Torah and his sayings that still resonate today in all study halls around the world, he had to travel to take loans and collect donations to maintain the yeshivah.
Rabbi Elchanan depicts the bleak state of his yeshivah: “Its loans and credit borrow from one to pay the other, and currently even this negotiation has ended … due to the bad state of our Jewish brethren in their countries and in our city … and my request is laid out … to maintain our sacred enterprise so that it doesn’t collapse, Heav-n forbid.” He also explains at length what caused the financial difficulties. Rabbi Elchanan blesses profusely: “May [you] be Heav-nly blessed to be inscribed and sealed for a year of life and peace, a year of blessing and success in all [your] endeavors for wealth and honor and all goodness, selah.” Rabbi Elchanan adds his signature: “Elchanan Bunim Wasserman, lecturer here in Baranovich, ” and the yeshivah’s stamp.
Rabbi Elchanan Bunim Wasserman [1875-1941] was the rosh yeshivah of Ohel Torah in Baranovich and one of the most renowned rabbinic leaders of all generations. His scholarly works
Kovetz He’arot and
Kovetz Shiurim and his in-depth study methodology are inalienable assets of the yeshivah world to this day. Rabbi Elchanan was a disciple of the gaon Rabbi Shimon Shkop, disciple and right-hand-man of the author of Chafetz Chaim. The story of his death in sanctification of G-d’s name, as one of the “asarah harugei malchut, ” caused many hearts to tremble. While occupied with the laws of martyrdom, he was taken to be executed at the ‘Seventh Fort’ near the Kovno ghetto.
[1] leaf official stationery of the Ohel Torah yeshivah and of Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman. 29×22 cm. The letter was written in scribal script, with the addition of [23 words] in Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman’s hand, with his signature and the yeshivah’s stamp.
Fine condition. Fold marks. Stain in the center of the leaf. Tears without lack.
Important letter entirely in the hand and with the signature of the author of Even HaAzel, the gaon Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer, to the Vaad HaShechitah HaMeuchadah of the Va’ad HaKehillah – the long and antiquated name of the most famous kashrut system ‘Bada”tz HaEdah HaChareidit.’ Jerusalem, Elul, 1941.
Letter to the United Ritual Slaughter Committee, in which Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer demands they concern themselves with providing a salary for the rabbinic instructors. He expands on this saying that in all communities, the income from ritual slaughter goes first and foremost to the rabbis’ needs, yet in Jerusalem, the rabbis’ [financial] situation is very difficult.
Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer [1870-1953] was the author of Even HaAzel . He was a disciple of the Netziv and of Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik in Volozhin. He served as the rosh yeshivah in Slobodka and then as rosh yeshivah in Slutzk beginning in 1897, and as rabbi of that city beginning in 1903. He served as rosh yeshivah of Etz Chaim starting in 1925, and continued there until his passing.
Stationery paper, 28×21 cm.
Fine condition. Aging stains. Filing perforations that are torn off
Handwritten and signed letter from Rabbi Zelig (Zelik) Tarshish to Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Ferber of London.
The tzaddik Rabbi Yehoshua Zelig Tarshish Segal (1862-1940) became renowned among Lithuanian Jewry for his great righteousness and asceticism due to his many years of abstaining from worldly matters. He toiled in Torah and Divine service in Slabodka and Kelm. He was known in his time as Rabbi Zelig Kelemer. For more about his life, refer to the Hebrew text.
[1] leaf paper. 23×18 cm. Fine condition.
Important halachic ruling, entirely handwritten and signed by the rabbi of the entire Diaspora, the gaon Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, requiring all of American Jewry to fast for the success of the Jewish people at war. New York, 28 Tishrei 1973.
The halachic ruling before us symbolizes Jewish mutual guarantee at its best. The halachic ruling was, as mentioned, written at the height of the Yom Kippur War, when harsh news from Israel reported hundreds of casualties (there were actually already thousands of casualties, but the censor blocked publication of this fact). Rabbi Moshe Feinstein cries out in a great and bitter cry, as did Mordechai HaTzaddik in his time, and instructs that a public fast be undertaken in the month of Tishrei (despite these being days that are to be free of fasts) given the terrible situation in the Land of Israel following the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War.
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein writes as follows, inter alia: “In our multitude of transgressions, a war has broken out upon our brethren in the Land of Israel. Every Jewish soul is precious to us, as Rash”i states on the verse: “a multitude of them will fall” – that even one person is considered to us and to Hashem as “a multitude of them will fall” and especially as many hundreds have fallen, and who knows until when? Torah Law requires that we sound the alarm and fast, so a fast has been declared for Monday, the eve of 26 Tishrei …” And those who do not manage to fast, or are prevented from doing so due to weakness, etc., are to make a donation to Ezrat Torah’s special support fund for the Land of Israel so that there will be resources to help those who have suffered and become destitute due to the outbreak of war …”
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein [1895-1886] was the leading halachic authority in the United States. He led Agudat Yisrael’s Council of Torah Sages and was the leader of American Jewry. He stood at the head of Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem in New York. He is also known for his monumental book series Shu”t Iggerot Moshe .
[1] leaf paper, 28×21 cm. Ink on official stationery. Entirely in his hand and with his signature.
Fine condition. Aging stains. Fold marks and creases. Tiny tears in the right margin far from the text.
Important and extremely interesting letter: That it is worthwhile for a person to be happy about a loss in a din Torah (rabbinic court case), because this constitutes a rectification for earlier incarnations(!) – by the gaon Rabbi Shemayah Lowe, Av Beit Din of Sokoli Kerestir, to the gaon Rabbi Yosef Adler, Av Beit Din of Turda and Shesburg. The gaon of Turda’s responsum is at the letter’s conclusion. Kerestir-Turda, 1939.
The first part of the letter is a halachic responsum about carrying a Torah scroll from a synagogue to a nearby room. Rabbi Shemayah Lowe flourishes his pen, demonstrating his great prowess and command of all realms of the Torah.
The second part of the letter is focused on a rabbinic court case in which the gaon of Turda was involved, and the decision was apparently not in his favor. Rabbi Shemayah attacks the decision with very harsh words. However, he continues, saying that given that the dayanim are great people, “Our uncle, the great luminary, the rabbi of the Jewish people, in Nassod” – and then he continues on with his praises for another, one of which is that he comes from prestigious lineage. Another dayan (named in the letter) beloved by Chassidim, is considered a true Talmudic scholar with fear of Heav-n. Therefore, alongside much apology for his words, with emphasis that it is only with love he is writing these words, Rabbi Shemayah recommends that he not oppose the ruling. He explains this extensively, based on the words of the rabbi of Shinowa, and as brought in the Zohar , that when a person is found accountable in a rabbinical court case, although he knows that he is innocent, this is a matter contingent on earlier incarnations! Rabbi Yosef Adler’s responsum is at the letter’s conclusion. There are many comments between the lines, also by the gaon of Turda. However, they all relate to the halachic subject. With regard to the second, personal, part the gaon of Turda comments not one word.
Expert handwriting identification certificate included.
Rabbi Shemayah Lowe [killed in 1944, may his blood be avenged] was the Av Beit Din of Sokoli Kerestir, son of the tzaddik Rabbi Asher Zelig of Urisor, son of the gaon Rabbi Mordechai Yehudah Lowe, Av Beit Din of Entradam. His mother was a daughter of the renowned gaon Rabbi Yehudah Greenfeld, Av Beit Din of Semihai. Rabbi Shemayah was the father of the renowned gaon and tzaddik Rabbi Moshe Aryeh Lowe of Temeswar, and from him branched out the famous Lowe family of community leaders in London and in Vienna.
Rabbi Yosef Adler [d. 1977] was the Av Beit Din of Turda and Shesburg. He was among the leaders of Romanian Jewry, president of the Orthodox Bureau there and member of the Council of Torah Sages in the Land of Israel. His Torah thoughts were printed in Bnei Shemayah in three parts (Shu”t, al Torah and sermons).
[4] large pages. 30 cm. Graph paper. Fine condition. Aging stains. Tiny tear in the left margins, without damage or lack.
Extremely important halachic letter from the gaon, the tzaddik, Rabbi Simchah Zelig Riger, the famous dayan of Brisk (teacher of Rabbi Aryeh Leib Steinman), to the chief rabbinate of Jerusalem. Brisk, 1927.
The letter before us deals with one of the most problematic halachic processes – divorce in the husband’s absence. Much can be learned from this letter about carrying out this complex type of process. Due to the letter’s importance, in the place marked for the sender’s name and address, the name and address of Rabbi Yitzchak Ze’ev HaLevi Soloveitchik, rabbi of Brisk, appear in Polish.
Rabbi Simchah Zelig Riger [1864-1943] was one of the leading students at the Volozhin yeshivah. Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin brought him in especially to serve as an adjudicator and dayan at the Brisk beit din. Rabbi Chaim once said of him: “On the subject of instruction, Rabbi Simchah Zelig is unique in his generation!” It is known that the Brisker Rav almost never cites Later Authorities in his books; however, he quotes the words of Rabbi Simchah Zelig three times, calling him, ‘My friend the Rash”z.’ Even after R’ Chaim of Brisk’s passing and the appointment of his son Rabbi Yitzchak as successor to the city’s rabbinate, Rabbi Simchah Zelig continued in his position and worked together with the rabbi, who admired him to the extreme. The postcard before us, too, proves that the dayan wrote the rabbi’s address for receipt of the responsum to the clear halachic issue in his care. Rabbi Simchah Zelig Riger was murdered in the Holocaust together with the rest of the Brisk community in Cheshvan 1942. His known disciples include Rabbi Aharon Leib Steinman; Rabbi Simchah was the one who granted him rabbinic ordination.
[1] post office postcard, postmarked and stamped. 10×15 cm. Entirely handwritten and signed by Rabbi Simchah Zelig Riger. Very fine condition. Filing perforation with damage to a solitary word.
