“This sefer, Ahavat Yisrael by my sacred Father”
Sefer Ahavat Yisrael – torot on Sefer Bereishit by the Admo”r Rabbi Yisrael Hager of Vizhnitz, known by the name of this sefer , as “The Ahavat Yisrael of Vizhnitz.” Printed by the author’s sons from his manuscript. Grosswardein, Binyamin Ze’ev Rubenstein Press. 1943. First edition, printed during the Holocaust.
The protective leaf bears a very beautiful and lengthy rare dedication from the author’s son and successor, the Admo”r, the author of Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz, from the short period in which he resided in Grosswardein after the Holocaust.
‘B”H
This sefer, Ahavat Yisrael, by my sacred father, I am gifting to my dear disciple … Mr. Eliezer David Ish Shalom, of Hermannstadt, in honor of my satisfaction with his progress, his diligence, his Torah wisdom and his fear of Heaven which precedes his wisdom. Grosswardein, Adar II, 1946.
The small one, Chaim Meir son of the tzaddik ztzllh”h of Vizhnitz’
A short time after this sefer was published, the Nazis invaded Hungary, and the Admo”r, together with many of his Chassidim, was sent to the ghetto. Due to his desire not to work on Shabbat, Heaven forbid, the Admo”r injured himself and thus became exempt from labor. That same Shabbat, camp prisoners were sent to the extermination camp at Auschwitz, may their blood be avenged. The Admo”r, who was not residing in the camp due to his avoidance of desecrating Shabbat, was spared. A short time later, he fled to Romania with one of his Chassidim. After the Holocaust, the Admo”r returned to Grosswardein, where he had served before the Nazi conquest. It is intriguing to consider where the Imrei Chaim got this sefer , which, as mentioned, was printed a few years earlier, during the Holocaust. Bookstores certainly did not survive the Holocaust. Is it possible that this sefer accompanied the Imrei Chaim throughout those terrible years?
The period during which the Imrei Chaim stayed in Grosswardein after the Holocaust is described in the book Kedosh Yisrael : “After the Holocaust, he returned to Grosswardein. When he saw that there was only one left from a city and two from a family, he decided to collect together the survivors of the Nazis’ gas furnaces or labor camps, who had returned to their empty homes without families, without parents, broken and shattered; dumbfounded, with no home nor address to turn to. The Rebbe came to them as an angel of salvation, a lighthouse that illuminated their paths and ignited their dim embers. He breathed a new spirit into them and instilled in them a desire to rebuild their homes. He opened a yeshivah and served as a devoted father and patron to many lonely orphans who were left without a roof over their heads. More often than not, early in the morning, he would approach the young men’s beds with a bowl and a cup of water, so that they would wash their hands and arise to serve the Creator” ( Kedosh Yisrael , Bnei Brak, 1985, p. 572-573.) All this is clearly evident in his touching dedication.
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of the author – the Admo”r Rabbi Yisrael Hager of Vizhinitz, author of Ahavat Yisrael and his son, who wrote the dedication – the Admo”r Rabbi Chaim Meir Hager, author of Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz .
[2], 106 leaf. 24.5 cm.
Moderate-fine condition. Several partially detached leaves and groups of leaves. Taped adhesions for the reinforcement of the inner margins of several leaves. Stains. Minimal worming perforations. Original binding with the gilt imprint. Spine and margins reinforced with glue. Blemishes in the margins of the binding.