Letter from Rabbi Akiva Yosef Schlesinger [Pressburg-Jerusalem]. Jerusalem, [1893].
[1] leaf. 21×25 cm. In his hand and with his signature.
The letter was sent to an old age home in Jerusalem, asking them to accept a righteous person who used to weave tzitzis strings, but whose old age precludes him from earning a living. In his usual humble manner, Rabbi Akiva Yosef added the word “Hashafel” (lowly) to his name.
Rabbi Akiva Yosef Schlesinger (1837-1922) was born in Pressburg and studied under the Ktav Sofer. He was a son-in-law of Rabbi Hillel Lichtenstein of Kolomea. He served as rabbi in a number of Hungarian communities and in 1870 immigrated to Jerusalem. He was active in settling the land and in agriculture, and supported the establishment of factories. A number of rabbis opposed his activities, and they banned his book Beit Yosef Chadash.
Minimal aging stains and small tears in the blank margins. Fold marks. Fine condition.