A responsum from Rabbi Chaim Berlin to Rabbi Aryeh Levin. Motza, [1910].
[1] leaf. 14×19 cm. In his handwriting and with his signature.
An interesting letter that Rabbi Chaim Berlin wrote after he immigrated to Israel in his old age. He wrote the letter while on summer vacation in Motza, adjacent to Jerusalem, and in the letter he writes about the place’s history. In the letter, Rabbi Chaim Berlin replies about how to make inquiries about a certain person in Konigsberg (Kaliningradas), which was the capital city of the East Prussia district of Germany.
He sent the letter to the young Rabbi Aryeh Levin, who was 25 years old at the time. It is interesting to observe the expressions of respect and the friendly and affectionate relationship between the elderly Rabbi, who had immigrated from the Diaspora after decades of serving as a rabbi and who was the de-facto rabbi of the Ashkenazi community of Jerusalem, and a young Torah scholar who did not serve in any rabbinic capacity.
Rabbi Chaim Berlin (1832-1913), the son of the Netziv and one of the famous rabbis of his generation, served as the rabbi of Moscow and for a short period as the Rosh Yeshivah of Volozhin. He was then rabbi of Kobryn until his immigration to Jerusalem in 1906. Upon the death of Rabbi Shmuel Salant in 1909, he served as the de facto rabbi of the Ashkenazi community of Jerusalem.
Rabbi Aryeh Levin (1885-1965) was one of the glorious figures of Jerusalem, a tremendous genius in all parts of the Torah, and a merciful father to any needy person. He served as a teacher in the Etz Chaim Yeshivah and was closely connected to the author of the Leshem. He was known as the Prisoners’ Rabbi because he visited them, encouraged them, and took care of their needs. His son-in-law was Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv.
Folding marks, aging stains. Fine condition.