Letter written by Rabbi Yosef Rosen “the Rogatchover.” Dvinsk, [1935].
Specifications: [2] pages, 15×19 cm. 26 lines in his hand and with his signature.
Unique Features: This letter was written during the shloshet yimei hagbalah – the three days preceding Shavuot – and is spiced with Torah thoughts regarding the approaching holiday.
Background: Rabbi Yosef Rosen [1858-1936] was born in Rogatchov, by whose name he is known. In his youth, he studied under Rabbi Yosef Dov Ber Soloveitchik, author of the Beit HaLevi. He served as chassidic rabbi of Dvinsk for about forty years, alongside Rabbi Meir Simchah HaKohen, author of the Ohr Sameach . He was noted for his tremendous genius and unmatched phenomenal memory. He recorded his Torah thoughts in short, cryptic lines. Prior to the Second World War, his daughter put forth monumental efforts to photocopy his manuscripts and send them to America. Over the years, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Kasher published some of his Torah novellae. Still today, there are Torah scholars working to decipher and print his novellae.
Condition: Moderate-fine. Stains. Tears in the fold that have been professionally restored.