Lengthy letter of approbation and Torah novellae [over 45 lines] handwritten and signed by the mighty gaon Rabbi Shalom Mordechai HaKohen Shwadron, av beit din of Berzhan, one of the gedolei haposkim of his generation. Berzhan, 19 Elul, 1894. This is one of the earliest letters known from the Maharsh”am ever to have been offered at auction!
The letter was sent to the gaon and Chassid Rabbi Michael Poznansky, a prominent Radomsk rabbi and author of Sefer Da’at Chachamim V’Da’at HaZevach about Shechitot U’Bedikot by Mahar”i Weill. This book was beloved to scholars and was printed twice in eight years (Pietrkov, 1880; Warsaw, 1888).
The letter contains an approbation for the third edition of the sefer , which was printed only in 1973, decades after it was written. The Maharsh”am gives his warm blessing: “He has my support, and my fresh hope that it will bring pleasure to all who study Hashem[‘s Torah] and its wise scholars – it is good work; it will increase Torah and glorify it. May Hashem grant him success.”
Most of the letter contains a Torah comment about the addressee’s words. Inter alia , the Maharsha”m mentions words of “the late gaon of Rimalov ztz”l.” The Maharsha”m concludes: “I will sign off with a blessing that Hashem be with [you] and may [you] flourish into old age, lively and invigorated, and may all find [your] words pleasing. Like the soul of [your] dear friend, friend of all Torah scholars, awaiting the raising of the banner of the Torah and the Jewish people [HaK’ Shalom] Mordechai HaKohen, av beit din , author of Mishpat Shalom V’Da’at … ”
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of the gaon Rabbi Shalom Mordechai HaKohen Schwadron .
It is interesting to note that the addressee, the gaon Rabbi Michael Poznansky studied and deliberated for a lengthy period with the sacred Admo”r, the author of Tiferet Shlomo of Radomsk. His son, the sacred gaon Rabbi Tzvi Meir Rabinowitz, av beit din of Radomsk, writes in his approbation on this sefer : “I hereby attest that which I recall from my childhood, when my father would speak with the members of the yeshivah, on winter nights, after studying. He and the aforementioned rabbi (Rabbi Michael) would speak about their studies almost each and every night, making their nights like days. Whenever a question was brought before him (that is, the Tiferet Shlomo), about treifah , he would send them to this rabbi, and he would have him join together like one of the experts until reaching the point he could declare it kosher …”
[1] leaf paper, written on both sides. 16×20.5 cm.
Moderate condition. Tears in the margins with blemish to the text. Artistically restored letter.