A long letter from Rabbi Akiva Yosef Schlesinger to his childhood friend Rabbi Gershon Litsch Rosenbaum, av”d of Talia and the surroundings, author of the responsa Meishiv Devarim . Unusually rare.
[1] peice of paper. 17×21 cm. A letter written on both sides of the page in his handwriting and with his signature. In his usual manner, here too Rabbi Akiva Yosef protests about the lawlessness of the generation, this time regarding the wide spread phenomenon of young men marrying at a late age. Later in the letter he writes a halachic discussion regarding names in
Gittin, and also on this topic he has interesting new insights. The last part of the letter deals with his poverty and his hard-pressed condition after marrying off his daughters.
Rabbi Akiva Yosef Schlesinger, an exceptional genius in his thought process, ways and customs, was born in Pressburg in 1838, and circumcised by the Chatam Sofer. Rabbi Akiva Yosef was the son-in-law of Rabbi Hillel Lash of Kolomyya, and the student of the author of the
Ketav Sofer . In 1870 he immigrated to Jerusalem. Throughout his life he fought the wars of G-d, to put the religion in its rightful place. Amongst his works are
Lev HaIvri ,
Beit Yosef Chadash ,
Brit Olam and others.
Rabbi Akiva Yosef and the addressee, Rabbi Gershon, were childhood friends. They were around the same age (Rabbi Gershon was a few months older than him). They were both natives of Pressburg who were circumcised by the Chatam Sofer, and both of them later learned together in the yeshiva of the Ketav Sofer, until their paths parted in 1870 when Rabbi Akiva Yosef immigrated to Jerusalem, and Rabbi Gershon went to serve as rabbi of Talia. (See Pinkas HaMohel Chatam Sofer published by RAMA”Z Kinstlicher Britot 1924, 1940).
Slight tears with damage to very few letters. Fold marks. Fine to very fine condition.