Stamps on the title page: Rabbi Moshe Finkel, son of Rabbi Natan Tzvi Finkel, the ‘Alter of Slabodka,’ a rabbi at the Slabodka and Hebron yeshivahs,.
The Gaon Rabbi Yitzchak Blazer [1837-1907] was one of the first members of the Mussar movement, one of the greatest disciples of Rabbi Yisrael of Salant. He served as a rabbi in Petersburg and later returned to Kovno and founded Mussar institutions there. Afterwards, he was a partner in the establishment of the Novhardok Yeshivah and used to visit the large Mussar yeshivahs of Litaf Kelm, Novhardok and Slabodka and guide the students there in the Mussar doctrine. Towards the end of his life, he immigrated to the Land of Israel and lived in the Mussrara neighborhood, where he passed away.
The Gaon Rabbi Natan Tzvi Finkel , the ‘Alter of Slabodka’ [1849-1927], was the founder of the Knesset Yisrael yeshivah in Slabodka and in Hebron and one of the leaders of the Mussar Movement in Eastern Europe. He was one of the leading rosh yeshivahs in Lithuania and in the Land of Israel.
In 1897, a dispute erupted in Slabodka between the supporters of the Mussar doctrine and those opposing it. Against the backdrop of this dispute, Rabbi Finkel left the yeshivah and established, together with several disciples, another yeshivah in Slabodka. The dispute was a bitter one and was even deliberated by the local Beit Din.
There are many handwritten comments inside the book by the ‘Alter of Slabodka’ or one of his disciples. The comments in the book reflect the heated disagreement between the two doctrines of Mussar: while the gaon Rabbi Yitzchak Blazer supported the Novhardok method of ‘The insignificance of man’ and serving G-d by fearing punishment, the Alter of Slabodka supported the method of ‘The significance of man’ and serving G-d from awe, which was expressed by the modern attire of his disciples.
The She’erit Yisrael compilation by the gaon Rabbi Yisrael Kolmishki is bound at the end of the book; it is homilies and commentary on various sayings of the Sages. Vilna, (1904).
184, 48 pages, 23 cm.
Fine condition. Aging stains and faded leaves, not quite detached binding.