Historical letter handwritten entirely by the Rosh Yeshiva of Mir in Lithuania the gaon Rabbi Chaim Shmuelowitz, heralding the marriage of his daughter Etel to his great son-in-law, the gaon Rabbi Chaim Pertzowitz, eventually his successor as Rosh Yeshiva of Mir in the Land of Israel! Jerusalem, [1951].
The letter was apparently sent to the family of the gaon Rabbi Zalman Sorotzkin, the rabbi of Luck and the head of Mo’etzet Gedolei HaTorah. Due to the great honor of the recipient of the letter, Rabbi Chaim was not content with the regular printed invitation and added to it the lengthy letter (14 lines) before us.
In the dynasties of the Lithuanian Rashei Yeshivas, the baton of leadership was usually passed to the Rosh Yeshiva’s son-in-law, unlike the custom of Chassidic dynasties according to which the leadership is passed to the Admo”r son. (The reason for this is that the position of ‘Rosh Yeshiva’ is one that requires exceptional talent and erudition, and the sons – who are a Heaven-sent gift – are not always as talented as their father. In contrast, the son-in-law was chosen by the Rosh Yeshiva himself and therefore, he could choose the select of his students and he was usually the one who succeeded him).
In the historical letter before us, the gaon Rabbi Chaim Shmuelowitz – the Rosh Yeshiva of Mir (which is considered one of the two largest yeshivas in the world) – is actually marking the person designated to be his son-in-law, the renowned gaon Rabbi Nachum Pertzowitz, as his successor in leading the prestigious yeshiva. We can see Rabbi Chaim’s great joy when he informs his close friend about the upcoming marriage of his daughter to his select student: “My close friend … I will joyfully inform him” writes the gaon Rabbi Chaim Shmuelowitz “that with G-d’s help the time has arrived of my daughter’s wedding”.
Refer to Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of Rabbi Chaim Shmuelowitz .
[1] leaf, approx. 21X13 cm. Handwritten entirely and signed by the gaon Rabbi Chaim Shmuelowitz.
Very fine condition: fold marks.