“The bride does not … [she wants to] break up, she is fearful … and the bridegroom has lied …”
This rare and important letter, covering two leaves, entirely handwritten and signed by the gaon Rabbi Yitzchak Weidenfeld, eldest son and successor of the leading gaon of Galicia, the author of Kochav MiYa’akov . Hrymayliv, 1901. Letters from him are rare.
The letter deals with breaking an engagement, which is, according to the letter of the law, a simple matter, not even requiring any halachic action (as nothing has been done aside from a financial agreement). However, Chassidic tradition maintains that it is really not simple at all, to the extent that there are those who ruled that it is preferable to marry and get divorced than break an engagement! There are hints to this in the words of the Gr”a as well – under the chuppah , a glass is broken, and when an engagement is agreed upon a ceramic plate is broken, because while a glass that has become tamei must be immersed in a mikveh to reverse its status (and a marriage can be undone through a get ), ceramic that has become tamei is incorrigible – so an engagement can never be undone!
The av beit din of Hrymayliv, one of the leading geonim of Galicia, expounds in his letter regarding this delicate and somewhat mysterious topic, not discussed at all in the Shulchan Aruch, yet discussed by the poskim across the generations, even in our times, when this phenomenon is much more common. The av beit din of Hrymayliv’s deep caution when deliberating this is noteworthy, to the point he tries to remove himself from dealing with it. He also discusses the sums for forgiveness and a writ of intent.
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of the gaon Rabbi Yitzchak Weidenfeld, av beit din of Hrymayliv .
[1] sheet of paper divided into [2] leaves, 23×14.5 cm each. Official stationery. Entirely [30 lines] handwritten and signed by him.
Fine condition. Aging stains. Fold marks. Tears in the folds, without lack.