Shnot Chaim – elucidations on the testimonial oath by the wondrous gaon Rabbi Chaim Milikowsky, father of the Admo”r of Amshinov, shlit”a. Rare stencil copy printed in Shanghai during the world war. Before us is a remnant of the treasure trove of Torah novellae innovated by the wondrous gaon Rabbi Chaim Milikowsky (see more about him below). During WWII, when he was a 30-year-old youth, he was exiled to Shanghai, Japan, together with the students of the Mir yeshivah. He took nothing with him except for a wooden box which contained booklets of his Torah novellae, innovated by him with tremendous toil and great effort. He protected this box, which was his precious treasure. One of the gentiles in Japan, who saw how carefully this box was being protected, thought it contained a lot of money. He lay in wait for an opportunity, and stole the box. Since then, despite much searching, it has never been found. Rabbi Chaim’s anguish over this caused him to fall ill, and he was unable to eat for a long time. There are those who maintain that he never fully recovered. Rabbi Chaim Milikowsky [1916-1993] studied in Slonim and then at the Mir yeshivah; he was one of the elite students there. He was exiled with his yeshivah in Shanghai during the War. While there, the tzaddik the Rasha”sh of Amshinov chose him as a bridegroom for his granddaughter, Mrs. Chayah Nechamah, daughter of his son R’ Meir’l. This couple merited a son who is a holy tzaddik, illuminating the eyes of the Jewish people, the Admo”r of Amshinov, shlit”a. When the match became known to the Chassidic young men there (some of the students from the Chassidic Chachmei Lublin yeshivah were exiled to Shanghai), they were upset, and they turned with astonishment to R’ Meir’l to ask how he could take this bridegroom for his daughter, who shaves his beard like most of the rest of the Mir yeshivah students; why is he not taking a bridegroom who conducts himself with Chassidic customs? R’ Meir’l cleverly responded: “A beard can be grown by this bridegroom within a short time, but not so becoming as knowledgeable in Sha”s as he is.” Rabbi Chaim was a tremendous Talmudic scholar, who suffered much. He served as the rosh yeshivah of Reishit Chochmah in New York, and then as rosh yeshivah of Amshinov in Jerusalem. 48 pp. 26 cm; fine condition. Brittle paper. Detached title page with tiny tears in the margins without damage to text. Original binding.