Ten thousand shekels – ten bills with a face value of 1000 old shekels each (the famous banknote bearing the image of the Ramba”m) given directly from the sacred hands of the Steipler to his disciple and close associate, Rabbi Avraham Hurwitz, author of Orchot Rabbeinu .
The banknotes are accompanied by a letter penned by the Steipler himself, which teaches exactly what to do with money (acquiring an etrog and charity for important Talmudic scholars). In the margins of the letter, there is an important blessing, also handwritten by the Steipler, “I hereby sign with a blessing to be inscribed and sealed for the good, amen, may it be his Will.”
Rabbi Avraham Hurwitz, in his famous devotion to the Steipler almost like a Chassid to his Admo”r, preferred to keep this money for himself as a segulah and a blessing, and to buy the etrog with other funds.
Items that belonged to tzaddikim are known to be segulahs for blessing and salvation, as is well-known and is brought in many ancient books, not necessarily Chassidic. Even banknotes from the hands of tzaddikim were used as true amulets. How much more so when they are accompanied by a letter of blessing handwritten by the rabbinic leader of the generation.
It is interesting to note the date inscribed on the back of the envelope – 28 Tammuz 1985. That is, already in Tammuz, the Steipler had already begun preparations for his etrog on Sukkot, to fulfil the dictum “The quick attend to mitzvahs early.”
[10] banknotes with a face value of 1000 shekels + a letter [8] lines long handwritten by the Steipler. The funds and the letter are placed in an envelope inscribed by the Steipler: “To Rabbi A. Hurwitz.”
Very fine condition.