* Emotional letter handwritten and signed by the gaon Rabbi Shabtai Yagel, written to his grandson, “My most beloved, who sits in secret …” on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah “from this day until 120 you are bound to the giver of the Torah and mitzvahs with a sign on your arm and between your eyes … become a gaon for the glory and name of my father ztz”l for whom you are named … become great among Israel …” the gaon also adds blessings in the name of the grandmother, his wife.
* Informative letter for a marriageable young man with guidance for dating and Torah study, handwritten and signed by the gaon Rabbi Shabtai Yagel. “I have just been informed that you have met with a young woman …” In the letter, the gaon encourages him that the reason he came to America was to find his match which is part of the decree, ‘Forty days before the fetus is formed, “the daughter of so-and-so for so-and-so” is declared.'” The gaon also writes that the young man’s letter indicates that he is in low spirits “I have found that your mood is not as it was,” and that this distresses him, and he encourages him, telling him that he is constantly praying for him, “That Hash-m will present you with an appropriate match with ease, fitting for you.” He also encourages him to trust in Hash-m to grant him only good.
The gaon Rabbi Shabtai Yagel [1875-1958] was the rosh yeshivah of Slonim and a member of the Council of Torah Sages. He studied in Volozhin until it closed. In 1929 he visited the Land of Israel for about three months, about which he wrote that those were the happiest days of his life, when he enjoyed the good of the Land and its holiness. When WWII broke out, he fled to Vilna, and from there to the Land of Israel. He settled in Ramat Gan and established a yeshivah there where he taught for 17 years until his passing.
[2] leaves. [Three written pages], official stationery. 21×27 cm. Very fine condition.