Lot 58
Letter from Rabbi Aryeh Levin – To his Future Son-in-Law, Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv – During the Engagement Period, Kislev 1929
Letter handwritten and signed by the "Tzadik of Jerusalem", R. Aryeh Levin. Jerusalem, [Kislev], 1929.
Addressed to his future son-in-law, R. Yosef Shalom Elyashiv (who married R. Aryeh Levin's daughter Chaya in Adar 1930). Most of the letter contains Torah thoughts. R. Aryeh begins the letter expressing great affection in poetic terms: "To the honored, light of my eyes, my beloved, Mr. Sh.Y. worlds" (Sh.Y. are the initials of his name Yosef Shalom, but also allude to the Kabbalistic concept "Shay Olamot", the 310 worlds awaiting righteous men in the World to Come). The letter also concludes with flowery expressions of fondness: "With all my sentiments of honor and great love, what our sages called eternal love, your future father-in-law, Aryeh Levin".
The "Tzadik of Jerusalem" R. Aryeh Levin (1885-1969), excelled in Torah and in charitable deeds. An alumnus of Lithuanian yeshivot: Hlusk, Slutsk, Volozhin and the Torat Chaim yeshiva in Jerusalem, he was a cherished disciple of the leading Torah scholars of the generation: R. Refael Shapiro of Volozhin (Valozhyn), R. Chaim Berlin, R. Shlomo Elyashov the Leshem, R. Baruch Ber Leibovitz, R. Avraham Chaim HaKohen Kook, his brother-in-law R. Tzvi Pesach Frank and R. Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik of Brisk (Brest). He immigrated to Jerusalem as an adolescent and married the granddaughter of the head of the Jerusalem Beit Din, R. Chaim Yaakov Shapira. He served as the spiritual director and supervisor of the Etz Chaim Talmud Torah (boy's school). Renowned for his dedication to acts of benevolence, and for his frequent visits to the British Mandate prison, he was later appointed as the Jewish Prison Chaplain. He offered a listening ear to one and all, absorbing their difficulties as well as joys, engaging in acts of kindness his whole life. He merited having sons and sons-in-law who were noted Torah scholars. He was particularly fond of his son-in-law the diligent Torah scholar R. Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, grandson of his primary teacher the Leshem.
[1] folded leaf, 20.5 cm. 2 written pages, approx. 31 lines in his beautiful handwriting and with his signature. Good condition. Folding marks and light creases.
