Long autograph letter signed by R. Simcha Bunim Güns-Eiger, who signed: "Bunim Güns of Eisenstadt". Mattersdorf (Mattersburg), Shevat 1819.
Family letter sent to Wieluń, addressed to his son R. Moshe Güns and his daughter-in-law Ms. Ritcha. The letter is mainly composed of a Torah discourse delivered in his lecture to the Yeshiva students learning Tractate Ketubot. The beginning and end of the letter deal with family issues and include greetings to various people.
On the reverse side, letters from additional family members, in Hebrew and Yiddish, including a letter from R. Simcha Bunim's son – Yosef Güns-Schlesinger, telling his older brother about his dedicated Torah study: "…Now since I am occupied today reviewing the lectures that we learned this winter… and because I am learning with diligence and constancy, may the good G-d also grant me bounty from His holy abode, a spirit of wisdom and understanding to rise higher in G-d's Torah. The desire of the soul of your brother… the young Yosef son of my father and master R. Bunim Güns". Apparently, this letter of R. Yosef was also written by his father, R. Simcha Bunim.

R. Simcha Bunim Güns-Eiger, Av Beit Din of Mattersdorf (Mattersburg; 1770-1829), younger brother and Torah companion of R. Akiva Eiger. He received rabbinical ordination already at the age of 13, was an outstanding Torah genius of his times, and served as rabbi of Rogoźno (Posen region). In 1810 he succeeded the Chatam Sofer in the Mattersdorf rabbinate. The Chatam Sofer sent him many responsa, and his high regard for R. Simcha Bunim is obvious from the titles used in these responsa. Dozens of responsa written to R. Simcha Bunim appear in the responsa of his brother R. Akiva Eiger, and he refers to him with high esteem: "so it appears in my humble opinion, if my brother the Torah genius agrees with this…"; "I was very happy to see that you approved of my thoughts" (at the end of the book Drush V'Chiddush); "…And if this does not seem acceptable to my brother, my words shall be void" (ibid.); "…All these are hidden from my blind eyes; perhaps you have ways to allow me to understand how to explain our rabbis' words properly" (ibid.); "My lowly opinion is nullified before your great opinion" (Ginzei Rabbi Akiva Eiger, 13); "Inform me of your lofty thoughts about this… Your loving brother, who is bonded to you with love in heart and soul" (a compilation with a collection of about 40 letters of correspondence between the great brothers named Alei Esev was published in London in 1995). Among his famous sons and sons-in-law are R. Moshe Güns-Schlesinger, the recipient of this letter; R. Yosef Güns-Schlesinger (son-in-law of the wife of his uncle, the Chatam Sofer), author of the letter on the reverse side of the page; R. Shmuel, Av Beit Din of Felsőábrány (Bükkábrány); and his renowned son-in-law R. Shlomo Zalman Ulman, Av Beit Din of Makova and author of Yeri'ot Shlomo.

R. Simcha Bunim Güns-Eiger's son, the recipient of this letter: R. Moshe Güns-Schlesinger (died 1857), was a beloved disciple of his uncle R. Akiva Eiger, who served as rabbi in Wieluń (near Posen). In 1830, he was accepted to the Hamburg Kloiz in the Beit Midrash of R. Leib son of R. Shaul (in Igrot Sofrim, Letters of Rabbi Akiva Eiger, 22, R. Akiva Eiger writes to his brother R. Bunim: "…to give good tidings that your son, my friend, the clever R. Moshe, became a resident of the Beit Midrash in Hamburg…"). He helped bring to press many of the teachings of his uncle R. Akiva Eiger, as cited in the introduction of Drush V'Chidush. His name is repeatedly mentioned in the writings of R. Akiva Eiger and the Chatam Sofer. See: Chachmei Altona, Hamburg and Wandsbek, Hamburg, 1908, p. 119.

His son (whose letter is featured in the present lot): R. Yosef Güns-Schlesinger, married the stepdaughter of the Chatam Sofer and granddaughter of his uncle R. Akiva Eiger (daughter of R. Avraham Moshe Kalischer, Av Beit Din of Piła, son-in-law of R. Akiva Eiger, whose widow married the Chatam Sofer). He was a member of the Chatam Sofer's household in Pressburg and "did not budge from our Beit Midrash since his wedding day". The Chatam Sofer held him very dear and mentions him in his will, calling him "my son-in-law the excellent R. Yosef". He printed the six volumes of Responsa Chatam Sofer, and later established the Schlesinger publishing house in his city, Vienna, which remains in existence today in Tel Aviv (Sinai Publishing).

Double leaf (two written pages + recipient's address on the third page). Approx. 24 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains, tears and folds.

This letter was not printed in Chiddushei Rabbi Bunim Eiger, but the discussions on the same Talmudic subject appear in his novellae on Tractate Ketubot (Machon Yerushalayim, 1997, p. 78; R. S.D. Friedman edition, 2010, p. 127).

A volume of various works handwritten by the Kabbalist R. Menachem Mendel of Shklow, disciple of the Gaon of Vilna: Beurei HaZohar, Beur Al Sefer HaPeliah and various selections from his teacher, the Gaon of Vilna. [Lithuania and Eretz Israel, ca. 1790s-1810s].
Author's autograph, with deletions and additions. On p. 47a there is a drawing of circles, and on p. 47b he writes: "If you make a large circle that surrounds seven circles… like the drawing on the other side of the leaf".
The manuscript comprises: R. Menachem Mendel's comments on the Zohar; a commentary on Sefer HaPeliah (leaves 42-85); various selections, including selections from the Gaon of Vilna. These leaves and works were written over the course of various periods, and were bound together into the present item. The work on Sefer HaPeliah was apparently written while his great teacher, the Gaon of Vilna, was still alive (passed away in 1797), as he mentions him as such (p. 60b; he mentions the Gaon of Vilna again on p. 74a: "as I heard from our master and teacher, and I wrote this in my commentary on the Megillah…").

The selections later in the volume, and perhaps also the leaves at the beginning, were written in the period after his teacher's passing, as he mentions him as having died (see p. 100a: "from the manuscript of my master and teacher, the Gaon of blessed memory"), apparently while he was living in Safed (between ca. 1808-1815, before he settled in Jerusalem). During those years, R. Menachem Mendel would seclude himself in the mountains of the Galilee to study Kabbalistic secrets, and he merited to have amazing revelations. In the present manuscript, p. 72b, R. Menachem Mendel writes: "I do not understand this… and I worked but did not find an answer, but in a dream I was told…". In his biography of R. Menachem Mendel of Shklow (Toldot Chachmei Yerushalayim, III, p. 160), R. Aryeh Leib Frumkin tells of the troubles R. Menachem Mendel suffered while establishing the Ashkenazi settlement in Eretz Israel, imprisonment and extortion by the Muslim rulers: "But despite all this, his heart did not turn away from the holy Torah for a moment, and he yearned to arrange his novellae and the culmination of his thought in his holy works on the revealed and hidden Torah. And he composed ten books on Kabbalah, as mentioned in the book Pe'at HaShulchan, but due to our many sins they were not published, and most of them were lost over time and disappeared, and what little is left is very deep and hard to understand, as it was his way to write briefly like his teacher, the Gaon". R. Aryeh Leib Frumkin goes on to recount that he had the merit of purchasing some of R. Menachem Mendel's works in manuscript, and at the top of the list he describes a manuscript commentary on the Zohar (which may be referring to the present manuscript): "The works I merited to purchase, which are in his holy handwriting, are: 1) Commentary on the Zohar and on the appearances of the letters, which he wrote in Safed…".

The manuscripts mentioned by Frumkin were later purchased by the Kabbalist R. Naftali Hertz HaLevi, Av Beit Din of Jaffa, whose stamp appears on the endpaper of the present volume. On that endpaper a handwritten inscription reads: "Manuscript of R. Mendel, disciple of the Gaon of Vilna" (presumably, the inscription is in R. Shmuel Luria's handwriting, to whom the manuscript was sent by R. Naftali Hertz HaLevi; the editorial inscriptions of the selections also appear to have been made by R. Shmuel Luria, see p. 97b of the present manuscript, and see below). The manuscript is paginated, apparently by one of the three – R. Frumkin, R. Naftali Hertz HaLevi, or R. Shmuel Luria – but now there are many leaves lacking, removed over the years. Apparently, the manuscript with the commentary on the appearances of letters – the previous item – was originally bound with the present manuscript, since in R. Frumkin's list he mentions them together (see above).

[93] leaves (3-19, 22-25, 30-33, 35-36, 38-98, 100-104 leaves; lacking leaves: 1-2, 20-21, 26-29, 34, 37, 99). 21.5 cm. Fair condition. Stains. Open tears and extensive worming, affecting text. Repaired with paper and sellotape. New binding.

The content of the present manuscript has been printed in its entirety (most of it in recent years). The commentary on Sefer HaPeliah has been partially printed in the anthology Yeshurun (R. Binyamin Ze'ev Schwartz, "R. Menachem Mendel of Shklow's Commentary on Sefer Peliah – Manuscript", Yeshurun, VI, Av 1999, pp. 221-237), including leaves 42-49 of the present manuscript; it was later printed in its entirety in the book "R. Menachem Mendel of Shklow's Comments on Sefer HaPeliah" (Beurei HaRamam, Part II, Machon HaGra, Jerusalem-New York, 2013, with a facsimile of leaves 42-85 of the present manuscript); the commentaries on the Zohar were printed in Kitvei HaGramam (Part II, Jerusalem, 2001); the selections from the Gaon of Vilna and R. Menachem Mendel of Shklow were mostly printed (in a different order) in the books of R. Shmuel Luria: Mayim Adirim (Warsaw, 1886), Beurei Agadot (end of first chapter of Megillah, Warsaw, 1886), and more; additional selections from R. Menachem Mendel of Shklow were printed (from the present manuscript) in the anthology Yeshurun (V, Adar 1999, pp. 171-178) under the title "Selections from R. Menachem Mendel of Shklow – Manuscript".

Provenance:
1. Collection of R. Aryeh Leib Frumkin; see his book: Toldot Chachmei Yerushalayim, III, p. 160.
2. Collection of R. Naftali Hertz HaLevi, Av Beit Din of Jaffa (his stamp appears at the beginning of the volume; see Toldot Chachmei Yerushalayim, ibid., note 3 by R. Yaakov Moshe Charlap: "the Kabbalist R. Naftali Hertz HaLevi, Av Beit Din of Jaffa, possessed a manuscript of R. Menachem Mendel’s commentary on the Zohar").
3. Victor Klagsbald Collection, Paris-Jerusalem (who gave permission to print it in Beurei HaRamam, Part II, Jerusalem-New York, 2013).
4. Prof. Azaria Rein, the son-in-law of Victor Klagsbald, who was presented with the manuscript by his father-in-law.
Enclosed: Beurei HaRamam, Part II, on Sefer HaPeliah, Jerusalem-New York, 2013.

R. Menachem Mendel of Shklow (ca. 1740-1827), prominent disciple of the Gaon of Vilna, leader of the first immigration of disciples of the Gaon of Vilna to Eretz Israel, and founder of the Ashkenazi Perushim community in Jerusalem. He attended the Gaon of Vilna in the final two years of his life, and received much Torah and Kabbalah from him. In describing this special period in his life, R. Menachem Mendel attests how he did not budge from the presence of the Gaon of Vilna, and how the latter opened up for him the gates of wisdom. He composed and edited several works of the Gaon of Vilna, such as the famous commentary on Mishlei, the commentary on the Passover Haggadah, and the glosses to Seder Olam. After the passing of his teacher, R. Menachem Mendel undertook the editing and publication of some of his manuscripts, including parts of the Gaon of Vilna's commentary to Shulchan Aruch. He served as rabbi in Khislavichi.
In 1808, he led the first group of disciples of the Gaon of Vilna that immigrated to Eretz Israel. He first settled in Tiberias, and later in Safed. In 1816, he relocated to Jerusalem, where he reestablished the Ashkenazi community. After much effort, he obtained building permits from the Turkish authorities to renovate the Hurva synagogue, and succeeded in raising funds to cover its old debts to the Arabs (only in Elul 1864 was the Hurva synagogue inaugurated, after many delays).
R. Menachem Mendel was especially famous for his deep, lofty understanding in Kabbalah, and during his time in Eretz Israel he composed several profound Kabbalistic works. His disciple, R. Yisrael of Shklow, writes in his introduction to Pe'at HaShulchan of these works and their author: "A close disciple of our holy master, my friend… the pious, great, famous Kabbalist R. Menachem Mendel of Jerusalem, author of ten holy books on the hidden Torah in manuscript" (Pe'at HaShulchan, Introduction, Safed 1837). Some of these works were published in 2001 under the title Kitvei HaGramam, and others were printed in the series Beurei HaRamam (Machon HaGra, Jerusalem-New York, 2012-2013) and in Mishnat Chassidim (Machon HaGra, Jerusalem-New York, 2006; new edition, Jerusalem-New York, 2021). These works of his on Kabbalah are also mentioned on his grave on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem: "The Kabbalist, famous Gaon in his generation, R. Menachem Mendel Ashkenazi, who established the foundations of Torah and service of G-d in the Holy Land, and authored the book Razei DiMeheimnuta…".
In Jerusalem, R. Menachem Mendel would sit throughout the day wrapped in his tallit and tefillin, studying Torah in holiness and purity. On Erev Shabbat, he would go outside the city to delve in Kabbalah in seclusion. In his writings, he describes heavenly visions and Torah secrets revealed to him, and how the soul of his teacher the Gaon of Vilna would appear to him to clarify Torah secrets, at the Western Wall, at Rachel's Tomb, and on the Mount of Olives. The elders of Jerusalem would relate that R. Menachem Mendel was capable of locating the ashes of Moshe's red heifer; that every year, on the 9th of Av, he would see two black pillars over the Temple Mount; and other such wondrous stories (R. Aryeh Leib Frumkin, Toldot Chachmei Yerushalayim, III, p. 161, in the name of R. Yaakov Moshe Charlap). He was a fierce opponent of Chassidut his entire life (though interestingly, one of his Kabbalistic works, Menachem Tzion, Przemyśl 1885, was published by prominent Galician Rebbes, who mistakenly took it as the teachings of R. Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk, who had also lived in Eretz Israel).

Handwritten receipt, with four lines handwritten and signed by R. Yisrael of Shklow, disciple of the Gaon of Vilna and leader of the Perushim community in Eretz Israel. Jerusalem, Tevet 1838.
Written by a scribe (in Oriental, semi-cursive script), with four concluding lines and signature handwritten by R. Yisrael of Shklow (three lines in Ashkenazic Rashi script, signature in Ashkenazic cursive script).
Confirmation of receipt of money ("one thousand five hundred lion dollars") from the funds sent by the philanthropist Yehuda Adutt, through R. Yehuda Alkalai, and transferred by the Rishon LeTzion R. Chaim Gagin, to the Kollel Perushim of Safed.
R. Yisrael added four lines in his handwriting to the receipt: "This is the portion of Kollel Perushim in Safed, signed by Yisrael, author of Taklin Chadtin and Pe'at HaShulchan, official of Kollel Perushim – so says Yisrael author of Taklin Chadtin and Pe'at HaShulchan".

R. Yisrael of Shklow (1770-1839), author of Pe'at HaShulchan. President and founder of the Ashkenazic Perushim settlement in Eretz Israel. Amongst the youngest disciples of the Gaon of Vilna, and disciple of the latter's disciple R. Menachem Mendel of Shklow. He studied under the Torah leaders in Shklow, and was a beloved disciple of the Gaon of Vilna in the final half year of his life (in 1797). He was cherished by the Gaon of Vilna, studied with him and "merited to serve him as a servant in the twenty days before his demise" (Aliyot Eliyahu). He prepared for print and published the commentary of the Gaon of Vilna on Shulchan Aruch, and the glosses of the Gaon of Vilna on Tractate Shekalim, which he published in his book Taklin Chadtin (Minsk, 1812). In his renowned prefaces to his books Taklin Chadtin and Pe'at HaShulchan, he shares a glimpse into the world of his illustrious teacher the Gaon of Vilna and the latter's prominent disciples. In 1810, he headed the second immigration of disciples of the Gaon of Vilna to Eretz Israel, and led the community together with his teacher R. Menachem Mendel of Shklow, who preceded him in immigrating to Eretz Israel. In the plagues of 1813, R. Yisrael lost his entire family: his wife, sons and daughters, son-in-law and grandson. He remarried and established a new family (his son-in-law from his second marriage was R. Yeshaya Bardaki, who succeeded him in leading the Ashkenazi community in Jerusalem, in the mid-19th century). R. Yisrael was the father and patron of the Perushim community, borrowing and raising astronomical sums of money to rescue the community, protecting them from the persecution of the government and the looting and pillaging of the Druze villagers who devastated the Jewish settlements in the Galilee. After the great earthquake in Tevet 1837 which destroyed the Jewish settlement in Safed, R. Yisrael settled in Jerusalem and became the rabbi and leader of the Ashkenazic community in the city. During that time, he devoted himself to the settlement in the Galilee and in Jerusalem, and corresponded amongst others with the Chatam Sofer, who held him in high esteem (the Chatam Sofer would address him in his letters with exceptional titles of honor, see: Encyclopedia LeChachmei Eretz Israel, II, p. 236).
The present receipt is a historic documentation of the activities of R. Yisrael of Shklow for the rehabilitation of the Perushim community in Eretz Israel, in the difficult year following the destruction of Safed in the great earthquake of 1837. R. Yisrael passed away in Sivan 1839, and was buried in the Tiberias ancient cemetery.

[1] double leaf. Approx. 10.5X6.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and wear. Worming to back leaf (blank).

Letter handwritten and signed by R. Samson Raphael Hirsch, rabbi of the Orthodox community in Frankfurt, founder and leader of the Orthodox communities in Germany. Frankfurt am Main, 1862. Hebrew.
Halachic responsum sent to the United States, regarding the kashrut of the barbary duck. The letter was sent to R. Yissachar Dov (Bernard) Illowy, rabbi of Congregation Shaarei Chesed in New Orleans (Louisiana, southern United States), in response to his query about the kashrut of barbary ducks (Muscovy ducks), for which there is no tradition, and whose eggs are typical of non-kosher birds.
In this letter, R. Samson Raphael Hirsh concurs with R. Illowy's opinion that the fact the duck is eaten by the local Jewish community is not sufficient to render the duck kosher by tradition, and that for lack of early, reliable tradition regarding the bird, it shouldn't be eaten, especially since its eggs are round, which is a sign of an egg laid by a non-kosher bird. The letter concludes with blessings that R. Illowy should be successful in reinstating Torah observance, and with the full signature of R. Samson Raphael Hirsh.
The present letter was published (with minor errors) in Milchamot Elokim (Berlin, 1914, p. 165) and quoted in the essay by R. Naftali Yechiel Weinberger, VehaOf Yirev BaAretz (Yeshurun, vol. XIV, Nissan 2004, p. 923).

R. Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888) was the legendary leader of German Orthodox Jewry and founder of the association of independent communities. Born in Hamburg to R. Refael Frankfurt, he was a disciple of Chacham Bernays of Hamburg, and later of R. Yaakov Ettlinger, the Aruch LaNer of Altona. At the age of 22, he began serving as rabbi of Oldenburg, Emden and Nikolsburg. In 1850, he was summoned by eleven Orthodox families in Frankfurt am Main to stand at the helm of the new, Orthodox Adat Yeshurun community. R. Samson Raphael Hirsch was the first to attempt to stem the rapid spiritual decline of German Jewry, painstakingly rebuilding Orthodox Jewry in Germany. His Halachic and Torah authority earned him the undisputed position of leader of Orthodox Jewry in Western Europe. He invested great effort in establishing the independent communities in various German cities, and educated an entire generation to Torah and observance, through his discourses, books and essays (the Nineteen Letters, Horeb and others), which were originally delivered and written in German, and have since been translated and published in many editions, in Hebrew and other languages.
The recipient of the letter: R. Yissachar Dov Ber (Bernard) Illowy (1814-1871), disciple of the Chatam Sofer and rabbinically ordained by him. Born in Kolín, Bohemia, he moved to Germany ca. 1849 (due to the war in Bohemia), and reached the United States in 1852, where he served as rabbi in New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Baltimore. In 1861, he was appointed rabbi of Congregation Shaarei Chesed in New Orleans (Louisiana), and worked to reinstate Torah observance, which was totally non-existent there, to the extent that even the rabbis publicly desecrated the Shabbat. In his letter to R. Samson Raphael Hirsch, R. Illowy describes the state of Torah observance in the United States in those times, and relates that since his arrival eight months earlier, he has succeeded in encouraging over ten families to begin keeping Shabbat and a kosher kitchen (Milchamot Elokim, pp. 162-164; quoted in the aforementioned essay in Yeshurun, vol. XIV, p. 924, note 75). From 1866, he served as rabbi of Congregation Sherith Yisrael in Cincinnati, and was amongst the opponents of Reform in the United States (Kinstlicher, HaChatam Sofer VeTalmidav, pp. 289-290). Over forty years after his passing, his sons published his correspondence with rabbis worldwide regarding his battles for Torah observance in the United States: Milchamot Elokim – The Controversial Letters and the Casuistic Decisions of the Late Rabbi Bernard Illowy, Berlin, 1914.

[1] leaf. 26 cm. Thin, bluish stationery. Good-fair condition. Stains, wear and folding marks. Mounted on paper for preservation. Piece of envelope with address and postmarks pasted on verso.

Four interesting letters from Rebbes of the Slonim Hassidic dynasty: R. Avraham Weinberg (the first) of Slonim, author of Yesod HaAvodah; his grandson R. Shmuel Weinberg of Slonim, author of Divrei Shmuel; his great-grandson R. Avraham Weinberg (the second), author of Beit Avraham; and his great-grandson R. Avraham Weinberg (the third), of Tiberias and Jerusalem, author of Birkat Avraham.

1. Long letter (2 pp.) in the handwriting of Rebbe Avraham Weinberg and his (short) signature, sent to Eretz Israel, addressed to his beloved disciple R. Yehudah Leib and his grandchildren (R. Noach Weinberg and R. Yitzchak Matityahu Sendberg, who immigrated to Eretz Israel in 1870), with encouragement and guidance (including a moral rebuke about a falling-out of some kind between the friends). At the end of the letter, the Rebbe asks them to correspond with his grandson, the Divrei Shmuel, and concludes with a prayer for friendship: "Write to my dear grandson Shmuel… may G-d grant me and you true love and friendship, along with all of Israel. The words of… their friend when they will listen, who seeks their welfare, Avraham". [Slonim, ca. 1870-1880].
The Rebbe of Slonim, author of Yesod HaAvodah, kept a continual correspondence with his followers and grandchildren on deep and scholarly matters relating to Chassidism and service of G-d (primarily with those who had immigrated to Israel, to the Hassidic community in Tiberias). Some of these letters were printed posthumously in his book Yesod HaAvodah (in the letters section) as well as at the end of the book Be'er Avraham on the Torah. However, this letter is not printed there.

[1] double leaf (2 written pages). Fair condition. Stains and faded ink. Open tears, heavily affecting text (restored with paper filling).

2. Manuscript (two leaves), a Chassidic discourse on repentance and prayer, in the handwriting and (short) signature of the second Rebbe of Slonim, author of Divrei Shmuel.
The discourse for Parashat Noach was sent as a letter "to friends who listen to the words of G-d… spoken on the holy Shabbat, as speech of the righteous…", and at the end he signs, "Hoping for G-d's salvation, for me to merit to practice as I preach, Sh.".
Printed in Divrei Shmuel, Jerusalem, 1974, pp. 225-226 (where the signature, the Hebrew letter Shin, is not printed at the end of the discourse).

[2] leaves. 28 cm (written on one side only; one written lengthwise and the other breadthwise). Good condition. Stains and folds.

3. Letter written and signed by Rebbe Avraham Weinberg (the second), sent to Tiberias, addressed to his relative R. Avraham Weinberg (the third) on the occasion of the bar-mitzvah of his son, R. Zelig Weinberg. [Baranavichy, ca. 1922.] At the end of the letter after the signature, another letter to the bar mitzvah boy with encouragement and guidance: "The dear son, wise child, Mr. Zelig, may he live… Know with certainty that every good movement you inculcate in your heart and mind now will bring you great and amazing benefit until one hundred and twenty years… And cherish the days of your youth, and be strong and mighty in Torah and fear of G-d, for this is all of man's perfection…". In the margins of the letter the Rebbe of Baranavichy writes the name of a woman (with her father's and husband's names) for the Rebbe R. Avraham of Tiberias to mention in his prayer "…to be remembered for good, for living and enduring offspring".

[1] leaf (written on both sides), approx. 21 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and tears, restored with glue and acidic tape.

4. A long letter (3 pages) written and signed by the Rebbe R. Avraham Weinberg (the third), to his son R. Zelig. [Tiberias, ca. 1934-1935.]
Among other things, he mentions the attempt to get a certificate (permit to immigrate to Eretz Israel) for his son-in-law, R. Shalom Noach Berezovsky (who immigrated to Eretz Israel in late 1935; later a Rebbe, and author of "Netivot Shalom").

[1] double leaf. 19.5 cm (containing 3 written pages). Good-fair condition. Stains, wear and folds.

Rebbe Avraham Weinberg, first Rebbe of Slonim, author of Yesod HaAvodah (1803-1883), a brilliant and holy kabbalist, and an original and innovative scholar. He was a close disciple of his teachers, Rebbe Noach of Lechovitz and Rebbe Moshe of Kobryn. After the passing of his teacher, Rebbe Moshe of Kobryn, in Nissan 1858, he established his court in Slonim, and most of the Kobryn Chassidim accepted his authority and began frequenting his court. He would conduct Tish not only on Shabbat and festivals, but also on weekdays. Like an ever-flowing wellspring, he delivered many extremely profound Chassidic discourses, and produced many works on all parts of the Torah (most were lost during the Holocaust). Some of his writings were published posthumously. His renowned books are Chessed LeAvraham, Yesod HaAvodah, and Be'er Avraham on Mechilta. After the Holocaust, some of his writings were published in additional volumes of Chessed LeAvraham and Be'er Avraham.
The recipient of the first letter, rabbi Yehudah Kastelanitz-Slonim, nephew of the Yesod HaAvodah. Immigrated to Tiberias and became a leader among Slonim Chassidim. His son is Rebbe Mordechai Chaim Slonim, and his son-in-law is R. Moshe Kliers, Chief Rabbi of Tiberias.
Rebbe Shmuel Weinberg, second Rebbe of Slonim, author of Divrei Shmuel (1850-1916), grandson and close disciple of the Yesod HaAvodah. He began serving as Rebbe ca. 1883. He always led his flock in Europe and Tiberias with exceptional love and devotion. He was personally involved in the education and spiritual guidance of the youth and saved many from spiritual decline. For most of his life, he was engaged in raising funds for Kollel Reisin in Tiberias. His most remarkable accomplishment was the establishment of the Or Torah yeshiva in Tiberias. He was also one of the founders of Agudath Yisrael in 1912.
His son, Rebbe Avraham Weinberg (the second) of Slonim-Jerusalem, author of Beit Avraham (1884-1933), began leading the Slonim Chassidut in 1916, expending great effort to rebuild the Chassidut after World War I. In 1918, he founded the Torat Chessed yeshiva in Baranavichy together with his close friend R. Moshe Midner. The yeshiva was a unique combination of the Lithuanian style of learning together with Chassidic fervor in worship of G-d. He lived in Bialystok until 1929, and then in Baranavichy.
Rebbe Avraham Weinberg (the third), author of Birkat Avraham (1889-1981), was born in Tiberias to his father R. Noach (brother of the Rebbe the Divrei Shmuel, and grandson of the first Rebbe Avraham Weinberg, author of Yesod HaAvodah). Among the leaders of Or Torah Yeshiva in Tiberias and founders of the Haredi educational system in Eretz Israel. Following the Holocaust, the elders of the Slonim Chassidism approached him and sought to appoint him as Rebbe, but he declined and promoted the appointment of his friend R. Mordechai Chaim Slonim. Only after the demise of Rebbe Motel Slonimer in 1954 did R. Avraham (who was at the time about sixty-five years old) agree to serve as leader of the community. He then moved to Jerusalem and led the Chassidic community for some twenty-seven years, and served as a member of the Council of Torah Sages.