Handwritten booklet, Mohel's records. [Halberstadt, Germany], 1767-1783.
Contains inscriptions on 24 circumcisions performed by the Mohel. The first inscription is from 12 Tamuz, 1767, and the last one is from 3 Av, 1783.

On the first page is a title: "Swift like a deer to do the will of our father in heaven…". The word Tzvi (deer) is marked, apparently alluding to the Mohel's name, which may have been Tzvi Hirsch Kohen (see below).
The identification of the Mohel's city as Halberstadt is based on the names appearing in the booklet, primarily R. Leib Eiger, who was dayan and Rabbi of Halberstadt, and is mentioned in about half of the inscriptions. In addition, the booklet mentions names of known people from Halberstadt: "R. Bendit Levi", "R. Zalman Hildesheim", and more.

Other inscriptions mention the fact of the Mohel being a Kohen, and names of his family members. In an inscription from 1777 he mentions circumcising his own son Aharon, for whom the Sandak was "R. Hirsch Keslin" (R. Tzvi Keslin donated a large sum to found a school in Halberstadt which opened in 1795, and was named for him Hazkarat Tzvi). Additional inscription on circumcising his son Eliezer Lipman in Tevet, 1779. In 1768 he mentions circumcising Lipman the son of his brother-in-law R. Feivish Katz. In 1779 he mentions Chaim Zelig the grandson of his brother-in-law R. Pinchas Segal. In 1781 he mentions Pinchas the grandson of his brother-in-law R. Pinchas.

Many of the people mentioned in this booklet are signatories of the "Ordinances for the Circumcision Feast" of the Halberstadt community, 1776, signed by leaders and respected members of the community, also including a signature by "Tzvi Hirsch Kohen". This may be the Mohel who was the author of the present booklet.

R. Yehudah Leib Eiger (d. 1808), son of R. Akiva Eiger, Rabbi of Zülz (Biała) and Pressburg (R. Akiva Eiger the first; 1718-1758), served as Rabbi of Halberstadt for forty years. Uncle of R. Akiva Eiger, Rabbi of Posen (1762-1837). Together with his brother R. Wolf, he published his father's novellae in Mishnat DeRabbi Akiva.

[5] leaves (7 written pages). 15 cm. Fair-good condition. Many dark stains. Wear and a few tears. Disconnected leaves. Missing binding.

PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.

Volume of leaves and draft letters handwritten by R. Shlomo Zalman Braun, Rabbi of Putnok – novellae and other matters. [Putnok, ca. 1850s-1860s]. Hebrew, Yiddish and some German.

Various letters and inscriptions on Torah matters, relating to the rabbinic position, communities and personal matters, including: Letter to R. Yehudah David Rottenberg, Rabbi of Sajószentpéter (author of Tehillah LeDavid), and follow-up inscriptions discussing what he had said; a lengthy Torah letter addressed to "R. Shmuel"; a sharp draft letter to a prominent rabbi (apparently this rabbi had refused to involve himself in some controversy, at which the author expresses disappointment); Yiddish letter to the Shomrei HaDat society; and other draft letters and various inscriptions.

R. Shlomo Zalman Braun, Rabbi of Putnok (1815-1872), disciple of R. Yitzchak Tzvi Margareten, Rabbi of Bükkábrány. Served as first Rabbi of the Putnok community (Gömör province, Hungary).

Some 15 items (containing about 52 written pages). Varying size, between 34.5 cm and 17 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains, wear and some tears. New binding.

PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.

Letter on postcard, handwritten and signed by R. Yosef Leib Sofer, Rabbi of Paks. Paks, [Av 1910].
Sent to [the young] R. Yekutiel Yehudah Greenwald during his involvement in the controversy over the forged Talmud Yerushalmi, regarding his correspondence with R. Meir Dan Plotzky. In the letter he relates that R. Plotzky mentioned to him that R. Greenwald had disparaged him, and he asks R. Greenwald his reasons for doing so and subsequently retracting.
R. Yosef Leib (Yehudah) Sofer, Rabbi of Paks (1861-1918), author of Yalkut Sofer, student of the Pressburg yeshiva under the Shevet Sofer, and of the Bonyhád yeshiva under R. Zekel Pollack and his son R. Moshe Pollack.
The recipient of the letter, R. Yekutiel Yehudah Greenwald (1889-1951), studied under R. Shmuel Rosenberg in Unsdorf (Huncovce) and in the Khust yeshiva of Rebbe Moshe Grünwald, the Arugat HaBosem. He published dozens of books and articles on halachah and history of Hungarian Jewry. He immigrated to the United States in 1924 and served as Rabbi in Brooklyn and Columbus.
In an article he published in 1951, he recounts his involvement in the controversy over the forged Talmud Yerushalmi on Kodashim, admitting his childish insolence in his correspondence with R. Meir Dan Plotzky, until R. Yosef Leib Sofer, Rabbi of Paks, reprimanded him for it (see enclosed material).
Postcard. 14 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains, including dampstains. Postmarks.

PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.

Letter from R. Shaul Brach of Nitra to a Jew of Thessaloniki, regarding distributing his book in Thessaloniki. Magendorf (Veľký Meder), 1897.

R. Shaul wrote and signed the present letter in square script for the ease of the reader, who as a resident of Thessaloniki was unfamiliar with Ashkenazic script. Among other things, R. Shaul details the list of rabbis and people of Thessaloniki to whom he sent his book, and wonders why he is not receiving compensation for it. On the side of his letter is a letter draft (unsigned), in Oriental script, written by the recipient in response to this letter, ending with the place and date (for another letter of R. Shaul Brach from the same year and on the same subject, see: Kedem Catalog 27, November 2012, lot 441).

Rabbi Shaul Brach (1865-1940) was a disciple of the Chatam Sofer and a leading rabbi in his times. He was appointed Rabbi of Magendorf (Veľký Meder) in 1892, and served as Rabbi of Carei between 1910-1923, until his appointment as Rabbi of Košice. Throughout his years in the rabbinate he headed a large yeshiva, and his disciples included many Hungarian rabbis.

[1] double leaf. 23 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains. Tears, slightly affecting text at beginning of letter. Folds.

PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.