Large collection of letters and manuscripts (Hebrew and German), from the archive of Rabbi Elchanan Herman Gumpertz, Ra'avad and leader of the Hamburg community, 19th century and beginning of the 20th century.
Letters written to Rabbi Gumpertz: Including long letters with Torah teachings by various rabbis. Among the letters: · Letter of Torah teachings and on the subject of serving in the Hamburg rabbinate, by Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Binyamin Shpitzer, Av Beit Din of Miskolc [at that time he was offered a position in the Hamburg rabbinate]. Miskolc, 1910. · Letter of Torah teachings, by Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Shpitzer. Hamburg 1912. · Letter with halachic responsum on the laws of sefirat ha'omer, by Rabbi David Zvi Hoffman. 1916. · Three long letters of Torah thoughts and about community matters, by Rabbi Mordechai Amram Hirsh Rabbi of Hamburg. Hamburg, 1906-1907. · Two letters of Torah thoughts, by Rabbi Yosef son of R' Matityahu HaLevi [Stern]. London, 1906. · Letter of Torah teachings and wishes for the New Year. By Rabbi Ya'akov Freimanen Av Beit Din of Holleschau. Elul, 1906. · More.
Family letters and documents: · Handwritten ketubah on vellum. Mainz, 1842. · Yiddish Shtar Tena'im. Frankfurt am Main, 1802. · Document signed by Rabbi Hertz son of R' Michel Shlass, concerning the estate of Rabbi Michel Emrich. Frankfurt am Main, Tishrei 1819. · Letter with New Year wishes, by Rabbi Shmuel son of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Wirmesh. Elul 1846. · Many more letters and documents in Hebrew and German [enclosed is an English list, with details of the content of the German documents and letters].
Manuscripts of Torah thoughts: · Bar-Mitzvah sermon, [Germany, c. 1800]. · Halachic and Aggadic sermons, delivered in 1931. · Novellae on Tractate Bava Kama. [ca. 1870-1900]. · Many (Hebrew and German) halachic rulings, novellae and homiletics, in the handwriting of Rabbi Gumpertz. (Including a bundle of German articles on Kabbalistic wisdom, philosophy, religion and history).
Rabbi Elchanan (Herman) Gumpertz (born in 1851 in Frankfurt am Main, died in Hamburg in 1938), disciple of the Wurzburg Rabbi and of Rabbi Yosef Altman of Karlsruhe (disciple of the Aruch LaNer), was an illustrious Torah scholar and community leader. Founder and teacher in the Hamburg Chevrat Shas. For decades, he headed the Hamburg Charedi Jewish community. Served as Dayan and at times as Ra'avad of the Hamburg Beit Din. He was one of the most prominent leaders of Orthodox Jewry in German and one of the heads of the Charedi Union in Germany [which later developed into the worldwide Agudat Yisrael movement] and for over 30 years, served as chairman of the Committee of the Beit Midrash L'Rabbanim in Berlin.
More than 50 letters and documents, and more than 100 other leaves. Size and condition vary. Overall good condition.