Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
Displaying 73 - 84 of 165
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $4,000
Unsold
Letter signed by Rabbi "Moshe son of R. Amram Greenwald". Chust, 1902.
Interesting letter sent to the US, regarding arranging a get (divorce bill) for a woman who fled to the US abandoning her husband who remained unable to remarry. In this letter, he requests to warn the woman that if she does not agree to accept the get "I am prepared to give him a 'heter me'ah rabbanim' (signatures of 100 rabbis) and he will be permitted to remarry, and she will remain alone until her hair turns white".
R. Moshe Ben-Amram Greenwald (1853-1910, HaChatam Sofer Ve'Talmidav p. 521) was a leading Hungarian Torah scholar and head of yeshiva. Disciple of R. Menachem Katz Prostitz of Deutschkreutz (Zelem) and disciple of the Ktav Sofer in Pressburg. He headed a yeshiva in his native city of Cherna in his youth, later serving in the rabbinate of several Hungarian communities and from 1893 as Rabbi of Chust. Although he studied in the yeshiva of the Chatam Sofer, he was affiliated with Chassidism and would travel to the Belz and Siget rebbes. He was renowned for his compositions on halacha and aggadah titled Arugat HaBosem. His son was R. Ya'akov Yechizkiya Greenwald Av Bet Din and Rebbe of Papa, and his grandson is R. Yosef Greenwald of Papa, who established the Papa Chassidism in America after the Holocaust.
Leaf, 21.5 cm. Scribal writing with one and a half lines handwritten by R. Moshe Greenwald, with his signature. Good-fair condition. Restored tears. Old adhesive tape stains.
Interesting letter sent to the US, regarding arranging a get (divorce bill) for a woman who fled to the US abandoning her husband who remained unable to remarry. In this letter, he requests to warn the woman that if she does not agree to accept the get "I am prepared to give him a 'heter me'ah rabbanim' (signatures of 100 rabbis) and he will be permitted to remarry, and she will remain alone until her hair turns white".
R. Moshe Ben-Amram Greenwald (1853-1910, HaChatam Sofer Ve'Talmidav p. 521) was a leading Hungarian Torah scholar and head of yeshiva. Disciple of R. Menachem Katz Prostitz of Deutschkreutz (Zelem) and disciple of the Ktav Sofer in Pressburg. He headed a yeshiva in his native city of Cherna in his youth, later serving in the rabbinate of several Hungarian communities and from 1893 as Rabbi of Chust. Although he studied in the yeshiva of the Chatam Sofer, he was affiliated with Chassidism and would travel to the Belz and Siget rebbes. He was renowned for his compositions on halacha and aggadah titled Arugat HaBosem. His son was R. Ya'akov Yechizkiya Greenwald Av Bet Din and Rebbe of Papa, and his grandson is R. Yosef Greenwald of Papa, who established the Papa Chassidism in America after the Holocaust.
Leaf, 21.5 cm. Scribal writing with one and a half lines handwritten by R. Moshe Greenwald, with his signature. Good-fair condition. Restored tears. Old adhesive tape stains.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $1,000
Sold for: $2,125
Including buyer's premium
Handwritten leaf with many signatures; a document summarizing the conclusions of the meeting of the Va'ad HaKlali of the Ashkenazi kollels in the holy cities, regarding the discussions of appointing a Chacham Bashi and the distribution of authority and appointments of Ashkenazi and Sephardi representatives for the official community committees. Jerusalem, Sivan 1910.
On the verso, are 31 signature of Jerusalem community and kollel heads: R. "Shaul Chaim HaLevi Horwitz" [the Dubrowna Rebbe and Rabbi of Me'ah She'arim]; the Lelov Rebbe "David Zvi Shlomo Biderman"; R. "Lipman David son of the Mahari" [Shawkas, the Kotzker Rebbe, Ra'avad of the Beit Din of the Chassidim]; R. "Moshe Nachum Walenstein", R."Aryeh Leib son of R. A. D." [Hershler, R. Leib Dayan]; Rabbi "Zvi Pesach Frank"; Rabbi "Shlomo Gadol Rabbi of Vornyany"; R. "Yo'el Moshe Solomon"; many more signatures.
R. David Zvi Shlomo Biderman (1844-1918), son of R. Elazer Menachem Mendel (1827-1883), holy and pure from youth, leader of the Chassidic community of Jerusalem. A prominent Chassid of the Beit Aharon of Karlin. The author of Yismach Yisrael of Aleksander referred to him as a "Sefer Torah". R.Chaim Shmuel of Chęciny said about R. Biderman that for many years he was the greatest tsaddik of his times.
R. Shaul Chaim HaLevi Horowitz (1820-1916), son-in-law of the Nachlat David was Rabbi of Dubrowna for 18 years. In 1883 he immigrated to Jerusalem, where he was considered one of the greatest Torah scholars of the city. He founded and headed the Me'ah She'arim Yeshiva Gedolah and Talmud Torah. Died at an old age in 1916. Among his works are Klilat Shaul, Mitzpe Shaul, and more.
Official stationery, 34 cm. Two written pages. Good condition. Minor wear and filing holes.
On the verso, are 31 signature of Jerusalem community and kollel heads: R. "Shaul Chaim HaLevi Horwitz" [the Dubrowna Rebbe and Rabbi of Me'ah She'arim]; the Lelov Rebbe "David Zvi Shlomo Biderman"; R. "Lipman David son of the Mahari" [Shawkas, the Kotzker Rebbe, Ra'avad of the Beit Din of the Chassidim]; R. "Moshe Nachum Walenstein", R."Aryeh Leib son of R. A. D." [Hershler, R. Leib Dayan]; Rabbi "Zvi Pesach Frank"; Rabbi "Shlomo Gadol Rabbi of Vornyany"; R. "Yo'el Moshe Solomon"; many more signatures.
R. David Zvi Shlomo Biderman (1844-1918), son of R. Elazer Menachem Mendel (1827-1883), holy and pure from youth, leader of the Chassidic community of Jerusalem. A prominent Chassid of the Beit Aharon of Karlin. The author of Yismach Yisrael of Aleksander referred to him as a "Sefer Torah". R.Chaim Shmuel of Chęciny said about R. Biderman that for many years he was the greatest tsaddik of his times.
R. Shaul Chaim HaLevi Horowitz (1820-1916), son-in-law of the Nachlat David was Rabbi of Dubrowna for 18 years. In 1883 he immigrated to Jerusalem, where he was considered one of the greatest Torah scholars of the city. He founded and headed the Me'ah She'arim Yeshiva Gedolah and Talmud Torah. Died at an old age in 1916. Among his works are Klilat Shaul, Mitzpe Shaul, and more.
Official stationery, 34 cm. Two written pages. Good condition. Minor wear and filing holes.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $1,000
Sold for: $3,000
Including buyer's premium
Letter by the management of the Bikur Cholim Hospital, regarding the purchase of the plot and construction of the new building in the center of the new city, signed by five members of the management: R. Zvi Hirsh Mondshein, R. Feitl Berman, R. Yechiel Michel Pines, R. Asher Eliezer Lowy and R. Natan Yetekaves. On the bottom of the page, is a letter by Jerusalem rabbis with the date (in gematriya) handwritten and signed by R. Chaim Berlin, with additional signatures of R. Shmuel Salant (stamp), R. "Elyakum Shlomo Shapira" [Ra'avad of Eišiškės and Grodno] and R. "Yitzchak Blazer" [Reb Itzelle Peterburger]. Jerusalem, Iyar 1907.
Another letter with the signatures of six members of the Jerusalem Ashkenazi Beit Din: R. Chaim Ya'akov Shapira [Ra'avad of Kovno and Ra'avad of the Beit Din of the Perushim in Jerusalem], R. Moshe Nachum Valenstein, R. Aryeh Leib Son of R. A. D. [Hershler, R. Leib Dayan], R. "Lipman David son of the Mahari" [Shawkas, the Kotzker Rebbe, Ra'avad of the Beit Din of the Chassidim], R. Yosef Yehuda son of R. Y. HaLevi and R. Avraham son of R. David HaCohen. Jerusalem, Sivan 1907.
The Bikur Cholim Hospital was founded in the Old City of Jerusalem in ca. 1859 and was one of the most important institutes of the Perushim - the Ashkenazi settlement in the city. The hospital was established following the ban on the missionary hospitals in which Christians attempted to draw the Jews of Eretz Israel closer to the Christian faith. After the settlement and construction of neighborhoods outside the walls of the Old City, the need arose to enlarge the hospital and a decision was reached to build a new hospital on Nevi'im St. in the center of the new city.
2 leaves, 3 written pages, 30 cm. The first has the official letterhead of the hospital. Fair condition. Wear, tears and adhesive tape at the folding marks and margins.
Another letter with the signatures of six members of the Jerusalem Ashkenazi Beit Din: R. Chaim Ya'akov Shapira [Ra'avad of Kovno and Ra'avad of the Beit Din of the Perushim in Jerusalem], R. Moshe Nachum Valenstein, R. Aryeh Leib Son of R. A. D. [Hershler, R. Leib Dayan], R. "Lipman David son of the Mahari" [Shawkas, the Kotzker Rebbe, Ra'avad of the Beit Din of the Chassidim], R. Yosef Yehuda son of R. Y. HaLevi and R. Avraham son of R. David HaCohen. Jerusalem, Sivan 1907.
The Bikur Cholim Hospital was founded in the Old City of Jerusalem in ca. 1859 and was one of the most important institutes of the Perushim - the Ashkenazi settlement in the city. The hospital was established following the ban on the missionary hospitals in which Christians attempted to draw the Jews of Eretz Israel closer to the Christian faith. After the settlement and construction of neighborhoods outside the walls of the Old City, the need arose to enlarge the hospital and a decision was reached to build a new hospital on Nevi'im St. in the center of the new city.
2 leaves, 3 written pages, 30 cm. The first has the official letterhead of the hospital. Fair condition. Wear, tears and adhesive tape at the folding marks and margins.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $2,000
Sold for: $6,875
Including buyer's premium
Autograph letter signed by the Rogatchover Gaon, Rabbi Yosef Rosen. Dvinsk, Tamuz 1930.
Responsum on the laws of unintentionally looking at women, sent to Jerusalem to Rabbi Shlomo Sobol of Dvinsk. At the end of the letter, he takes interest in the well-being of "the senior R' Zalman Levine" who resides in the old-age home in Jerusalem and he signs "Yosef Rosen Rabbi here". After the signature are several more lines, handwritten by him and signed again: "Yosef Rosen".
This responsum has been printed by Rabbi Shlomo Sobol in the book Salmat Yosef - Tzofnat Pa'ane'ach (Jerusalem, 1948; 1956) Siman 8, with the omission of the sharp statement: "And do not bother me again with matters because I am very busy…".
R. Yosef Rosen (1858-1936) - known as the Rogatchover (after his birthtown Rogachev), was a Chabad-Kapust Chassid. In his youth, he was a disciple of R. Yosef Dov Ber Soloveitchik, author of Beit HaLevi together with his son R. Chaim of Brisk. From 1889, he served as rabbi of the Chabad Chassidic community in the city of Dvinsk in Latvia alongside the Rabbi of the city, author of the Or Same'ach, a position he held for 40 years. A remarkable prodigy known for his sharpness, he was proficient in all areas and fine points of the Torah, produced definitions profound hypotheses and original ways of Torah study. Many tales are told of his genius and indescribable diligence. His legendary brilliance was also highly regarded by the general public in his days and Bialik was reputed as saying that "two Einsteins could be carved out from the mind of the Rogatchover". The Rogatchever dealt extensively in explaining the teachings of the Rambam and wrote numerous halachic responsa. His responsa and novellae were published in his Tzofnat Pa'ane'ach series. His printed books are a small part of the endless fountain of his Torah knowledge with its incessant flow. Due to the depth of his thoughts and his concise manner of writing, several projects have risen in recent generations to decipher his words and to publish his works in annotated editions.
Postcard, 14X10 cm. Closely written on both sides. More than 30 handwritten lines. Good condition.
Responsum on the laws of unintentionally looking at women, sent to Jerusalem to Rabbi Shlomo Sobol of Dvinsk. At the end of the letter, he takes interest in the well-being of "the senior R' Zalman Levine" who resides in the old-age home in Jerusalem and he signs "Yosef Rosen Rabbi here". After the signature are several more lines, handwritten by him and signed again: "Yosef Rosen".
This responsum has been printed by Rabbi Shlomo Sobol in the book Salmat Yosef - Tzofnat Pa'ane'ach (Jerusalem, 1948; 1956) Siman 8, with the omission of the sharp statement: "And do not bother me again with matters because I am very busy…".
R. Yosef Rosen (1858-1936) - known as the Rogatchover (after his birthtown Rogachev), was a Chabad-Kapust Chassid. In his youth, he was a disciple of R. Yosef Dov Ber Soloveitchik, author of Beit HaLevi together with his son R. Chaim of Brisk. From 1889, he served as rabbi of the Chabad Chassidic community in the city of Dvinsk in Latvia alongside the Rabbi of the city, author of the Or Same'ach, a position he held for 40 years. A remarkable prodigy known for his sharpness, he was proficient in all areas and fine points of the Torah, produced definitions profound hypotheses and original ways of Torah study. Many tales are told of his genius and indescribable diligence. His legendary brilliance was also highly regarded by the general public in his days and Bialik was reputed as saying that "two Einsteins could be carved out from the mind of the Rogatchover". The Rogatchever dealt extensively in explaining the teachings of the Rambam and wrote numerous halachic responsa. His responsa and novellae were published in his Tzofnat Pa'ane'ach series. His printed books are a small part of the endless fountain of his Torah knowledge with its incessant flow. Due to the depth of his thoughts and his concise manner of writing, several projects have risen in recent generations to decipher his words and to publish his works in annotated editions.
Postcard, 14X10 cm. Closely written on both sides. More than 30 handwritten lines. Good condition.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $6,000
Sold for: $10,000
Including buyer's premium
Letter of recommendation handwritten and signed by Rabbi Meir Simcha HaCohen, author of Or Same'ach. [1913].
Sent to his son-in-law Rabbi Avraham Luftvir, with a request and recommendation for Rabbi Eliyahu Mordechai Wolkovsky "author of Ma'arechet HaTalmud V'Haposkim. He is a wise and well-mannered person and worthy of assistance. For his journey he needs to meet with Polish sages and leaders. Therefore, my dear, I request that you assist him with counsel and introductions". At the end of the letter is a sentence which slightly reveals the wounded heart of Rabbi Meir Simcha due to the childlessness of his only daughter: "G-d should soon give us joy - your father-in-law with love, Meir Simchahacohen" [the letter Heh of his signature is shared by both the name Simcha which ends with a Heh and HaCohen which begins with the letter Heh].
R. Meir Simcha HaCohen of Dvinsk (1843-1926), an exceptional Lithuanian Torah scholar and outstanding tsaddik, was a prominent leader of Eastern European Jewry before the Holocaust. He served 40 years as Rabbi of Dvinsk (Denenburg, Latvia), alongside R. Yosef Ruzhin, the Rogochover (who served as rabbi of the Chassidic sector of the city). While serving as Rabbi of Dvinsk, he began printing his monumental work Or Sameach on the Rambam. Three volumes were published in his lifetime and the last volume was printed in Riga by R. Menachem Mendel Zack, Rabbi of Riga, who also edited and published R. Meir Simcha's work Meshech Chochma on the Torah. Already in his days, Or Sameach was accepted in the study halls and yeshivot as one of the most important basic books of Torah scholarship and since then it was printed in many editions. (In his commentary on Parshat Bechukotei, Rabbi Meir Simcha foresees with his ru'ach hakodesh the imminent destruction of European Jewry resulting from the Jews following the Berlin haskalah and their assimilation into the non-Jewish population).
The Or Same'ach's only daughter wed the illustrious Torah scholar R. Avraham Luftvir (c. 1870-1918), one of the most outstanding Torah prodigies of Warsaw. Rabbi Meir Simcha cherished his son-in-law with his entire being and often cites his novellae in his writings. R. Avraham died at a young age (less than 50 years old) without children [he too was an only child to one of the wealthiest Warsaw residents, and his wife was the only daughter of the Or Same'ach]. After his death, his profound Torah correspondence with his close associate R. Menachem Zemba was printed in the book Zera Avraham (Biłgoraj -Warsaw, 1920).
21 cm. 10 handwritten lines. Good condition, minor tears to paper folds.
Sent to his son-in-law Rabbi Avraham Luftvir, with a request and recommendation for Rabbi Eliyahu Mordechai Wolkovsky "author of Ma'arechet HaTalmud V'Haposkim. He is a wise and well-mannered person and worthy of assistance. For his journey he needs to meet with Polish sages and leaders. Therefore, my dear, I request that you assist him with counsel and introductions". At the end of the letter is a sentence which slightly reveals the wounded heart of Rabbi Meir Simcha due to the childlessness of his only daughter: "G-d should soon give us joy - your father-in-law with love, Meir Simchahacohen" [the letter Heh of his signature is shared by both the name Simcha which ends with a Heh and HaCohen which begins with the letter Heh].
R. Meir Simcha HaCohen of Dvinsk (1843-1926), an exceptional Lithuanian Torah scholar and outstanding tsaddik, was a prominent leader of Eastern European Jewry before the Holocaust. He served 40 years as Rabbi of Dvinsk (Denenburg, Latvia), alongside R. Yosef Ruzhin, the Rogochover (who served as rabbi of the Chassidic sector of the city). While serving as Rabbi of Dvinsk, he began printing his monumental work Or Sameach on the Rambam. Three volumes were published in his lifetime and the last volume was printed in Riga by R. Menachem Mendel Zack, Rabbi of Riga, who also edited and published R. Meir Simcha's work Meshech Chochma on the Torah. Already in his days, Or Sameach was accepted in the study halls and yeshivot as one of the most important basic books of Torah scholarship and since then it was printed in many editions. (In his commentary on Parshat Bechukotei, Rabbi Meir Simcha foresees with his ru'ach hakodesh the imminent destruction of European Jewry resulting from the Jews following the Berlin haskalah and their assimilation into the non-Jewish population).
The Or Same'ach's only daughter wed the illustrious Torah scholar R. Avraham Luftvir (c. 1870-1918), one of the most outstanding Torah prodigies of Warsaw. Rabbi Meir Simcha cherished his son-in-law with his entire being and often cites his novellae in his writings. R. Avraham died at a young age (less than 50 years old) without children [he too was an only child to one of the wealthiest Warsaw residents, and his wife was the only daughter of the Or Same'ach]. After his death, his profound Torah correspondence with his close associate R. Menachem Zemba was printed in the book Zera Avraham (Biłgoraj -Warsaw, 1920).
21 cm. 10 handwritten lines. Good condition, minor tears to paper folds.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $2,500
Sold for: $4,000
Including buyer's premium
Interesting letter handwritten and signed by Rabbi Zvi Hirsh Broide, who writes in the name of his father-in-law the Rebbe. "Goiger near Kelm [Kelmė]", Av 1895.
In the letter written "according to the instructions of my father-in-law the Rebbe R. S. Z. of Kelm", he writes that his father-in-law is only faintly involved in the matters of the city of Kelm due to his state of health, "Therefore… he knows little of the happenings in the city, especially in the summer at the time he is in the Dacha. Therefore, because of his poor health he cannot get involved in this, even more so now that the city has been split over this issue…".
R. Zvi Hirsh Broide (1865-1913), son of R. Aryeh Leib (Rabbi Leibtzig) Broide, the younger brother and disciple of the "Saba" - R. Simcha Zissel of Kelm. At the age of 11, R. Zvi Hirsh was sent to study in the Talmud Torah of his uncle, R. Simcha Zissel in Grobin and from that time on he clung to his venerable teacher and served him with complete acquiescence. Rabbi Simcha Zissel found his nephew to possess amazing learning abilities and taught him extensively, also rebuking him beyond the usual practice, foreseeing his nephew's illustrious future and attributing to him enough stamina to assimilate such harsh criticism.
Rabbi Zvi Hirsh was considered the leading protégé of the Mussar Movement educated to acquire complete self-control following the Kelm tradition. He would say that a person who is unable to control his outer movements cannot attain control of his heart and mind. He himself was an example of this.
Reaching marriageable age, he wed Rebbetzin Nechama Liba, the youngest daughter of his uncle R. Simcha Zissel [who was a great woman in her own right, the leading disciples of the Saba of Kelm would come to hear her mussar discourses following the school of her illustrious father and her husband Rabbi Hirsh]. After the death of his father-in-law the Saba of Kelm in 1898, Rabbi Hirsh was appointed head of the Kelm Yeshiva, a position he held for more than 13 years. The leading mussar figures in his times considered themselves his close disciples; among them are R. Yerucham of Mir, R. Daniel Movshowitz, R. Moshe Rosenstein, R. Eliyahu Lopian and R. Yechezkel Lowenstein.
R. Zvi Hirsh died at the young age of 48. "The honor he fled his entire life pursued him and found him… All the city's shops closed for his funeral as a mark of the love and reverence in which this tsaddik was held and all Kelm Jews from the youngest to the eldest attended his funeral. They walked behind his coffin until the cemetery, located a distance from the city and they remained there until he was buried and until the many eulogies were completed" (Mechanech L'Dorot, Part 1, p. 172).
Leaf, 21.5 cm. 16 handwritten lines. Good condition. Small tear to margins, with adhesive tape on verso.
In the letter written "according to the instructions of my father-in-law the Rebbe R. S. Z. of Kelm", he writes that his father-in-law is only faintly involved in the matters of the city of Kelm due to his state of health, "Therefore… he knows little of the happenings in the city, especially in the summer at the time he is in the Dacha. Therefore, because of his poor health he cannot get involved in this, even more so now that the city has been split over this issue…".
R. Zvi Hirsh Broide (1865-1913), son of R. Aryeh Leib (Rabbi Leibtzig) Broide, the younger brother and disciple of the "Saba" - R. Simcha Zissel of Kelm. At the age of 11, R. Zvi Hirsh was sent to study in the Talmud Torah of his uncle, R. Simcha Zissel in Grobin and from that time on he clung to his venerable teacher and served him with complete acquiescence. Rabbi Simcha Zissel found his nephew to possess amazing learning abilities and taught him extensively, also rebuking him beyond the usual practice, foreseeing his nephew's illustrious future and attributing to him enough stamina to assimilate such harsh criticism.
Rabbi Zvi Hirsh was considered the leading protégé of the Mussar Movement educated to acquire complete self-control following the Kelm tradition. He would say that a person who is unable to control his outer movements cannot attain control of his heart and mind. He himself was an example of this.
Reaching marriageable age, he wed Rebbetzin Nechama Liba, the youngest daughter of his uncle R. Simcha Zissel [who was a great woman in her own right, the leading disciples of the Saba of Kelm would come to hear her mussar discourses following the school of her illustrious father and her husband Rabbi Hirsh]. After the death of his father-in-law the Saba of Kelm in 1898, Rabbi Hirsh was appointed head of the Kelm Yeshiva, a position he held for more than 13 years. The leading mussar figures in his times considered themselves his close disciples; among them are R. Yerucham of Mir, R. Daniel Movshowitz, R. Moshe Rosenstein, R. Eliyahu Lopian and R. Yechezkel Lowenstein.
R. Zvi Hirsh died at the young age of 48. "The honor he fled his entire life pursued him and found him… All the city's shops closed for his funeral as a mark of the love and reverence in which this tsaddik was held and all Kelm Jews from the youngest to the eldest attended his funeral. They walked behind his coffin until the cemetery, located a distance from the city and they remained there until he was buried and until the many eulogies were completed" (Mechanech L'Dorot, Part 1, p. 172).
Leaf, 21.5 cm. 16 handwritten lines. Good condition. Small tear to margins, with adhesive tape on verso.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $2,200
Sold for: $4,000
Including buyer's premium
Collection of letter and notebooks from the archive of R. Baruch Yoseph Feivelson, one of the heads of the Radin (Radun) Yeshiva.
The collection contains: · Two letters on postcards, handwritten and signed by R. Chaim Ozer Grodzensky (a letter from 1931 about assistance to the students of the Radin Yeshiva and another letter from 1933 about treatment for the acute illness of R. Baruch Yoseph). · Two notebooks with Torah novellae in the handwriting of R. Baruch Yosef from various times (beginning of the 1910s until the end of the 1920s). · Letter from his friend R. Yitzchak Isaac Sher Head of the Slobodka Yeshiva (especially interesting content about a disagreement concerning the management of the Slobodka Yeshiva in 1927-1928). · Letter from his father R. Eliyahu Meir Feivelson, Rabbi of Kupiškis. · Letter from his brother-in-law R. Zalman Partovsky (succeeded his father-in-law in the Kupiškis rabbinate). · Letter from R. Baruch Yoseph to his father. · Letter by R. Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (recommendation for Kollel Radin in Kadima).
R. Baruch Yosef Feivelson (1895-1933), son of R. Eliyahu Meir Feivelson and son-in-law of R. Naftali Trop was renowned from a young age as one of the foremost Torah scholars of Lithuanian yeshivas and leading alumnus of the Slobodka Yeshiva and close disciple of R. Yitzchak Ya'akov Rabinowitz Rabbi of Ponovezh (Rabbi Itze'le of Ponovezh). In 1929, he was appointed teacher in the Radin Yeshiva succeeding his father-in-law, and was very successful in this capacity. His deep scholarly discourses invigorated the learning atmosphere of the yeshiva and many anticipated great success for the yeshiva with R. Feivelson part of the staff. Sadly, he died at the age of 38 after only four years of delivering his Torah discourses. During WWII, his wife and children exiled to Siberia, some survived the war and immigrated to Eretz Israel (one son established a kollel and yeshiva in Safed and his brother established Kollel Radin in Kadima). About 50 years after his death, the book Birkat Yosef was published (Bnei Brak, 1983), which includes a substantial part of the novellae in this notebook. The approbations of the book indicate the high regard Lithuanian yeshiva scholars had for R. Feivelson and the bright future they anticipated for him. R. Ya'akov Kamenetsky writes that "…he lights the eyes of those who study at the Radin Yeshiva and he was famous in the entire yeshiva world as a great Torah scholar and amazing author of novellae, and although he died so young he was considered one of the leading heads of yeshivas in his days. I remember his youthful days in the Slobodka Yeshiva, he startled the yeshiva students with his sharpness and he excelled more than any other student in his time…". R. Shach wrote: "…he was well-known and famous in the generation preceding the war…I knew him from his youth, already from 1911 at the time he studied in Ponovezh in the kibbutz (gathering of yeshiva students) of…Rabbi Itze'le Ponovezher and his name was legendary and now after I studied his writings, I see that all his words were said with depth and sharpness alike…".
7 letters and 2 large notebooks (approximately 340 written pages). Size and condition vary. Stains and much wear.
The collection contains: · Two letters on postcards, handwritten and signed by R. Chaim Ozer Grodzensky (a letter from 1931 about assistance to the students of the Radin Yeshiva and another letter from 1933 about treatment for the acute illness of R. Baruch Yoseph). · Two notebooks with Torah novellae in the handwriting of R. Baruch Yosef from various times (beginning of the 1910s until the end of the 1920s). · Letter from his friend R. Yitzchak Isaac Sher Head of the Slobodka Yeshiva (especially interesting content about a disagreement concerning the management of the Slobodka Yeshiva in 1927-1928). · Letter from his father R. Eliyahu Meir Feivelson, Rabbi of Kupiškis. · Letter from his brother-in-law R. Zalman Partovsky (succeeded his father-in-law in the Kupiškis rabbinate). · Letter from R. Baruch Yoseph to his father. · Letter by R. Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (recommendation for Kollel Radin in Kadima).
R. Baruch Yosef Feivelson (1895-1933), son of R. Eliyahu Meir Feivelson and son-in-law of R. Naftali Trop was renowned from a young age as one of the foremost Torah scholars of Lithuanian yeshivas and leading alumnus of the Slobodka Yeshiva and close disciple of R. Yitzchak Ya'akov Rabinowitz Rabbi of Ponovezh (Rabbi Itze'le of Ponovezh). In 1929, he was appointed teacher in the Radin Yeshiva succeeding his father-in-law, and was very successful in this capacity. His deep scholarly discourses invigorated the learning atmosphere of the yeshiva and many anticipated great success for the yeshiva with R. Feivelson part of the staff. Sadly, he died at the age of 38 after only four years of delivering his Torah discourses. During WWII, his wife and children exiled to Siberia, some survived the war and immigrated to Eretz Israel (one son established a kollel and yeshiva in Safed and his brother established Kollel Radin in Kadima). About 50 years after his death, the book Birkat Yosef was published (Bnei Brak, 1983), which includes a substantial part of the novellae in this notebook. The approbations of the book indicate the high regard Lithuanian yeshiva scholars had for R. Feivelson and the bright future they anticipated for him. R. Ya'akov Kamenetsky writes that "…he lights the eyes of those who study at the Radin Yeshiva and he was famous in the entire yeshiva world as a great Torah scholar and amazing author of novellae, and although he died so young he was considered one of the leading heads of yeshivas in his days. I remember his youthful days in the Slobodka Yeshiva, he startled the yeshiva students with his sharpness and he excelled more than any other student in his time…". R. Shach wrote: "…he was well-known and famous in the generation preceding the war…I knew him from his youth, already from 1911 at the time he studied in Ponovezh in the kibbutz (gathering of yeshiva students) of…Rabbi Itze'le Ponovezher and his name was legendary and now after I studied his writings, I see that all his words were said with depth and sharpness alike…".
7 letters and 2 large notebooks (approximately 340 written pages). Size and condition vary. Stains and much wear.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $2,000
Sold for: $3,250
Including buyer's premium
Autograph letter signed by R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinsky, sent to Bnei Brak to R. Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz, author of the Chazon Ish. Vilna, Nissan 1938.
The honorary appellations in this letter, written by R. Chaim Ozer - one of the most eminent Torah prodigies and leaders of his generation - to a friend many years his junior, are astounding. Among other things, R. Chaim Ozer sends his good wishes to the Chazon Ish in honor of the upcoming festival of Pesach. He mentions a certain legal matter which concerns his brother [R. Itzele Karelitz?]. At the end of the letter, R. Grodzinsky sends regards and good wishes to the elder brother R. Meir Karelitz and to the entire family of the Chazon Ish.
R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinsky (1863-1940), was the leader of the entire Diaspora in his generation. At the age of 11 [!], he began studying in the Volozhin Yeshiva and was a close disciple of Rabbi Chaim of Brisk. At the age of 24, he was appointed rabbi and posek in Vilna. He joined the Chafetz Chaim in bearing the burden of public affairs and for decades, his opinion was supreme in all public issues throughout the entire Diaspora. He was founder and head of Va’ad HaYeshivot and one of the initiators of the worldwide Agudat Yisrael movement as well as one of the heads of Mo'etzet Gedolei HaTorah.
R. Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz, author of the Chazon Ish (1879-1954), leading halachic scholar and philosopher. Phenomenal Torah giant and concealed tsaddik. In 1911, he published his first book, Chazon Ish, anonymously and hence was called by the name of his book. After World War I, he resided in Vilna. R. Chaim Ozer who detected his true stature consulted him regularly regarding public matters and insisted that he join the public leadership of the Jewish people. Upon the immigration of the Chazon Ish to Eretz Israel in 1933, Rabbi Chaim Ozer referred many issues pertaining to the Torah settlement in Eretz Israel for the Chazon Ish to resolve. He reinforced observance of mitzvoth connected to dwelling in Eretz Israel and was a driving force behind the revival of Torah and Chassidism in our generation. Authored and published the "Chazon Ish" books which were written with extreme toil and deep study on almost all Talmudic treatises.
Postcard 10.5X15 cm. Good-fair condition. Wear and folding marks.
The honorary appellations in this letter, written by R. Chaim Ozer - one of the most eminent Torah prodigies and leaders of his generation - to a friend many years his junior, are astounding. Among other things, R. Chaim Ozer sends his good wishes to the Chazon Ish in honor of the upcoming festival of Pesach. He mentions a certain legal matter which concerns his brother [R. Itzele Karelitz?]. At the end of the letter, R. Grodzinsky sends regards and good wishes to the elder brother R. Meir Karelitz and to the entire family of the Chazon Ish.
R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinsky (1863-1940), was the leader of the entire Diaspora in his generation. At the age of 11 [!], he began studying in the Volozhin Yeshiva and was a close disciple of Rabbi Chaim of Brisk. At the age of 24, he was appointed rabbi and posek in Vilna. He joined the Chafetz Chaim in bearing the burden of public affairs and for decades, his opinion was supreme in all public issues throughout the entire Diaspora. He was founder and head of Va’ad HaYeshivot and one of the initiators of the worldwide Agudat Yisrael movement as well as one of the heads of Mo'etzet Gedolei HaTorah.
R. Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz, author of the Chazon Ish (1879-1954), leading halachic scholar and philosopher. Phenomenal Torah giant and concealed tsaddik. In 1911, he published his first book, Chazon Ish, anonymously and hence was called by the name of his book. After World War I, he resided in Vilna. R. Chaim Ozer who detected his true stature consulted him regularly regarding public matters and insisted that he join the public leadership of the Jewish people. Upon the immigration of the Chazon Ish to Eretz Israel in 1933, Rabbi Chaim Ozer referred many issues pertaining to the Torah settlement in Eretz Israel for the Chazon Ish to resolve. He reinforced observance of mitzvoth connected to dwelling in Eretz Israel and was a driving force behind the revival of Torah and Chassidism in our generation. Authored and published the "Chazon Ish" books which were written with extreme toil and deep study on almost all Talmudic treatises.
Postcard 10.5X15 cm. Good-fair condition. Wear and folding marks.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $2,500
Sold for: $6,875
Including buyer's premium
Interesting autograph letter with the full signature of R. "Elchanan Bunam son of R. Naftali Beinush Wasserman". Smilavichy (Minsk district, today Belarus), [Adar Aleph 1919].
Sent to "The famous rabbi and gaon, author of the Chazon Ish" in the city of Stowbtsy (Minsk district, today Belarus), regarding financial assistance to the Smilavichy Yeshiva which was established at that time by Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman and by Rabbi Eliyahu Dushnitzer by the incentive of the Chafetz Chaim, as a branch of the Radin Yeshiva which was banished to that same area. For five years, this yeshiva remained under the management of Rabbi Elchanan with great difficulty and without any regular income of funds. This was due to the increase of persecution and harassment initiated by the Yevsektsiya [the Jewish section of the Communist party which aimed to destroy Torah education and religious adherence]. Obeying the directive of the Chafetz Chaim, the yeshiva student body and teachers fled to Poland in the month of Sivan 1921.
At that time, the Chazon Ish was residing in the city of Stolbtsy and the little money he was able to obtain, he sent to support the yeshiva. This early connection between Rabbi Elchanan and the Chazon Ish is not known from any other source. These two illustrious Torah figures corresponded at the end of the 1930s concerning matters of leadership of the communities in Eretz Israel in their dealings with the Zionist circles and the Histadrut. However this letter attests to correspondence which took place twenty years earlier which reflects upon the beginning of the public fame of the Chazon Ish after his first book Chazon Ish was published anonymously in 1911. This book left a great impression on its readers and was the beginning of the rise of the name of this great luminary in yeshiva circles.
Postcard, 14X9 cm. 13 handwritten lines. Good condition. Creases and folding marks.
Sent to "The famous rabbi and gaon, author of the Chazon Ish" in the city of Stowbtsy (Minsk district, today Belarus), regarding financial assistance to the Smilavichy Yeshiva which was established at that time by Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman and by Rabbi Eliyahu Dushnitzer by the incentive of the Chafetz Chaim, as a branch of the Radin Yeshiva which was banished to that same area. For five years, this yeshiva remained under the management of Rabbi Elchanan with great difficulty and without any regular income of funds. This was due to the increase of persecution and harassment initiated by the Yevsektsiya [the Jewish section of the Communist party which aimed to destroy Torah education and religious adherence]. Obeying the directive of the Chafetz Chaim, the yeshiva student body and teachers fled to Poland in the month of Sivan 1921.
At that time, the Chazon Ish was residing in the city of Stolbtsy and the little money he was able to obtain, he sent to support the yeshiva. This early connection between Rabbi Elchanan and the Chazon Ish is not known from any other source. These two illustrious Torah figures corresponded at the end of the 1930s concerning matters of leadership of the communities in Eretz Israel in their dealings with the Zionist circles and the Histadrut. However this letter attests to correspondence which took place twenty years earlier which reflects upon the beginning of the public fame of the Chazon Ish after his first book Chazon Ish was published anonymously in 1911. This book left a great impression on its readers and was the beginning of the rise of the name of this great luminary in yeshiva circles.
Postcard, 14X9 cm. 13 handwritten lines. Good condition. Creases and folding marks.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $4,000
Sold for: $8,125
Including buyer's premium
Autograph letter (on a postcard) signed by the Chazon Ish, Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz, author of the Chazon Ish, and a long autograph letter signed by his sister Rebbetzin Miriam Kanievsky, the Steipler's wife. Bnei Brak, Adar Aleph [1935].
In the center of the postcard are 5 lines, handwritten and signed by the Chazon Ish [in his usual manner: "Ish"]. These lines are surrounded by a long letter in Yiddish which continues on the verso, more than 20 lines handwritten and signed by his sister Rebbetzin Miriam.
The Chazon Ish addresses the letter "To my mother and all of those with her". The letter contains words of Torah and Halacha [apparently, in response to a letter he received from his brother or brother-in-law who lived in Kosava]. At the end of the letter, the Chazon Ish writes that he did not receive a letter from Vilna, "I have not heard anything for the past three months and perhaps the letter was lost". The ending of the letter addresses both his mother and his brother.
In the letter by Rebbetzin Miriam Kanievsky, written a short while after her aliya to Eretz Israel, she writes about obtaining a visa to Eretz Israel and about the consul in Warsaw, who conjures numerous difficulties in obtaining visas for rabbis. At the end of her letter she sends regards from her children.
The mother of the Chazon Ish, Rebbetzin Rasha-Leah Karelitz (ca. 1854-1940), daughter of R. Shaul Katzenellenbogen, Rabbi of Kosava and Kobryn. In 1874, married Rabbi Shemarya Yosef Karelitz (1852-1916), who succeeded his father-in-law as Rabbi of Kosava (near Grodno) in 1882, after the latter relocated to serve in the Kobryn rabbinate. She was celebrated for her piety and modesty and was deserving that all her nine sons and sons-in-law were leading Torah scholars and G-d fearing individuals who became renowned rabbis in their days. Among them: R. Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz, author of the Chazon Ish; R. Meir Karelitz, Rabbi of Lyakhavichy (Lechovitz) and one of the heads of Mo'etzet Gedolei HaTorah; R. Abba Svatitzky, Rabbi of Kosava and Tykocin (Tiktin); and Rabbi Ya'akov Yisrael Kanievsky, author of Kehillot Ya'akov (the Steipler). Once, the Chafetz Chaim asked her how she merited such pious children. She answered: Perhaps because I conducted myself with excessive modesty and the beams of my home never saw the hairs of my head.
She became ill soon after her marriage and the doctors warned her that giving birth may risk her life. Her father, R. Shaul, suggested that his son-in-law divorce her to enable him to have children but Rebbetzin Rasha-Leah thought otherwise. She heroically decided to bear children saying that for this purpose G-d created her and He will have mercy (HaChazon Ish B'Dorotav, p. 17). During WWI, she was widowed and the Kosava community wanted to appoint her son R. Yitzchak "Itzele" as rabbi, but he conceded the position to his brother-in-law Rabbi Abba Svatitzky. In her senior years, she made aliya to Eretz Israel and for several years lived in Bnei Brak near her son the Chazon Ish and near her daughter, the wife of the Steipler, seeing for herself the great stature of both her son and son-in-law.
Postcard, 9X14 cm. Good-fair condition. Creases and folding marks (small tear to fold).
In the center of the postcard are 5 lines, handwritten and signed by the Chazon Ish [in his usual manner: "Ish"]. These lines are surrounded by a long letter in Yiddish which continues on the verso, more than 20 lines handwritten and signed by his sister Rebbetzin Miriam.
The Chazon Ish addresses the letter "To my mother and all of those with her". The letter contains words of Torah and Halacha [apparently, in response to a letter he received from his brother or brother-in-law who lived in Kosava]. At the end of the letter, the Chazon Ish writes that he did not receive a letter from Vilna, "I have not heard anything for the past three months and perhaps the letter was lost". The ending of the letter addresses both his mother and his brother.
In the letter by Rebbetzin Miriam Kanievsky, written a short while after her aliya to Eretz Israel, she writes about obtaining a visa to Eretz Israel and about the consul in Warsaw, who conjures numerous difficulties in obtaining visas for rabbis. At the end of her letter she sends regards from her children.
The mother of the Chazon Ish, Rebbetzin Rasha-Leah Karelitz (ca. 1854-1940), daughter of R. Shaul Katzenellenbogen, Rabbi of Kosava and Kobryn. In 1874, married Rabbi Shemarya Yosef Karelitz (1852-1916), who succeeded his father-in-law as Rabbi of Kosava (near Grodno) in 1882, after the latter relocated to serve in the Kobryn rabbinate. She was celebrated for her piety and modesty and was deserving that all her nine sons and sons-in-law were leading Torah scholars and G-d fearing individuals who became renowned rabbis in their days. Among them: R. Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz, author of the Chazon Ish; R. Meir Karelitz, Rabbi of Lyakhavichy (Lechovitz) and one of the heads of Mo'etzet Gedolei HaTorah; R. Abba Svatitzky, Rabbi of Kosava and Tykocin (Tiktin); and Rabbi Ya'akov Yisrael Kanievsky, author of Kehillot Ya'akov (the Steipler). Once, the Chafetz Chaim asked her how she merited such pious children. She answered: Perhaps because I conducted myself with excessive modesty and the beams of my home never saw the hairs of my head.
She became ill soon after her marriage and the doctors warned her that giving birth may risk her life. Her father, R. Shaul, suggested that his son-in-law divorce her to enable him to have children but Rebbetzin Rasha-Leah thought otherwise. She heroically decided to bear children saying that for this purpose G-d created her and He will have mercy (HaChazon Ish B'Dorotav, p. 17). During WWI, she was widowed and the Kosava community wanted to appoint her son R. Yitzchak "Itzele" as rabbi, but he conceded the position to his brother-in-law Rabbi Abba Svatitzky. In her senior years, she made aliya to Eretz Israel and for several years lived in Bnei Brak near her son the Chazon Ish and near her daughter, the wife of the Steipler, seeing for herself the great stature of both her son and son-in-law.
Postcard, 9X14 cm. Good-fair condition. Creases and folding marks (small tear to fold).
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $1,000
Sold for: $3,250
Including buyer's premium
Long interesting autograph letter signed by R. Yitzchak (Isaac) Hutner. Jerusalem, Iyar 1933.
The letter was written to his teacher and friend from his Slobodka days, R. Baruch Yosef Feivelson [head of the Radin (Radun) Yeshiva and son-in-law of R. Naftali Trop]. R. Hutner describes in detail his inner world, his activities and plans: "Beloved elder brother! Truly, what time does, a person's mind cannot do. Recent events and facts flooded me with such force… I became engaged, married, made aliya… As you can see from the letterhead ["Isaac Hutner, Even Ezra Street, Rehavia, Jerusalem"] I am now residing in Rehavia Jerusalem. Rehavia is the 'intelligentsia neighborhood' and all ridicule me that I became an 'intelligent". However, what can I do, as you surely remember from my childhood days, I have become accustomed to this derision… My first step upon coming here is to immerse myself again in Torah study…For this purpose, I have chosen three very talented young men and we study together Tractate Mikva'ot, in depth, just like old times, and the voice of Torah can be vociferously heard in Rehavia. I have already been informed that R. Menachem Ussishkin [head of the Jewish Agency] (who is my neighbor), asked who is the man, in the style of the old Yishuv, that moved to Rehavia…" [This arrangement for studying Tractate Mikva'ot is mentioned in the book of R. Hirsh, pp. 127-129. The group of four was composed of R. Yitzchak and three young men: R. Simcha Zissel Broide, Simcha Pines and Hirsch Palei, men who eventually became Torah and Musar teachers in the Hebron Yeshiva and other yeshivas. Their study session was thorough in-depth study without pause from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. Once, one of the young men yawned in the middle of the session and R. Yitzchak slapped him saying that Mikva'ot and yawns do not go hand in hand…].
Further in the letter, R. Yitzchak details his plans for the near future for in-depth halachic study. He explains his leaning towards this type of learning and the benefit of studying Tur with the Beit Yosef commentary. "In my opinion, this is the first bridge between the treatise and the halacha". He summarizes his plans in his characteristic manner: "I cannot write you the results of this trial, even to express my assessment as to whether this will bring me success, because I am not among those who are quick to judge. When we correspond, and the time will come, I will write you in detail of the progress…".
Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner (1906-1980) studied in the Slabodka Yeshiva in Lithuania and in Hebron. In 1932, he published the book Torat HaNazir which surprised the Torah world with its original scholarly depth produced by such a young man. Two weeks after his marriage, he made aliya and resided one year in the Rehavia neighborhood of Jerusalem. In 1934, he moved to the US and stood at the helm of Metivta Chaim Berlin in NY for many years and at the same time served as one of the heads of US Mo'etzet Gedolei HaTorah. He was renowned for his thought-provoking halachic discourses and for his articles on Jewish philosophy on Hilchot De'ot B'Chovot HaLevavot, later published in the Pachad Yitzchak series.
Official stationery, 28 cm. Written on both sides and in the margins. Good-fair condition, creases and wear.
A long interesting letter that does not appear in the book Pachad Yitzchak Igrot U'Ktavim, and to the best of our knowledge has not been printed elsewhere.
The letter was written to his teacher and friend from his Slobodka days, R. Baruch Yosef Feivelson [head of the Radin (Radun) Yeshiva and son-in-law of R. Naftali Trop]. R. Hutner describes in detail his inner world, his activities and plans: "Beloved elder brother! Truly, what time does, a person's mind cannot do. Recent events and facts flooded me with such force… I became engaged, married, made aliya… As you can see from the letterhead ["Isaac Hutner, Even Ezra Street, Rehavia, Jerusalem"] I am now residing in Rehavia Jerusalem. Rehavia is the 'intelligentsia neighborhood' and all ridicule me that I became an 'intelligent". However, what can I do, as you surely remember from my childhood days, I have become accustomed to this derision… My first step upon coming here is to immerse myself again in Torah study…For this purpose, I have chosen three very talented young men and we study together Tractate Mikva'ot, in depth, just like old times, and the voice of Torah can be vociferously heard in Rehavia. I have already been informed that R. Menachem Ussishkin [head of the Jewish Agency] (who is my neighbor), asked who is the man, in the style of the old Yishuv, that moved to Rehavia…" [This arrangement for studying Tractate Mikva'ot is mentioned in the book of R. Hirsh, pp. 127-129. The group of four was composed of R. Yitzchak and three young men: R. Simcha Zissel Broide, Simcha Pines and Hirsch Palei, men who eventually became Torah and Musar teachers in the Hebron Yeshiva and other yeshivas. Their study session was thorough in-depth study without pause from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. Once, one of the young men yawned in the middle of the session and R. Yitzchak slapped him saying that Mikva'ot and yawns do not go hand in hand…].
Further in the letter, R. Yitzchak details his plans for the near future for in-depth halachic study. He explains his leaning towards this type of learning and the benefit of studying Tur with the Beit Yosef commentary. "In my opinion, this is the first bridge between the treatise and the halacha". He summarizes his plans in his characteristic manner: "I cannot write you the results of this trial, even to express my assessment as to whether this will bring me success, because I am not among those who are quick to judge. When we correspond, and the time will come, I will write you in detail of the progress…".
Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner (1906-1980) studied in the Slabodka Yeshiva in Lithuania and in Hebron. In 1932, he published the book Torat HaNazir which surprised the Torah world with its original scholarly depth produced by such a young man. Two weeks after his marriage, he made aliya and resided one year in the Rehavia neighborhood of Jerusalem. In 1934, he moved to the US and stood at the helm of Metivta Chaim Berlin in NY for many years and at the same time served as one of the heads of US Mo'etzet Gedolei HaTorah. He was renowned for his thought-provoking halachic discourses and for his articles on Jewish philosophy on Hilchot De'ot B'Chovot HaLevavot, later published in the Pachad Yitzchak series.
Official stationery, 28 cm. Written on both sides and in the margins. Good-fair condition, creases and wear.
A long interesting letter that does not appear in the book Pachad Yitzchak Igrot U'Ktavim, and to the best of our knowledge has not been printed elsewhere.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $3,000
Sold for: $4,000
Including buyer's premium
Long autograph letter (four and one half pages) signed by Rabbi "Aharon Leib Shteiman". Montreux (Switzerland), 1942.
Halachic responsum on the laws of Yayin Nesech, and regarding the kashrut of tartaric acid and oil made from grape pits. At the end of the letter, before his signature he writes: "In any case, I do not intend to decide and give a halachic ruling, only to study Torah, and G-d should show us the true path".
Rabbi Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman was born in Brisk, Lithuania and studied in Lithuanian yeshivas. Evading the Polish military draft, he traveled to Switzerland in the summer of 1938 together with his friend Moshe Soloveitchik to study at the Montreux Yeshiva. This journey soon before the outbreak of World War II proved to be the miracle which saved these two Torah giants who impacted the whole Torah world in our times: R. Moshe Soloveitchik in Zurich led the Torah-faithful Jews in Europe and R. Aharon Leib Shteinman in Bnei Brak. [The family's original name was Shteiman, but upon the arrival of his family in Eretz Israel, he added the letter Nun to his name - Rabbi Shteinman].
4 leaves, 21.5 cm. Good condition, creases and minor tears.
Halachic responsum on the laws of Yayin Nesech, and regarding the kashrut of tartaric acid and oil made from grape pits. At the end of the letter, before his signature he writes: "In any case, I do not intend to decide and give a halachic ruling, only to study Torah, and G-d should show us the true path".
Rabbi Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman was born in Brisk, Lithuania and studied in Lithuanian yeshivas. Evading the Polish military draft, he traveled to Switzerland in the summer of 1938 together with his friend Moshe Soloveitchik to study at the Montreux Yeshiva. This journey soon before the outbreak of World War II proved to be the miracle which saved these two Torah giants who impacted the whole Torah world in our times: R. Moshe Soloveitchik in Zurich led the Torah-faithful Jews in Europe and R. Aharon Leib Shteinman in Bnei Brak. [The family's original name was Shteiman, but upon the arrival of his family in Eretz Israel, he added the letter Nun to his name - Rabbi Shteinman].
4 leaves, 21.5 cm. Good condition, creases and minor tears.
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Rare and Important Items
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