Auction 89 - Rare and Important Items
November 22, 2022
Displaying 13 - 24 of 25
Auction 89 - Rare and Important Items
November 22, 2022
Opening: $10,000
Estimate: $20,000 - $50,000
Sold for: $12,500
Including buyer's premium
Derech Chaim siddur – Sefard rite, with commentaries, ethics and laws in Yiddish, compiled by R. Yitzchak Hamburger of Kraków. Vienna: Joseph Schlesinger, 1908. Bound with Book of Tehillim (with separate title page).
Copy of Rebbetzin Chava Teitelbaum – first wife of Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum, rabbi of Satmar (the rebbe may have also used the siddur over the years).
Inscriptions in Hebrew on the endpapers: "Chava Teitelbaum", and various inscriptions in Latin characters: "Teutelbomm Joel Satu-Mare". On the title page and other leaves: stamps of a bookstore in Satmar.
Rebbetzin Chava Teitelbaum (ca. 1880s – 1936), daughter of R. Avraham Chaim Horowitz Rabbi of Polaniec (from the Rozvadov-Ropshitz dynasty). She married R. Yoel Teitelbaum in Shevat 1904 (several days before the passing of her father-in-law the Kedushat Yom Tov). The couple settled in Satmar, where her husband gathered an elite group of disciples and chassidim, whom he taught Torah and Chassidut. Her husband later served as rabbi of Orsheva (Irshava), Karoly (Carei; from 1925) and Satmar (from 1934), managing in each of these places a large yeshiva and Chassidic court. He stood at the helm of faithful, uncompromising Orthodox Jewry in the Maramureș region. Three daughters were born to the rebbe from his wife Rebbetzin Chava, all of which passed away in their father's lifetime without leaving descendants: the eldest, Esther, died in her youth in 1921. The second daughter, Rachel Teitelbaum, married her cousin R. Yekutiel Yehuda Teitelbaum, rebbe of Sighet, and passed away at the age of twenty in 1931. The third daughter, Chaya Raizel, married her cousin the Rebbe Chananya Yom Tov Lipa Meyer-Teitelbaum of Sassov. She passed away in Cheshvan 1954 and was buried in the Tiberias cemetery.
[10], 15-18, 3-6 pages; 19, 22-30, 33-81; [1], 31, 33-54, 57-67, 70-219 leaves; [17] leaves, 32 pages; 16; 53; 13, 18-21 leaves. Misfoliation – presumably lacking some 22 leaves in various places; several leaves bound out of sequence. Approx. 20 cm. Fair-poor condition. Stains and extensive wear. Open tears to many leaves (including large open tears), affecting text (repaired in part with tape). Lacking leaves. Stamps. New leather binding.
Copy of Rebbetzin Chava Teitelbaum – first wife of Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum, rabbi of Satmar (the rebbe may have also used the siddur over the years).
Inscriptions in Hebrew on the endpapers: "Chava Teitelbaum", and various inscriptions in Latin characters: "Teutelbomm Joel Satu-Mare". On the title page and other leaves: stamps of a bookstore in Satmar.
Rebbetzin Chava Teitelbaum (ca. 1880s – 1936), daughter of R. Avraham Chaim Horowitz Rabbi of Polaniec (from the Rozvadov-Ropshitz dynasty). She married R. Yoel Teitelbaum in Shevat 1904 (several days before the passing of her father-in-law the Kedushat Yom Tov). The couple settled in Satmar, where her husband gathered an elite group of disciples and chassidim, whom he taught Torah and Chassidut. Her husband later served as rabbi of Orsheva (Irshava), Karoly (Carei; from 1925) and Satmar (from 1934), managing in each of these places a large yeshiva and Chassidic court. He stood at the helm of faithful, uncompromising Orthodox Jewry in the Maramureș region. Three daughters were born to the rebbe from his wife Rebbetzin Chava, all of which passed away in their father's lifetime without leaving descendants: the eldest, Esther, died in her youth in 1921. The second daughter, Rachel Teitelbaum, married her cousin R. Yekutiel Yehuda Teitelbaum, rebbe of Sighet, and passed away at the age of twenty in 1931. The third daughter, Chaya Raizel, married her cousin the Rebbe Chananya Yom Tov Lipa Meyer-Teitelbaum of Sassov. She passed away in Cheshvan 1954 and was buried in the Tiberias cemetery.
[10], 15-18, 3-6 pages; 19, 22-30, 33-81; [1], 31, 33-54, 57-67, 70-219 leaves; [17] leaves, 32 pages; 16; 53; 13, 18-21 leaves. Misfoliation – presumably lacking some 22 leaves in various places; several leaves bound out of sequence. Approx. 20 cm. Fair-poor condition. Stains and extensive wear. Open tears to many leaves (including large open tears), affecting text (repaired in part with tape). Lacking leaves. Stamps. New leather binding.
Category
Chassidut – Signatures and Glosses
Catalogue
Auction 89 - Rare and Important Items
November 22, 2022
Opening: $2,000
Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000
Sold for: $4,250
Including buyer's premium
Shaar HaKavanot, sixth of eight "gates", which R. Chaim Vital composed from the teachings of his teacher the Arizal, "who received from the mouth of Eliyahu". Jerusalem: published by R. Menchen Heilprin and R. Shlomo Moussaieff, in the press of R. Yitzchak Nachum Levy, 1902. Title page printed in purple and gold. Bound with: Yafeh Shaah, by R. Shlomo son of R. Yehuda HaKohen. Jerusalem, 1902.
Copy of Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum of Satmar. Stamps of the rebbe on the title page and on several other leaves, from his tenures as rabbi of Karoly (Carei) and Orsheva (Irshava).
Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum of Satmar (1887-1979), a leader of his generation, president of the Edah HaChareidit and leader of American Orthodox Jewry, one of the founding pillars of Chassidic Jewry after the Holocaust. Born in Sighet, he was the son of Rebbe Chananya Yom Tov Lipa, the Kedushat Yom Tov, and grandson of Rebbe Yekutiel Yehuda, the Yitav Lev, who both served as rabbis of Sighet (Sighetu Marmației) and were leaders of Chassidic Jewry in the Maramureș region. He was renowned from his youth as a leading Torah scholar, for his perspicacity and intellectual capacities, as well as for his holiness and outstanding purity. After his marriage to the daughter of Rebbe Avraham Chaim Horowitz of Polaniec, he settled in Satmar and taught Torah and Chassidut to an elite group of disciples and followers. He served as rabbi of Irshava, Karoly (Carei; from 1925), and Satmar (Satu Mare; from 1934), managing in each of these places a large yeshiva and Chassidic court. He stood at the helm of faithful, uncompromising Orthodox Jewry in the Maramureș region. During the Holocaust, he was rescued through the famous Kastner Train, and after a journey through Bergen-Belsen, Switzerland and Eretz Israel, he reached the United States, where he established the largest Chassidic group in the world.
[1], 111, [2] leaves; [1], 24 leaves. 36 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains, wear, creases and some tears. New leather binding. Leaves from other books enclosed (possibly also from the library of the rebbe of Satmar).
Copy of Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum of Satmar. Stamps of the rebbe on the title page and on several other leaves, from his tenures as rabbi of Karoly (Carei) and Orsheva (Irshava).
Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum of Satmar (1887-1979), a leader of his generation, president of the Edah HaChareidit and leader of American Orthodox Jewry, one of the founding pillars of Chassidic Jewry after the Holocaust. Born in Sighet, he was the son of Rebbe Chananya Yom Tov Lipa, the Kedushat Yom Tov, and grandson of Rebbe Yekutiel Yehuda, the Yitav Lev, who both served as rabbis of Sighet (Sighetu Marmației) and were leaders of Chassidic Jewry in the Maramureș region. He was renowned from his youth as a leading Torah scholar, for his perspicacity and intellectual capacities, as well as for his holiness and outstanding purity. After his marriage to the daughter of Rebbe Avraham Chaim Horowitz of Polaniec, he settled in Satmar and taught Torah and Chassidut to an elite group of disciples and followers. He served as rabbi of Irshava, Karoly (Carei; from 1925), and Satmar (Satu Mare; from 1934), managing in each of these places a large yeshiva and Chassidic court. He stood at the helm of faithful, uncompromising Orthodox Jewry in the Maramureș region. During the Holocaust, he was rescued through the famous Kastner Train, and after a journey through Bergen-Belsen, Switzerland and Eretz Israel, he reached the United States, where he established the largest Chassidic group in the world.
[1], 111, [2] leaves; [1], 24 leaves. 36 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains, wear, creases and some tears. New leather binding. Leaves from other books enclosed (possibly also from the library of the rebbe of Satmar).
Category
Chassidut – Signatures and Glosses
Catalogue
Auction 89 - Rare and Important Items
November 22, 2022
Opening: $1,500
Estimate: $3,000 - $6,000
Sold for: $5,250
Including buyer's premium
Kaftor VaFerach, about Eretz Israel and the laws pertaining to it, by R. Eshtori HaParchi. [Venice: Meir son of Jacob Parenzo, 1548?]. First edition. Copy lacking title page.
First rabbinic study of Eretz Israel and its borders. R. Eshtori son of R. Moshe HaParchi, a Spanish and Provençal Torah scholar in the times of the Ramban, who lived in and toured Eretz Israel for seven years, studied its sites and clarified its laws. This work is the primary source for those researching the borders of Eretz Israel according to the Torah, and for the study of the commandments pertaining to the land.
Important ownership – from the library of Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum of Satmar. On the front endpapers, stamps from his tenure as rabbi of Karoly (Carei). Many handwritten inscriptions on the endpapers, including inscriptions handwritten and signed by R. Tzvi Hirsh Heller, author of Tiv Gittin, rabbi of Bonyhád and Ungvar (Uzhhorod).
The book contains several glosses in early Ashkenazic-Italian script. Many signatures of "Leib Eisenstadt", and several glosses in his handwriting (two of them are signed – pp. 80b and 422b). The endpapers contain various inscriptions signed by R. Leib Eisenstadt, and signed by R. Tzvi Hirsh Heller: Inscription by R. Leib Eisenstadt from Adar 1826 in Vienna, regarding lending the book to the rabbi of Eisenstadt, with a request to return it with a reliable messenger before the end of the summer. Another inscription from Vienna, 18th Elul 1828, regarding lending the book for three months to the rabbi of Bonyhád. Followed by an inscription handwritten and signed by R. Tzvi Hirsh Heller, confirming that he received the book on the 26th Elul 1828. An additional inscription handwritten by R. Tzvi Hirsh Heller, dated Monday 24th Iyar 1834 in Alt-Ofen, attesting that he received the book from the heirs of the above-mentioned person (Ishim BiTeshuvot HaChatam Sofer, p. 349, states that R. Tzvi Hirsh Heller moved from Ungvar to Alt-Ofen in the middle of 1834 – he was apparently already there in Iyar).
R. Tzvi Hirsh Heller (1776-1835, Encyclopedia L'Chachmei Galicia, II, pp. 665-671), leading Hungarian rabbi, known as "R. Hirsh Charif" for his brilliance and perspicacity. He served as rabbi of Brigel, Galicia, and later as prominent yeshiva dean in Brody. He was compelled to flee the city after he was informed upon, reached Hungary, and served as rabbi of Bonyhád, Ungvar, and Alt-Ofen (Óbuda). He edified prominent disciples, including Rebbe Tzvi Hirsh of Liska and R. Shlomo Ganzfried author of Kitzur Shulchan Aruch. He authored Chiddushei Tiv Gittin and other works.
Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum of Satmar (1887-1979), a leader of his generation, president of the Edah HaChareidit and leader of American Orthodox Jewry, one of the founding pillars of Chassidic Jewry after the Holocaust. Born in Sighet, he was the son of Rebbe Chananya Yom Tov Lipa, the Kedushat Yom Tov, and grandson of Rebbe Yekutiel Yehuda, the Yitav Lev, who both served as rabbis of Sighet (Sighetu Marmației) and were leaders of Chassidic Jewry in the Maramureș region. He was renowned from his youth as a leading Torah scholar, for his perspicacity and intellectual capacities, as well as for his holiness and outstanding purity. After his marriage to the daughter of Rebbe Avraham Chaim Horowitz of Polaniec, he settled in Satmar and taught Torah and Chassidut to an elite group of disciples and followers. He served as rabbi of Irshava, Karoly (Carei; from 1925), and Satmar (Satu Mare; from 1934), managing in each of these places a large yeshiva and Chassidic court. He stood at the helm of faithful, uncompromising Orthodox Jewry in the Maramureș region. During the Holocaust, he was rescued through the famous Kastner Train, and after a journey through Bergen-Belsen, Switzerland and Eretz Israel, he reached the United States, where he established the largest Chassidic group in the world.
2-24, 24-95, 95-109, 200-209, 300-309, 400-444, 444-447, [2] leaves. Lacking title page. 20 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains, including dampstains. Marginal tears, open tears and wear. Marginal paper repairs to several leaves. Stamps, signatures and inscriptions by various writers. New leather binding.
Printer's colophon on final leaf. Date of printing according to A.M. Habermann, The Parenzo Printers in Venice, Aresheth, I, 1959, p. 69, no. 6.
First rabbinic study of Eretz Israel and its borders. R. Eshtori son of R. Moshe HaParchi, a Spanish and Provençal Torah scholar in the times of the Ramban, who lived in and toured Eretz Israel for seven years, studied its sites and clarified its laws. This work is the primary source for those researching the borders of Eretz Israel according to the Torah, and for the study of the commandments pertaining to the land.
Important ownership – from the library of Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum of Satmar. On the front endpapers, stamps from his tenure as rabbi of Karoly (Carei). Many handwritten inscriptions on the endpapers, including inscriptions handwritten and signed by R. Tzvi Hirsh Heller, author of Tiv Gittin, rabbi of Bonyhád and Ungvar (Uzhhorod).
The book contains several glosses in early Ashkenazic-Italian script. Many signatures of "Leib Eisenstadt", and several glosses in his handwriting (two of them are signed – pp. 80b and 422b). The endpapers contain various inscriptions signed by R. Leib Eisenstadt, and signed by R. Tzvi Hirsh Heller: Inscription by R. Leib Eisenstadt from Adar 1826 in Vienna, regarding lending the book to the rabbi of Eisenstadt, with a request to return it with a reliable messenger before the end of the summer. Another inscription from Vienna, 18th Elul 1828, regarding lending the book for three months to the rabbi of Bonyhád. Followed by an inscription handwritten and signed by R. Tzvi Hirsh Heller, confirming that he received the book on the 26th Elul 1828. An additional inscription handwritten by R. Tzvi Hirsh Heller, dated Monday 24th Iyar 1834 in Alt-Ofen, attesting that he received the book from the heirs of the above-mentioned person (Ishim BiTeshuvot HaChatam Sofer, p. 349, states that R. Tzvi Hirsh Heller moved from Ungvar to Alt-Ofen in the middle of 1834 – he was apparently already there in Iyar).
R. Tzvi Hirsh Heller (1776-1835, Encyclopedia L'Chachmei Galicia, II, pp. 665-671), leading Hungarian rabbi, known as "R. Hirsh Charif" for his brilliance and perspicacity. He served as rabbi of Brigel, Galicia, and later as prominent yeshiva dean in Brody. He was compelled to flee the city after he was informed upon, reached Hungary, and served as rabbi of Bonyhád, Ungvar, and Alt-Ofen (Óbuda). He edified prominent disciples, including Rebbe Tzvi Hirsh of Liska and R. Shlomo Ganzfried author of Kitzur Shulchan Aruch. He authored Chiddushei Tiv Gittin and other works.
Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum of Satmar (1887-1979), a leader of his generation, president of the Edah HaChareidit and leader of American Orthodox Jewry, one of the founding pillars of Chassidic Jewry after the Holocaust. Born in Sighet, he was the son of Rebbe Chananya Yom Tov Lipa, the Kedushat Yom Tov, and grandson of Rebbe Yekutiel Yehuda, the Yitav Lev, who both served as rabbis of Sighet (Sighetu Marmației) and were leaders of Chassidic Jewry in the Maramureș region. He was renowned from his youth as a leading Torah scholar, for his perspicacity and intellectual capacities, as well as for his holiness and outstanding purity. After his marriage to the daughter of Rebbe Avraham Chaim Horowitz of Polaniec, he settled in Satmar and taught Torah and Chassidut to an elite group of disciples and followers. He served as rabbi of Irshava, Karoly (Carei; from 1925), and Satmar (Satu Mare; from 1934), managing in each of these places a large yeshiva and Chassidic court. He stood at the helm of faithful, uncompromising Orthodox Jewry in the Maramureș region. During the Holocaust, he was rescued through the famous Kastner Train, and after a journey through Bergen-Belsen, Switzerland and Eretz Israel, he reached the United States, where he established the largest Chassidic group in the world.
2-24, 24-95, 95-109, 200-209, 300-309, 400-444, 444-447, [2] leaves. Lacking title page. 20 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains, including dampstains. Marginal tears, open tears and wear. Marginal paper repairs to several leaves. Stamps, signatures and inscriptions by various writers. New leather binding.
Printer's colophon on final leaf. Date of printing according to A.M. Habermann, The Parenzo Printers in Venice, Aresheth, I, 1959, p. 69, no. 6.
Category
Chassidut – Signatures and Glosses
Catalogue
Auction 89 - Rare and Important Items
November 22, 2022
Opening: $2,000
Estimate: $5,000 - $8,000
Sold for: $15,000
Including buyer's premium
Or Pnei Moshe, homiletics, ethics and Chassidic teachings on the Torah and Five Megillot, by R. Moshe Sofer Stam of Pshevorsk (Przeworsk). Mezeritch (Mezhirichi): Mordechai Katz and Naftali Hertz son of Aryeh Leib, [1810]. First edition.
Copy of Rebbe Avraham Matityahu Friedman of Shtefanesht (Stefáneşti), with his ink stamp (slightly faded) on the title page, depicting a lion in the center; an additional stamp of his (embossed) at the top of the title page.
The author was a great Chassidic leader in the generation of R. Elimelech of Lizhensk and his brother R. Zusha of Anipoli, who held him in high esteem. The book bears many approbations extolling the great holiness of the book and its author, accorded by foremost Chassidic leaders such as R. Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, the Maggid of Kozhnitz, the Chozeh of Lublin, R. Menachem Mendel of Rimanov, the Ohev Yisrael of Apta and the Be'er Mayim Chaim.
The Chozeh of Lublin writes in his approbation: "…as a child, I subjected myself to his authority, and drank from his faithful waters, and I knew that all his matters were for the sake of Heaven only, to give satisfaction to G-d, and he was so elevated, that R. Moshe Alshech would appear to him…". Indeed, Or Pnei Moshe is based upon the teachings of R. Moshe Alshech, and it quotes him extensively, expounding upon his words. In their approbation (added to some copies of the book), the sons of R. Zusha of Anipoli quote a testimony from their great father, who described to them how the author composed this book, having observed him while he was studying, "and his appearance resembled that of a heavenly angel, and while he was writing his holy book, a tongue of flame would rise from his holy written words".
R. Moshe of Pshevorsk (1720?-1806) was renowned amongst the great Chassidic leaders as a supremely holy and pure Torah scribe. Tefillin and mezuzot he scribed were deemed exceptionally holy, and some were preserved from generation to generation with particular care. Reputedly, R. Elimelech of Lizhensk attested that he saw King David standing beside R. Moshe, and they thereafter became acquainted (Encyclopedia L'Chassidut, III, p. 303). In a letter from R. Moshe to R. Menachem Mendel of Rimanov, he writes to him that the price of his tefillin is one red-gulden, yet he is unable to keep up with the demand. Many traditions and legends were recorded regarding this matter.
The rebbe of Shtefanest, Rebbe Avraham Matityahu Friedman (1848-1933, Encyclopedia L'Chassidut, I, pp. 131-132), famous tzadik and wonder-worker. He was the son of Rebbe Nachum of Shtefanesht, son of Rebbe Yisrael of Ruzhin. He succeeded his father at the age of 21, and under his leadership, Shtefanesht grew to be an important Chassidic center. He served as rebbe for over 60 years. He was re-interred in Eretz Israel in the Nachalat Yitzchak cemetery, and his gravesite serves until this day as a pilgrimage destination for prayer and salvation.
Handwritten inscription on the title page: "Yeshaya son-in-law of R. Chaim M[--??]".
[2], 240 leaves. 20.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains, including dampstains, and dark stains to several leaves. Tears, including minor open tears (minor tear to title page), affecting text, repaired in part with tape. Minor worming, slightly affecting text. Abrasions and minor defects to several leaves, affecting text. Leaves trimmed with slight damage to text in several places. Inscriptions. New leather binding.
Without two additional leaves of approbations (leaves 3-4), added to some copies after the printing.
Copy of Rebbe Avraham Matityahu Friedman of Shtefanesht (Stefáneşti), with his ink stamp (slightly faded) on the title page, depicting a lion in the center; an additional stamp of his (embossed) at the top of the title page.
The author was a great Chassidic leader in the generation of R. Elimelech of Lizhensk and his brother R. Zusha of Anipoli, who held him in high esteem. The book bears many approbations extolling the great holiness of the book and its author, accorded by foremost Chassidic leaders such as R. Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, the Maggid of Kozhnitz, the Chozeh of Lublin, R. Menachem Mendel of Rimanov, the Ohev Yisrael of Apta and the Be'er Mayim Chaim.
The Chozeh of Lublin writes in his approbation: "…as a child, I subjected myself to his authority, and drank from his faithful waters, and I knew that all his matters were for the sake of Heaven only, to give satisfaction to G-d, and he was so elevated, that R. Moshe Alshech would appear to him…". Indeed, Or Pnei Moshe is based upon the teachings of R. Moshe Alshech, and it quotes him extensively, expounding upon his words. In their approbation (added to some copies of the book), the sons of R. Zusha of Anipoli quote a testimony from their great father, who described to them how the author composed this book, having observed him while he was studying, "and his appearance resembled that of a heavenly angel, and while he was writing his holy book, a tongue of flame would rise from his holy written words".
R. Moshe of Pshevorsk (1720?-1806) was renowned amongst the great Chassidic leaders as a supremely holy and pure Torah scribe. Tefillin and mezuzot he scribed were deemed exceptionally holy, and some were preserved from generation to generation with particular care. Reputedly, R. Elimelech of Lizhensk attested that he saw King David standing beside R. Moshe, and they thereafter became acquainted (Encyclopedia L'Chassidut, III, p. 303). In a letter from R. Moshe to R. Menachem Mendel of Rimanov, he writes to him that the price of his tefillin is one red-gulden, yet he is unable to keep up with the demand. Many traditions and legends were recorded regarding this matter.
The rebbe of Shtefanest, Rebbe Avraham Matityahu Friedman (1848-1933, Encyclopedia L'Chassidut, I, pp. 131-132), famous tzadik and wonder-worker. He was the son of Rebbe Nachum of Shtefanesht, son of Rebbe Yisrael of Ruzhin. He succeeded his father at the age of 21, and under his leadership, Shtefanesht grew to be an important Chassidic center. He served as rebbe for over 60 years. He was re-interred in Eretz Israel in the Nachalat Yitzchak cemetery, and his gravesite serves until this day as a pilgrimage destination for prayer and salvation.
Handwritten inscription on the title page: "Yeshaya son-in-law of R. Chaim M[--??]".
[2], 240 leaves. 20.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains, including dampstains, and dark stains to several leaves. Tears, including minor open tears (minor tear to title page), affecting text, repaired in part with tape. Minor worming, slightly affecting text. Abrasions and minor defects to several leaves, affecting text. Leaves trimmed with slight damage to text in several places. Inscriptions. New leather binding.
Without two additional leaves of approbations (leaves 3-4), added to some copies after the printing.
Category
Chassidut – Signatures and Glosses
Catalogue
Auction 89 - Rare and Important Items
November 22, 2022
Opening: $1,000
Estimate: $2,000 - $4,000
Sold for: $3,500
Including buyer's premium
Midrash Rivash Tov, selections from the teachings and sayings of R. Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, by R. Yehuda Leib Abraham of Edelény. Two parts. Kecskemét (Hungary): R. Mordechai Abraham, 1927. First edition. Two title pages, the first printed in red and blue.
Copy of R. Mordechai Rokeach, the "Bilgorayer Rav", with his signature at the top of the title page: " Mordechai Rokeach son of the late rebbe of Belz".
R. Mordechai Rokeach, the "Bilgorayer Rav" (1901-1949, Encyclopedia L'Chassidut III, pp. 224-225), was the son of Rebbe Yissachar Dov of Belz. Following the death of his father, he was appointed rabbi of Biłgoraj, renouncing the position of rebbe to his older brother. During the Holocaust, after much wandering, he was reunited with his brother and they travelled together, eventually miraculously succeeding in reaching Eretz Israel. Upon their arrival, R. Mordechai became one of the most prominent figures in Eretz Israel and assisted his brother with the reestablishment of the Belz dynasty. In 1946, upon receiving word that his wife and children were murdered in the Holocaust, he remarried. He passed away shortly thereafter. His only son from that marriage, the current Rebbe of Belz, was born in Shevat 1948.
[3], 2-119 pages; 112 pages. 21 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and wear. Tears to final leaf and marginal tears to several leaves. New leather binding.
Copy of R. Mordechai Rokeach, the "Bilgorayer Rav", with his signature at the top of the title page: " Mordechai Rokeach son of the late rebbe of Belz".
R. Mordechai Rokeach, the "Bilgorayer Rav" (1901-1949, Encyclopedia L'Chassidut III, pp. 224-225), was the son of Rebbe Yissachar Dov of Belz. Following the death of his father, he was appointed rabbi of Biłgoraj, renouncing the position of rebbe to his older brother. During the Holocaust, after much wandering, he was reunited with his brother and they travelled together, eventually miraculously succeeding in reaching Eretz Israel. Upon their arrival, R. Mordechai became one of the most prominent figures in Eretz Israel and assisted his brother with the reestablishment of the Belz dynasty. In 1946, upon receiving word that his wife and children were murdered in the Holocaust, he remarried. He passed away shortly thereafter. His only son from that marriage, the current Rebbe of Belz, was born in Shevat 1948.
[3], 2-119 pages; 112 pages. 21 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and wear. Tears to final leaf and marginal tears to several leaves. New leather binding.
Category
Chassidut – Signatures and Glosses
Catalogue
Auction 89 - Rare and Important Items
November 22, 2022
Opening: $1,000
Estimate: $2,000 - $3,000
Sold for: $1,375
Including buyer's premium
Noam Megadim UKevod HaTorah, homiletics, pilpul, ethics and Chassidut on the Torah portions, by R. Eliezer HaLevi Horowitz, rabbi of Tarnogród. Lviv, [1807]. First edition. With approbations by foremost Chassidic leaders, the Maggid of Kozhnitz, the Chozeh of Lublin, the Ohev Yisrael of Apta and the Yismach Moshe.
Copy of Rebbe Chaim Meir Hager of Vizhnitz. On first leaf, stamp from when he was living in Tel Aviv. Inscription (trimmed) under the stamp, dedicating the book to the rebbe. "I acquired it with my wealth… Chanoch Zundel son of Perel, and I gave it in honor of the rebbe…". On verso, inscription attesting to having received the book as wedding gift from the rebbe of Vizhnitz. Signatures: "Yisrael Yaakov Heilperin"; other stamps.
Rebbe Chaim Meir Hager, author of Imrei Chaim (1888-1972), second son and successor of the Ahavat Yisrael of Vizhnitz. He escaped the camps in 1944, returning to Grosswardein (Oradea) after the Holocaust. In 1947, he immigrated to Eretz Israel and established the Kiryat Vizhnitz neighborhood in Bnei Brak. He rebuilt the Vizhnitz Chassidic dynasty, and set up its institutions. He was one of the leaders of Orthodox Jewry in Eretz Israel, and a member of the Moetzet Gedolei HaTorah. His teachings were published in the Imrei Chaim series.
The author, R. Eliezer HaLevi Horowitz Rabbi of Tarnogród (d. 1806), a holy and eminent Torah scholar, disciple of R. Elimelech of Lizhensk and the Maggid of Zlotchov. In this book, he quotes numerous Torah thoughts from prominent and early Chassidic masters. The book bears 11 approbations by leaders of that generation, highlighting the holiness and asceticism of the author. The Chozeh of Lublin acclaims him in his approbation: "…all his ways were for the sake of Heaven... and he was very exceptional and unparalleled, whether in halachah or aggadah… and an exceptional orator…". The Maggid of Kozhnitz writes in his approbation: "and all the teachings in this book were established to instruct on the way of acquiring holiness and true humility".
Incomplete copy. [2], 34, 37-62, 65-102; 7-8, 11-22, 25-74 leaves. Lacking 20 leaves in various places: title page and second leaf, leaves 35-36, 63-64 of first sequence, and leaves 1-6, 9-10, 23-24, 75-76, [2] of second sequence. 19 cm. Fair condition. Stains, including dampstains. Worming, affecting text. Tears, including large open tears to final two leaves, with significant damage to text, repaired with paper. Tape repairs to first leaf, over text. Leaves trimmed with damage to text in several places. Stamps. New binding.
Copy of Rebbe Chaim Meir Hager of Vizhnitz. On first leaf, stamp from when he was living in Tel Aviv. Inscription (trimmed) under the stamp, dedicating the book to the rebbe. "I acquired it with my wealth… Chanoch Zundel son of Perel, and I gave it in honor of the rebbe…". On verso, inscription attesting to having received the book as wedding gift from the rebbe of Vizhnitz. Signatures: "Yisrael Yaakov Heilperin"; other stamps.
Rebbe Chaim Meir Hager, author of Imrei Chaim (1888-1972), second son and successor of the Ahavat Yisrael of Vizhnitz. He escaped the camps in 1944, returning to Grosswardein (Oradea) after the Holocaust. In 1947, he immigrated to Eretz Israel and established the Kiryat Vizhnitz neighborhood in Bnei Brak. He rebuilt the Vizhnitz Chassidic dynasty, and set up its institutions. He was one of the leaders of Orthodox Jewry in Eretz Israel, and a member of the Moetzet Gedolei HaTorah. His teachings were published in the Imrei Chaim series.
The author, R. Eliezer HaLevi Horowitz Rabbi of Tarnogród (d. 1806), a holy and eminent Torah scholar, disciple of R. Elimelech of Lizhensk and the Maggid of Zlotchov. In this book, he quotes numerous Torah thoughts from prominent and early Chassidic masters. The book bears 11 approbations by leaders of that generation, highlighting the holiness and asceticism of the author. The Chozeh of Lublin acclaims him in his approbation: "…all his ways were for the sake of Heaven... and he was very exceptional and unparalleled, whether in halachah or aggadah… and an exceptional orator…". The Maggid of Kozhnitz writes in his approbation: "and all the teachings in this book were established to instruct on the way of acquiring holiness and true humility".
Incomplete copy. [2], 34, 37-62, 65-102; 7-8, 11-22, 25-74 leaves. Lacking 20 leaves in various places: title page and second leaf, leaves 35-36, 63-64 of first sequence, and leaves 1-6, 9-10, 23-24, 75-76, [2] of second sequence. 19 cm. Fair condition. Stains, including dampstains. Worming, affecting text. Tears, including large open tears to final two leaves, with significant damage to text, repaired with paper. Tape repairs to first leaf, over text. Leaves trimmed with damage to text in several places. Stamps. New binding.
Category
Chassidut – Signatures and Glosses
Catalogue
Auction 89 - Rare and Important Items
November 22, 2022
Opening: $4,000
Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000
Sold for: $6,875
Including buyer's premium
Lengthy letter (5 pages), handwritten and signed by Rebbe Avraham Weinberg, first rebbe of Slonim, author of Yesod HaAvodah. [Slonim], 37th day of the Omer [Iyar 1868].
The letter is addressed to the rebbe's mechutan R. Yehoshua, the latter's brother-in-law, and his Chassidim in general. The main part of the letter (4 pages) is a profound, in-depth Chassidic-kabbalistic essay, on the holiness of Shabbat and principles of faith. Most of the letter was printed, with minor variations, in his book Yesod HaAvodah (letter section, letter 33) and in his book Be'er Avraham (Parashat Behar). The first page – the opening of the letter, and parts of the conclusion were not printed there, and are presumably hitherto unpublished.
The rebbe concludes the letter by asking the recipient to address him simply, without profuse expressions of praise.
Apart from the five pages of the letter, an additional page comprises drafts of the opening section of the letter (presumably also at least partly handwritten by the rebbe).
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. In the 1830s, he headed the Anaf Etz Chaim yeshiva in his hometown of Slonim, a branch of the renowned Etz Chaim yeshiva in Volozhin (Moshe Tzinovitz, Etz Chaim, p. 433; Aharon Surasky, Marbitzei Torah MeOlam HaChassidut, I, pp. 177, 183-186). In his youth, he studied Torah under extreme deprivation. He would study for eighteen hours a day until absolute exhaustion. In his old age, when one of his disciples remarked that one can discern on him revelations of Divine Inspiration, he replied: "I don't know about Divine Inspiration, but I did study Torah under deprivation, and the sages state that whoever studies Torah under deprivation will be satiated from the splendor of the Divine presence". 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 after his passing. His renowned books are Chessed LeAvraham, a profound, very abstract and impenetrable book on Kabbalah and philosophy; Yesod HaAvodah – on the topic of studying Torah for the sake of Heaven and Chassidic principles on the worship of G-d (in this book, he sharply criticizes the book Nefesh HaChaim by R. Chaim of Volozhin, primarily on his views on the study of Torah for the sake of Heaven; the original manuscript of this work reputedly states several times "contrary to the Nefesh HaChaim"); Be'er Avraham on Mechilta. After the Holocaust, his writings were published in additional volumes of Chessed LeAvraham and Be'er Avraham.
The rebbe corresponded continuously with his Chassidim (in particular those who immigrated to Eretz Israel and settled in Tiberias) on profound topics of Chassidut and worship of G-d. Some of these letters (such as the present letter) were printed after his passing in his book Yesod HaAvodah (in the letters section), as well as at the end of the book Be'er Avraham on the Torah.
[1] large leaf folded in four (6 written pages). Approx. 21.5 cm. Fair condition. Stains, including dark stains. Tears and wear, slightly affecting text. Ink fading. Folding marks (tears and wear to folds, repaired).
The letter is addressed to the rebbe's mechutan R. Yehoshua, the latter's brother-in-law, and his Chassidim in general. The main part of the letter (4 pages) is a profound, in-depth Chassidic-kabbalistic essay, on the holiness of Shabbat and principles of faith. Most of the letter was printed, with minor variations, in his book Yesod HaAvodah (letter section, letter 33) and in his book Be'er Avraham (Parashat Behar). The first page – the opening of the letter, and parts of the conclusion were not printed there, and are presumably hitherto unpublished.
The rebbe concludes the letter by asking the recipient to address him simply, without profuse expressions of praise.
Apart from the five pages of the letter, an additional page comprises drafts of the opening section of the letter (presumably also at least partly handwritten by the rebbe).
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. In the 1830s, he headed the Anaf Etz Chaim yeshiva in his hometown of Slonim, a branch of the renowned Etz Chaim yeshiva in Volozhin (Moshe Tzinovitz, Etz Chaim, p. 433; Aharon Surasky, Marbitzei Torah MeOlam HaChassidut, I, pp. 177, 183-186). In his youth, he studied Torah under extreme deprivation. He would study for eighteen hours a day until absolute exhaustion. In his old age, when one of his disciples remarked that one can discern on him revelations of Divine Inspiration, he replied: "I don't know about Divine Inspiration, but I did study Torah under deprivation, and the sages state that whoever studies Torah under deprivation will be satiated from the splendor of the Divine presence". 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 after his passing. His renowned books are Chessed LeAvraham, a profound, very abstract and impenetrable book on Kabbalah and philosophy; Yesod HaAvodah – on the topic of studying Torah for the sake of Heaven and Chassidic principles on the worship of G-d (in this book, he sharply criticizes the book Nefesh HaChaim by R. Chaim of Volozhin, primarily on his views on the study of Torah for the sake of Heaven; the original manuscript of this work reputedly states several times "contrary to the Nefesh HaChaim"); Be'er Avraham on Mechilta. After the Holocaust, his writings were published in additional volumes of Chessed LeAvraham and Be'er Avraham.
The rebbe corresponded continuously with his Chassidim (in particular those who immigrated to Eretz Israel and settled in Tiberias) on profound topics of Chassidut and worship of G-d. Some of these letters (such as the present letter) were printed after his passing in his book Yesod HaAvodah (in the letters section), as well as at the end of the book Be'er Avraham on the Torah.
[1] large leaf folded in four (6 written pages). Approx. 21.5 cm. Fair condition. Stains, including dark stains. Tears and wear, slightly affecting text. Ink fading. Folding marks (tears and wear to folds, repaired).
Category
Letters – Chassidut
Catalogue
Auction 89 - Rare and Important Items
November 22, 2022
Opening: $3,000
Estimate: $5,000 - $7,000
Sold for: $4,500
Including buyer's premium
Two letters from rebbes of Slonim:
• Letter handwritten and signed by Rebbe Shmuel Weinberg of Slonim, author of Divrei Shmuel, to his Chassidim in Tiberias, and to the renowned Chassid R. Eliezer HaKohen. Mir, [ca. 1890s].
• Letter handwritten and signed by Rebbe Avraham Weinberg son of the rebbe of Slonim (later the Beit Avraham of Baranovich), to the renowned Chassid R. Eliezer HaKohen. With an addition on verso (some seven lines) handwritten and signed by his brother – Rebbe Yissachar Leib Weinberg [Slonim, ca. 1900s].
The letter from the Divrei Shmuel was written in Mir, during his trip to Lithuania to raise funds for Kollel Reisin in Tiberias.
The letter from Rebbe Avraham and Rebbe Yissachar Leib, was written during their father's lifetime, and pertains to matchmaking, purchasing a house (presumably in Tiberias) and funds for Kollel Reisin. Rebbe Avraham blesses the elderly recipient of the letter with longevity, and that he should merit to marry off his youngest son and even serve as sandek at his grandson's brit.
Rebbe Shmuel Weinberg 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 love and exceptional 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, supporting the immigrants to 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 of Slonim (the second), author of Beit Avraham (1884-1933), began leading the Slonim Chassidut in 1916, expending great effort to rebuild the Chassidut after WWI. In 1918, he founded the Torat Chessed yeshiva in Baranovich 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 Baranovich.
The recipient of the letters was the prominent Chassid R. Eliezer HaKohen Rozovsky (Reb Leiza Yalovker), a Slonim Chassid in Tiberias (1822-1915), an outstanding Jew, one of the elite disciples of the rebbes of Kobryn and Slonim. He was renowned for his passionate, inspiring prayers. His teacher the Yesod HaAvodah defined him as one who worships G-d with joy. R. Mordechai Chaim of Slonim praised him profusely, wishing himself that he once in his life merit to pray like R. Leizer's weekday Arvit prayer (see more about him: A. Surasky, Yesod HaMaalah, I, Bnei Brak 2000, pp. 263-264).
Two letters. First letter: double leaf, two written pages. 21.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains. Marginal open tear to first leaf, with paper repair to cover tear (tear possibly intentional, perhaps made by recipient, to omit personal content). Second letter: [1] leaf, written on both sides, official stationery. 28 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains, traces of past dampness and wear.
• Letter handwritten and signed by Rebbe Shmuel Weinberg of Slonim, author of Divrei Shmuel, to his Chassidim in Tiberias, and to the renowned Chassid R. Eliezer HaKohen. Mir, [ca. 1890s].
• Letter handwritten and signed by Rebbe Avraham Weinberg son of the rebbe of Slonim (later the Beit Avraham of Baranovich), to the renowned Chassid R. Eliezer HaKohen. With an addition on verso (some seven lines) handwritten and signed by his brother – Rebbe Yissachar Leib Weinberg [Slonim, ca. 1900s].
The letter from the Divrei Shmuel was written in Mir, during his trip to Lithuania to raise funds for Kollel Reisin in Tiberias.
The letter from Rebbe Avraham and Rebbe Yissachar Leib, was written during their father's lifetime, and pertains to matchmaking, purchasing a house (presumably in Tiberias) and funds for Kollel Reisin. Rebbe Avraham blesses the elderly recipient of the letter with longevity, and that he should merit to marry off his youngest son and even serve as sandek at his grandson's brit.
Rebbe Shmuel Weinberg 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 love and exceptional 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, supporting the immigrants to 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 of Slonim (the second), author of Beit Avraham (1884-1933), began leading the Slonim Chassidut in 1916, expending great effort to rebuild the Chassidut after WWI. In 1918, he founded the Torat Chessed yeshiva in Baranovich 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 Baranovich.
The recipient of the letters was the prominent Chassid R. Eliezer HaKohen Rozovsky (Reb Leiza Yalovker), a Slonim Chassid in Tiberias (1822-1915), an outstanding Jew, one of the elite disciples of the rebbes of Kobryn and Slonim. He was renowned for his passionate, inspiring prayers. His teacher the Yesod HaAvodah defined him as one who worships G-d with joy. R. Mordechai Chaim of Slonim praised him profusely, wishing himself that he once in his life merit to pray like R. Leizer's weekday Arvit prayer (see more about him: A. Surasky, Yesod HaMaalah, I, Bnei Brak 2000, pp. 263-264).
Two letters. First letter: double leaf, two written pages. 21.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains. Marginal open tear to first leaf, with paper repair to cover tear (tear possibly intentional, perhaps made by recipient, to omit personal content). Second letter: [1] leaf, written on both sides, official stationery. 28 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains, traces of past dampness and wear.
Category
Letters – Chassidut
Catalogue
Auction 89 - Rare and Important Items
November 22, 2022
Opening: $10,000
Estimate: $30,000 - $50,000
Sold for: $52,500
Including buyer's premium
Large handwritten leaf – certificate appointing Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum as Gaavad (chief rabbi) of the Edah HaChareidit in Jerusalem, in place of R. Bengis, with the signatures of 64 Jerusalem rabbis, including yeshiva deans and rebbes, poskim and community leaders. At the foot of the leaf, letter handwritten and signed by R. Pinchas Epstein, Raavad (head of the Beit Din) of the Edah HaCharedit. Jerusalem, Sivan 1953.
Calligraphic square script, set in a colored, ornamental border. Some words emphasized in copper and gold. Enlarged heading at the top of the leaf: "Keter Torah" with verses of blessings. The rebbe's name is also scribed in enlarged letters, in gold and red.
The present certificate of appointment is signed by the Torah leaders of Jerusalem: yeshiva deans, rebbes, Torah scholars and rabbis of Jerusalem, and prominent leaders of Orthodox Jewry, including: R. Isser Zalman Meltzer (dean of the Etz Chaim yeshiva, his signature appears on the right-hand corner); R. Mordechai David Levin (author of Darchei David); R. Yisrael Grossman; R. Menachem Mendel Gafner (Ben Dinah); R. Yisrael Taussig (rabbi of Mattersdorf); R. Mordechai Chaim Slonim (rebbe of Slonim); R. Yitzchak HaLevi Reisman (dayan of the Edah HaChareidit); R. Moshe Aryeh Freund (later Gaavad of the Edah HaChareidit); R. Yehuda Horowitz (rebbe of Dzikov); R. David HaLevi Jungreis (dayan of the Edah HaChareidit); R. Yisrael Moshe Dushinsky (later Gaavad of the Edah HaChareidit); R. Shalom HaLevi Eisen; R. Avraham Yitzchak Kohn (rebbe of Toldot Aharon); R. Chanoch Dov Padwa (leading posek in Jerusalem, later a rabbi in London); R. Eliyahu Zlotnik (dayan of the Edah HaChareidit); R. Nata Freund; R. Shlomo Zalman Brizel; R. Avraham Mordechai Breitstein; R. Yosef Sheinberger; R. Eliyahu Tzvi Kroizer; R. David Sokolowsky; and others.
Heading the list of signees are the heads of the communal council, including: R. Eliyahu Nachum Porush Glickman; R. Amram Blau (head of Neturei Karta); R. Yonah Yitzchak Lefkowitz (head of Kollel Shomrei HaChomot); R. Baruch Grünfeld; R. Yonah Ze'ev Zwebner; R. Avraham Yochanan Blumenthal; R. Yeshaya Sheinberger; R. Avraham Kohen Roth; R. Yaakov Meir Schechter; and others.
At the foot of the leaf, there is an interesting letter handwritten and signed by R. Epstein, who served in practice as head of the Edah HaChareidit Beit Din in Jerusalem. R. Epstein confirms that he "authorizes and approves all the above wholeheartedly", bestows upon the rebbe of Satmar the official position of rabbi of the Edah HaChareidit, and blesses him upon his appointment.
Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum of Satmar (1887-1979), one of the greatest leaders of his generation, president of the Eda HaCharedit and leader of American Orthodox Jewry, one of the founding pillars of Chassidic Jewry after the Holocaust. Born in Sighet (Sighetu Marmației), he was the son of Rebbe Chananya Yom Tov Lipa, the Kedushat Yom Tov, and grandson of Rebbe Yekutiel Yehuda, the Yitav Lev, who both served as rabbis of Sighet and were leaders of Chassidic Jewry in the Maramureș region. He was renowned from his youth for his perspicacity and intellectual capacities, as well as for his holiness and outstanding purity. After marrying the daughter of Rebbe Avraham Chaim Horowitz of Polaniec, he settled in Satmar (Satu Mare) and taught Torah and Chassidut to an elite group of disciples and followers. He served as rabbi of Irshava, Karoly (Carei, from 1925) and Satmar (from 1934), managing in each of these places a large yeshiva and Chassidic court. He stood at the helm of faithful, uncompromising Orthodox Jewry in the Maramureș region. During the Holocaust, he was rescued by the Kastner Train, and after a journey through Bergen-Belsen and Eretz Israel, he reached the United States, where he established the largest Chassidic group in the world – Satmar Chassidut, until today the dominant faction in American Orthodox Jewry.
In 1951, he was appointed president of the Edah HaChareidit in Jerusalem. In 1953, after the passing of the elderly R. Bengis, the rebbe of Satmar was appointed in his place as "rabbi of all the Ashkenazi Communities – the Edah HaChareidit in Jerusalem". The rebbe was appointed to this position even though he lived in the United States, and in Jerusalem, R. Pinchas Epstein was appointed as head of the Beit Din. (To this day, the leadership of the Edah HaChareidit is split into two positions – Gaavad and the Raavad. For example, after the passing of R. Epstein and R. David Jungreis, R. Yitzchak Yaakov Weiss, author of Minchat Yitzchak, was appointed as Raavad of the Eda HaCharedit. After the passing of the rebbe of Satmar, he was succeeded him as Gaavad of the Edah HaChareidit).
Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum was a leading opponent of Zionism and of the founding of the State of Israel, and zealously led crucial battles for the preservation of the unique character of the Jewish people and its holiness, fearful for the honor of the Torah and the future of faithful Jewry. He was renowned as an exceptionally charitable person; his door was open to the poor and his ear attentive to the needy from every stream of the Jewish people. An outstanding Torah scholar, he responded to many halachic queries, and his writings were published in dozens of books: VaYoel Moshe, Responsa Divrei Yoel, Divrei Yoel on the Torah and more.
[1] large leaf. 70X40 cm. Thick Bristol board. Good-fair condition. Stains. Creases. Marginal tears (repaired).
Calligraphic square script, set in a colored, ornamental border. Some words emphasized in copper and gold. Enlarged heading at the top of the leaf: "Keter Torah" with verses of blessings. The rebbe's name is also scribed in enlarged letters, in gold and red.
The present certificate of appointment is signed by the Torah leaders of Jerusalem: yeshiva deans, rebbes, Torah scholars and rabbis of Jerusalem, and prominent leaders of Orthodox Jewry, including: R. Isser Zalman Meltzer (dean of the Etz Chaim yeshiva, his signature appears on the right-hand corner); R. Mordechai David Levin (author of Darchei David); R. Yisrael Grossman; R. Menachem Mendel Gafner (Ben Dinah); R. Yisrael Taussig (rabbi of Mattersdorf); R. Mordechai Chaim Slonim (rebbe of Slonim); R. Yitzchak HaLevi Reisman (dayan of the Edah HaChareidit); R. Moshe Aryeh Freund (later Gaavad of the Edah HaChareidit); R. Yehuda Horowitz (rebbe of Dzikov); R. David HaLevi Jungreis (dayan of the Edah HaChareidit); R. Yisrael Moshe Dushinsky (later Gaavad of the Edah HaChareidit); R. Shalom HaLevi Eisen; R. Avraham Yitzchak Kohn (rebbe of Toldot Aharon); R. Chanoch Dov Padwa (leading posek in Jerusalem, later a rabbi in London); R. Eliyahu Zlotnik (dayan of the Edah HaChareidit); R. Nata Freund; R. Shlomo Zalman Brizel; R. Avraham Mordechai Breitstein; R. Yosef Sheinberger; R. Eliyahu Tzvi Kroizer; R. David Sokolowsky; and others.
Heading the list of signees are the heads of the communal council, including: R. Eliyahu Nachum Porush Glickman; R. Amram Blau (head of Neturei Karta); R. Yonah Yitzchak Lefkowitz (head of Kollel Shomrei HaChomot); R. Baruch Grünfeld; R. Yonah Ze'ev Zwebner; R. Avraham Yochanan Blumenthal; R. Yeshaya Sheinberger; R. Avraham Kohen Roth; R. Yaakov Meir Schechter; and others.
At the foot of the leaf, there is an interesting letter handwritten and signed by R. Epstein, who served in practice as head of the Edah HaChareidit Beit Din in Jerusalem. R. Epstein confirms that he "authorizes and approves all the above wholeheartedly", bestows upon the rebbe of Satmar the official position of rabbi of the Edah HaChareidit, and blesses him upon his appointment.
Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum of Satmar (1887-1979), one of the greatest leaders of his generation, president of the Eda HaCharedit and leader of American Orthodox Jewry, one of the founding pillars of Chassidic Jewry after the Holocaust. Born in Sighet (Sighetu Marmației), he was the son of Rebbe Chananya Yom Tov Lipa, the Kedushat Yom Tov, and grandson of Rebbe Yekutiel Yehuda, the Yitav Lev, who both served as rabbis of Sighet and were leaders of Chassidic Jewry in the Maramureș region. He was renowned from his youth for his perspicacity and intellectual capacities, as well as for his holiness and outstanding purity. After marrying the daughter of Rebbe Avraham Chaim Horowitz of Polaniec, he settled in Satmar (Satu Mare) and taught Torah and Chassidut to an elite group of disciples and followers. He served as rabbi of Irshava, Karoly (Carei, from 1925) and Satmar (from 1934), managing in each of these places a large yeshiva and Chassidic court. He stood at the helm of faithful, uncompromising Orthodox Jewry in the Maramureș region. During the Holocaust, he was rescued by the Kastner Train, and after a journey through Bergen-Belsen and Eretz Israel, he reached the United States, where he established the largest Chassidic group in the world – Satmar Chassidut, until today the dominant faction in American Orthodox Jewry.
In 1951, he was appointed president of the Edah HaChareidit in Jerusalem. In 1953, after the passing of the elderly R. Bengis, the rebbe of Satmar was appointed in his place as "rabbi of all the Ashkenazi Communities – the Edah HaChareidit in Jerusalem". The rebbe was appointed to this position even though he lived in the United States, and in Jerusalem, R. Pinchas Epstein was appointed as head of the Beit Din. (To this day, the leadership of the Edah HaChareidit is split into two positions – Gaavad and the Raavad. For example, after the passing of R. Epstein and R. David Jungreis, R. Yitzchak Yaakov Weiss, author of Minchat Yitzchak, was appointed as Raavad of the Eda HaCharedit. After the passing of the rebbe of Satmar, he was succeeded him as Gaavad of the Edah HaChareidit).
Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum was a leading opponent of Zionism and of the founding of the State of Israel, and zealously led crucial battles for the preservation of the unique character of the Jewish people and its holiness, fearful for the honor of the Torah and the future of faithful Jewry. He was renowned as an exceptionally charitable person; his door was open to the poor and his ear attentive to the needy from every stream of the Jewish people. An outstanding Torah scholar, he responded to many halachic queries, and his writings were published in dozens of books: VaYoel Moshe, Responsa Divrei Yoel, Divrei Yoel on the Torah and more.
[1] large leaf. 70X40 cm. Thick Bristol board. Good-fair condition. Stains. Creases. Marginal tears (repaired).
Category
Letters – Chassidut
Catalogue
Auction 89 - Rare and Important Items
November 22, 2022
Opening: $3,000
Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000
Sold for: $8,125
Including buyer's premium
Letter (10 lines) handwritten and signed by Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum of Satmar. [Jerusalem?, ca. 1945].
Addressed to the philanthropist R. Fishel Feldman, with a request to assist the rebbe's relative, the rabbi of Limanov, who would be approaching him in person for help.
The rebbe signs the letter with blessings: "…may G-d raise his glory and fortune higher and higher in all his affairs… Yoel Teitelbaum".
Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum of Satmar (1887-1979), a leader of his generation, president of the Edah HaChareidit and leader of American Orthodox Jewry, one of the founding pillars of Chassidic Jewry after the Holocaust. Born in Sighet, he was the son of Rebbe Chananya Yom Tov Lipa, the Kedushat Yom Tov, and grandson of Rebbe Yekutiel Yehuda, the Yitav Lev, who both served as rabbis of Sighet (Sighetu Marmației) and were leaders of Chassidic Jewry in the Maramureș region. He was renowned from his youth as a leading Torah scholar, for his perspicacity and intellectual capacities, as well as for his holiness and outstanding purity. After his marriage to the daughter of Rebbe Avraham Chaim Horowitz of Polaniec, he settled in Satmar and taught Torah and Chassidut to an elite group of disciples and followers. He served as rabbi of Irshava, Karoly (Carei; from 1925), and Satmar (Satu Mare; from 1934), managing in each of these places a large yeshiva and Chassidic court. He stood at the helm of faithful, uncompromising Orthodox Jewry in the Maramureș region. During the Holocaust, he was rescued through the famous Kastner Train, and after a journey through Bergen-Belsen, Switzerland and Eretz Israel, he reached the United States, where he established the largest Chassidic group in the world – Satmar Chassidut, until today the dominant faction in American Orthodox Jewry. He served as president of the Edah HaChareidit in Jerusalem. A leading opponent of Zionism and of the founding of the State of Israel, he zealously led crucial battles for the preservation of the unique character of the Jewish people and its holiness, fearful for the honor of the Torah and the future of faithful Jewry. He was renowned as an exceptionally charitable person; his door was open to the poor and his ear attentive to the needy from every stream of the Jewish people. An outstanding Torah scholar, he responded to many halachic queries, and his writings were published in dozens of books: VaYoel Moshe, Responsa Divrei Yoel, Divrei Yoel on the Torah and more.
The printed letterhead on the present leaf reads: "Rabbi of Satmar and the region – in Jerusalem – P.O.B. 5105". The letter was presumably written ca. 1945, when R. Yoel lived in Jerusalem (the ship with the survivors of the Kastner train reached Haifa a week before Rosh Hashanah 1945, while the rebbe already celebrated Rosh Hashanah 1946 in the United States).
The rabbi mentioned in the letter was presumably R. Yechezkel Shraga Teitelbaum-Halberstam Rabbi of Limanov (ca. 1900 – Tevet 1983), who lost his family in the Holocaust, and later reached the United States. He was a great-grandson of the Yitav Lev of Sighet, and the grandson of Rebbe Shlomo Halberstam of Bobov (the first). His father, R. Chaim Yaakov Teitelbaum Rabbi of Limanov (1878- Cheshvan 1933), was the son-in-law of Rebbe Shlomo of Bobov, and son of R. Moshe Yosef Teitelbaum Rabbi of Ujhel (uncle of Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum of Satmar). R. Yechezkel Shraga married the daughter of R. Menachem Unger of Dombrova in 1922, and his wedding in Dombrova was attended by his uncle the Kedushat Tzion of Bobov. He lived in Jerusalem at the end of his life, and was buried on Har HaZeitim (see enclosed material).
[1] leaf, official stationery. Approx. 22.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Wear. Folding marks. Reinforced with tape on verso. Filing holes.
Addressed to the philanthropist R. Fishel Feldman, with a request to assist the rebbe's relative, the rabbi of Limanov, who would be approaching him in person for help.
The rebbe signs the letter with blessings: "…may G-d raise his glory and fortune higher and higher in all his affairs… Yoel Teitelbaum".
Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum of Satmar (1887-1979), a leader of his generation, president of the Edah HaChareidit and leader of American Orthodox Jewry, one of the founding pillars of Chassidic Jewry after the Holocaust. Born in Sighet, he was the son of Rebbe Chananya Yom Tov Lipa, the Kedushat Yom Tov, and grandson of Rebbe Yekutiel Yehuda, the Yitav Lev, who both served as rabbis of Sighet (Sighetu Marmației) and were leaders of Chassidic Jewry in the Maramureș region. He was renowned from his youth as a leading Torah scholar, for his perspicacity and intellectual capacities, as well as for his holiness and outstanding purity. After his marriage to the daughter of Rebbe Avraham Chaim Horowitz of Polaniec, he settled in Satmar and taught Torah and Chassidut to an elite group of disciples and followers. He served as rabbi of Irshava, Karoly (Carei; from 1925), and Satmar (Satu Mare; from 1934), managing in each of these places a large yeshiva and Chassidic court. He stood at the helm of faithful, uncompromising Orthodox Jewry in the Maramureș region. During the Holocaust, he was rescued through the famous Kastner Train, and after a journey through Bergen-Belsen, Switzerland and Eretz Israel, he reached the United States, where he established the largest Chassidic group in the world – Satmar Chassidut, until today the dominant faction in American Orthodox Jewry. He served as president of the Edah HaChareidit in Jerusalem. A leading opponent of Zionism and of the founding of the State of Israel, he zealously led crucial battles for the preservation of the unique character of the Jewish people and its holiness, fearful for the honor of the Torah and the future of faithful Jewry. He was renowned as an exceptionally charitable person; his door was open to the poor and his ear attentive to the needy from every stream of the Jewish people. An outstanding Torah scholar, he responded to many halachic queries, and his writings were published in dozens of books: VaYoel Moshe, Responsa Divrei Yoel, Divrei Yoel on the Torah and more.
The printed letterhead on the present leaf reads: "Rabbi of Satmar and the region – in Jerusalem – P.O.B. 5105". The letter was presumably written ca. 1945, when R. Yoel lived in Jerusalem (the ship with the survivors of the Kastner train reached Haifa a week before Rosh Hashanah 1945, while the rebbe already celebrated Rosh Hashanah 1946 in the United States).
The rabbi mentioned in the letter was presumably R. Yechezkel Shraga Teitelbaum-Halberstam Rabbi of Limanov (ca. 1900 – Tevet 1983), who lost his family in the Holocaust, and later reached the United States. He was a great-grandson of the Yitav Lev of Sighet, and the grandson of Rebbe Shlomo Halberstam of Bobov (the first). His father, R. Chaim Yaakov Teitelbaum Rabbi of Limanov (1878- Cheshvan 1933), was the son-in-law of Rebbe Shlomo of Bobov, and son of R. Moshe Yosef Teitelbaum Rabbi of Ujhel (uncle of Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum of Satmar). R. Yechezkel Shraga married the daughter of R. Menachem Unger of Dombrova in 1922, and his wedding in Dombrova was attended by his uncle the Kedushat Tzion of Bobov. He lived in Jerusalem at the end of his life, and was buried on Har HaZeitim (see enclosed material).
[1] leaf, official stationery. Approx. 22.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Wear. Folding marks. Reinforced with tape on verso. Filing holes.
Category
Letters – Chassidut
Catalogue
Auction 89 - Rare and Important Items
November 22, 2022
Opening: $3,000
Estimate: $5,000 - $8,000
Sold for: $15,000
Including buyer's premium
Draft letter handwritten by Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum Rabbi of Satmar. [New York?, Shevat 15, 1968].
Written beneath a typewritten draft of the same letter (different), typewritten, from Shevat 15, 1968. One week later, the rebbe had a stroke and thereafter, he did not write letters but only signed them. To the best of our knowledge, this is the last letter in his own handwriting. The letter is addressed to his nephew Rebbe Moshe Teitelbaum Rabbi of Sighet, who was residing at the time in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The rebbe writes about the controversy that arose in the Sao Paulo community between the rabbis and the community members, expressing his concern that it could cause great damage to Torah observance in the community. The rebbe asks him to try to reconcile the two sides, and to relay to other Chassidim living there the importance of restoring peace, blessing them with success in all their endeavors.
Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum of Satmar (1887-1979), a leader of his generation, president of the Edah HaChareidit and leader of American Orthodox Jewry, one of the founding pillars of Chassidic Jewry after the Holocaust. He served as rabbi of Orsheva (Irshava), Karoly (Carei; from 1925), and Satmar (Satu Mare; from 1934), managing in each of these places a large yeshiva and Chassidic court. He stood at the helm of faithful, uncompromising Orthodox Jewry in the Maramureș region. During the Holocaust, he was rescued through the famous Kastner Train, and after a journey through Bergen-Belsen, Switzerland and Eretz Israel, he reached the United States, where he established the largest Chassidic group in the world – Satmar Chassidut, until today the dominant faction in American Orthodox Jewry. He served as president of the Edah HaChareidit in Jerusalem. A leading opponent of Zionism and of the founding of the State of Israel, he zealously led crucial battles for the preservation of the unique character of the Jewish people and its holiness, fearful for the honor of the Torah and the future of faithful Jewry.
The recipient of the letter: Rebbe Moshe Teitelbaum of Sighet-Satmar, author of Berach Moshe (1914-2006), son of Rebbe Chaim Tzvi, the Atzei Chaim of Sighet. He served as rabbi of Senta (Yugoslavia), and after the Holocaust served as rabbi of his hometown Sighet. He fled the communist persecution in Romania, reaching the United States where he established the Atzei Chaim – Sighet Beit Midrash in Boro Park. He was a leading rabbi of the Central Rabbinical Congress and a confidant of his uncle Rebbe Yoel of Satmar. In 1970, he succeeded his uncle (whose three daughters passed away in his lifetime without leaving behind any descendants) as rebbe of Satmar. His sons, the brothers Rebbe Aharon Teitelbaum and Rebbe Yekutiel Yehuda (Zalman Leib) Teitelbaum both serve as rebbes of Satmar, leading two large Chassidic Satmar communities in the United States and throughout the world.
[1] leaf. 28 cm. Good condition. Folding marks and some creases.
Written beneath a typewritten draft of the same letter (different), typewritten, from Shevat 15, 1968. One week later, the rebbe had a stroke and thereafter, he did not write letters but only signed them. To the best of our knowledge, this is the last letter in his own handwriting. The letter is addressed to his nephew Rebbe Moshe Teitelbaum Rabbi of Sighet, who was residing at the time in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The rebbe writes about the controversy that arose in the Sao Paulo community between the rabbis and the community members, expressing his concern that it could cause great damage to Torah observance in the community. The rebbe asks him to try to reconcile the two sides, and to relay to other Chassidim living there the importance of restoring peace, blessing them with success in all their endeavors.
Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum of Satmar (1887-1979), a leader of his generation, president of the Edah HaChareidit and leader of American Orthodox Jewry, one of the founding pillars of Chassidic Jewry after the Holocaust. He served as rabbi of Orsheva (Irshava), Karoly (Carei; from 1925), and Satmar (Satu Mare; from 1934), managing in each of these places a large yeshiva and Chassidic court. He stood at the helm of faithful, uncompromising Orthodox Jewry in the Maramureș region. During the Holocaust, he was rescued through the famous Kastner Train, and after a journey through Bergen-Belsen, Switzerland and Eretz Israel, he reached the United States, where he established the largest Chassidic group in the world – Satmar Chassidut, until today the dominant faction in American Orthodox Jewry. He served as president of the Edah HaChareidit in Jerusalem. A leading opponent of Zionism and of the founding of the State of Israel, he zealously led crucial battles for the preservation of the unique character of the Jewish people and its holiness, fearful for the honor of the Torah and the future of faithful Jewry.
The recipient of the letter: Rebbe Moshe Teitelbaum of Sighet-Satmar, author of Berach Moshe (1914-2006), son of Rebbe Chaim Tzvi, the Atzei Chaim of Sighet. He served as rabbi of Senta (Yugoslavia), and after the Holocaust served as rabbi of his hometown Sighet. He fled the communist persecution in Romania, reaching the United States where he established the Atzei Chaim – Sighet Beit Midrash in Boro Park. He was a leading rabbi of the Central Rabbinical Congress and a confidant of his uncle Rebbe Yoel of Satmar. In 1970, he succeeded his uncle (whose three daughters passed away in his lifetime without leaving behind any descendants) as rebbe of Satmar. His sons, the brothers Rebbe Aharon Teitelbaum and Rebbe Yekutiel Yehuda (Zalman Leib) Teitelbaum both serve as rebbes of Satmar, leading two large Chassidic Satmar communities in the United States and throughout the world.
[1] leaf. 28 cm. Good condition. Folding marks and some creases.
Category
Letters – Chassidut
Catalogue
Auction 89 - Rare and Important Items
November 22, 2022
Opening: $2,000
Estimate: $3,000 - $4,000
Sold for: $2,500
Including buyer's premium
Two letters, with four lines (in each one) handwritten and signed by Rebbe Chaim Meir Hager of Vizhnitz. Brooklyn, 1949; [Tel Aviv?, ca. 1950].
The letters were sent to England, to the Chassid R. Menachem Mendel Schneebalg (later rabbi of the Machzikei HaDas community in Manchester for sixty years). The letters were written by a scribe, and conclude with several lines handwritten and signed by the rebbe.
Letters of blessing and advice on private and familial matters, and congratulations to R. Schneebalg upon his appointment as rabbi. In the letter written in Brooklyn (U.S.), the rebbe relates of his plans to travel back to Eretz Israel directly, without making a stopover in Germany.
Rebbe Chaim Meir Hager, author of Imrei Chaim (1888-1972), second son and successor of the Ahavat Yisrael of Vizhnitz. In 1944, he escaped the Holocaust and immigrated to Eretz Israel. Following the Holocaust, he returned to Grosswardein (Oradea), immigrating in 1947 to Eretz Israel and settling in Tel Aviv. He established the Kiryat Vizhnitz neighborhood in Bnei Brak, and later settled there. He rebuilt the Vizhnitz Chassidic dynasty, and set up its institutions. He was one of the leaders of Orthodox Jewry in Eretz Israel, and a member of the Moetzet Gedolei HaTorah. His teachings were published in the Imrei Chaim series.
[2] letters, one on official stationery. Size varies. Good condition. Stains and wear. Folding marks.
The letters were sent to England, to the Chassid R. Menachem Mendel Schneebalg (later rabbi of the Machzikei HaDas community in Manchester for sixty years). The letters were written by a scribe, and conclude with several lines handwritten and signed by the rebbe.
Letters of blessing and advice on private and familial matters, and congratulations to R. Schneebalg upon his appointment as rabbi. In the letter written in Brooklyn (U.S.), the rebbe relates of his plans to travel back to Eretz Israel directly, without making a stopover in Germany.
Rebbe Chaim Meir Hager, author of Imrei Chaim (1888-1972), second son and successor of the Ahavat Yisrael of Vizhnitz. In 1944, he escaped the Holocaust and immigrated to Eretz Israel. Following the Holocaust, he returned to Grosswardein (Oradea), immigrating in 1947 to Eretz Israel and settling in Tel Aviv. He established the Kiryat Vizhnitz neighborhood in Bnei Brak, and later settled there. He rebuilt the Vizhnitz Chassidic dynasty, and set up its institutions. He was one of the leaders of Orthodox Jewry in Eretz Israel, and a member of the Moetzet Gedolei HaTorah. His teachings were published in the Imrei Chaim series.
[2] letters, one on official stationery. Size varies. Good condition. Stains and wear. Folding marks.
Category
Letters – Chassidut
Catalogue