Manuscript, draft of a responsum pertaining to the laws of divorce, written by one of the dayanim in the Kharkiv Beit Din. Addressed to R. Levi Yitzchak Schneersohn Rabbi of Yekaterinoslav (Dnipro). Kharkiv, Sivan 1923.
This manuscript was written in response to R. Levi Yitzchak’s letter (which is not in our possession), in which he disqualified a get (divorce document) arranged by the Kharkiv Beit Din, requiring them to draw up a new get. The manuscript quotes the four reasons R. Levi Yitzchak gave to substantiate his reservations as to the validity of the get. In this letter, one of the dayanim defends the get they arranged against R. Levi Yitzchak’s contentions.
The manuscript is full of deletions and emendations, and is not signed. This is presumably a draft of the responsum.
R. Levi Yitzchak Schneersohn Rabbi of Yekaterinoslav (1878-1944), father of Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch. He was renowned for his stringency in laws of divorce, and would fast on the day he arranged a get. Reputedly, he once worked with the Kharkiv community to arrange a get, and he was so meticulous that everything should be perfect, that he compelled them to rewrite the get 3 times, until they succeeded in producing a perfect document (Toldot Levi Yitzchak, I, pp. 165-166).
[4] leaves (8 written pages). 22.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains. Marginal tears, slightly affecting text. Folding marks.