Auction 57 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
Manuscript - Letters Containing Torah Novellae - Rabbi Tuvia Rosenthal and Rabbi Yehoshua Betzalel Kantrowitz - Jerusalem, 19th Century
Opening: $300
Sold for: $625
Including buyer's premium
Manuscript - correspondence between two Torah scholars in Jerusalem (seemingly R. Tuvia Rosenthal and R. Yehoshua Betzalel Kantrowitz, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Etz Chaim). [Jerusalem, ca. 1880s].
Long unsigned letter (3 large pages) in the handwriting of the first correspondent. The fourth page contains a response which is headed: "To my friend… R. Tuvia, may his light shine". The response is signed in Hebrew - יה"ב (YHB). The correspondence deals with the ideas of R. YHB on the Talmudic issue of whether the priestly gifts may be given to the husband of a kohenet without her permission.
After examination and comparison of the handwriting (see enclosed material), it seems that the first correspondent is R. Tuvia Rosenthal (d. 1903), a Jerusalem scholar who learned in the Etz Chaim Yeshiva in the courtyard of the Churva Synagogue. During the shmittah of 1889, he was one of the fiercest opponents of the "Heter Mechira". He composed the Sefer Halacha Mevoreret, which deals with the laws of shmittah (Warsaw, 1895). His Torah novellae were printed in the Sefer Pri Mordechai by his son R. Mordechai Rosenthal (Jerusalem, 1885). His tombstone on the Mt. of Olives bears the inscription: "The great rabbi and scholar, knowledgeable in all areas of the Torah and Talmud and their commentaries…" (Encyclopedia Le'Chachmei Eretz Israel, I, p. 409).
The second correspondant, YHB, was evidently R. Yehoshua Betzalel Kantrowitz (1825-1885), a Lithuanian scholar and descendant of the Gaon of Vilna. He served as the rabbi of Malech, Belarus for 27 years before moving to the Holy Land in 1875, where he was appointed Rosh Yeshiva of the Etz Chaim Yeshiva. He authored Sefer Chinuch Betzalel (Jerusalem, 1881) and Mishkan Betzalel (Warsaw, 1872). The title page of Sefer Mishkan Betzalel states that this is the first of seven volumes. The other volumes remained in manuscript form and were never printed. Their titles are listed on the title page of Mishkan Betzalel: Ohel Betzalel, Binyan Betzalel, Shulchan Betzalel, Menorat Betzalel, Aron Betzalel, and Torat Yehoshua. (See a scan of his signature in Kedem catalog no. 37, item no. 243).
[4] pages, 29X23 cm. Fair condition. Wear. Tears in the folds of the paper, with minimal damage to the text.
Long unsigned letter (3 large pages) in the handwriting of the first correspondent. The fourth page contains a response which is headed: "To my friend… R. Tuvia, may his light shine". The response is signed in Hebrew - יה"ב (YHB). The correspondence deals with the ideas of R. YHB on the Talmudic issue of whether the priestly gifts may be given to the husband of a kohenet without her permission.
After examination and comparison of the handwriting (see enclosed material), it seems that the first correspondent is R. Tuvia Rosenthal (d. 1903), a Jerusalem scholar who learned in the Etz Chaim Yeshiva in the courtyard of the Churva Synagogue. During the shmittah of 1889, he was one of the fiercest opponents of the "Heter Mechira". He composed the Sefer Halacha Mevoreret, which deals with the laws of shmittah (Warsaw, 1895). His Torah novellae were printed in the Sefer Pri Mordechai by his son R. Mordechai Rosenthal (Jerusalem, 1885). His tombstone on the Mt. of Olives bears the inscription: "The great rabbi and scholar, knowledgeable in all areas of the Torah and Talmud and their commentaries…" (Encyclopedia Le'Chachmei Eretz Israel, I, p. 409).
The second correspondant, YHB, was evidently R. Yehoshua Betzalel Kantrowitz (1825-1885), a Lithuanian scholar and descendant of the Gaon of Vilna. He served as the rabbi of Malech, Belarus for 27 years before moving to the Holy Land in 1875, where he was appointed Rosh Yeshiva of the Etz Chaim Yeshiva. He authored Sefer Chinuch Betzalel (Jerusalem, 1881) and Mishkan Betzalel (Warsaw, 1872). The title page of Sefer Mishkan Betzalel states that this is the first of seven volumes. The other volumes remained in manuscript form and were never printed. Their titles are listed on the title page of Mishkan Betzalel: Ohel Betzalel, Binyan Betzalel, Shulchan Betzalel, Menorat Betzalel, Aron Betzalel, and Torat Yehoshua. (See a scan of his signature in Kedem catalog no. 37, item no. 243).
[4] pages, 29X23 cm. Fair condition. Wear. Tears in the folds of the paper, with minimal damage to the text.
Manuscripts - Ashkenazi Sages
Manuscripts - Ashkenazi Sages