Letter with a halachic query sent to the Shoel UMeshiv. On verso, a short responsum (about four lines) handwritten and signed by R. Yosef Shaul Nathansohn Rabbi of Lviv. 1873.
Halachic query pertaining to a flock of sheep, one of which was found injured by a wild animal. The letter is torn, lacking the bottom half of the query and the signature. The responsum on verso reveals that the query was written by R. Baruch Sperber (a Torah scholar in Zablotov and Maramureș; father of the renowned R. David Sperber, Rabbi of Braşov, author of Afarkasta D'Anya).
The responsum was apparently never printed.
R. Yosef Shaul Nathansohn (1808-1875), author of Shoel UMeshiv, was a leading Torah scholar in Galicia. Already in his youth, he composed together with his brother-in-law R. Mordechai Zev Ettinger the books Mefarshei HaYam on Bava Kama and Magen Giborim on Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim. He sent responses to thousands of queries, and authored many books: Responsa Shoel UMeshiv – 15 parts; Divrei Shaul on the Torah, Rambam and Shulchan Aruch; Yadot Nedarim and others. From 1857, he served as Chief Rabbi of Lviv, which was the largest and primary Galician community. After his passing, he was eulogized by R. Shlomo Zalman Spitzer (son-in-law of the Chatam Sofer): "A leader of outstanding Torah scholars, master of the entire Jewish people… whom all the leading Torah scholars of our times addressed their questions to on difficult matters… he was holy from birth and was raised in holiness to Torah and worship of G-d… already 40 years ago, my father-in-law the Chatam Sofer praised him effusively and termed him a Gaon…".
[1] leaf, written on both sides. 20X16.5 cm. Fair-poor condition. Open tears to margins and folds. Lacking bottom half of the letter of query.