LeZecher Yisrael, on Pirkei Avot and Talmudic novellae, by R. Yechiel Michel of Minsk. Vilna and Grodno: Menachem Man son of Baruch and Simchah Simmel son of Menachem Nachum, 1833.

The author was a disciple of the R. Chaim of Volozhin, and was a founder of the Volozhin yeshiva (and is described as such in the letter by R. Chaim of Volozhin's son-in-law, R. Hillel of Grodno – see below), where he served as a lecturer for some seven years. He later established a yeshiva in Minsk, which is described in the introduction to the present book.

The present copy contains four rare leaves that were only added to some copies, with statutes of the Minsk yeshiva, correspondence of Minsk rabbis with R. Itzele of Volozhin about the Minsk yeshiva, and a letter of R. Hillel of Grodno son-in-law of R. Chaim of Volozhin writing that the Volozhin yeshiva was founded by him. The other three leaves contain a lengthy list of donors from cities in Lithuania.

Signatures of R. Yehoshua son of R. Yekutiel Sidersky of Grodno; stamps: "A. Sidersky – Grodno". R. Aharon Sidersky of Grodno (1841-1921), son-in-law of R. Yisrael Salanter and son of R. Yehoshua Sidersky, and an exceptional Torah scholar.

On leaf 31, lengthy handwritten gloss citing an interpretation of R. Yisrael Salanter regarding a "dispute for the sake of heaven". The gloss is hard to read; apparently R. Yisrael Salanter draws a connection between two different disputes of Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel.

[4], [4], 10; 36 leaves. 10 leaves with Talmudic novellae bound before 36 leaves of novellae on Tractate Avot. 21 cm. Overall good condition. Stains (many stains to several leaves). Some worming. Small open tear to last leaf. Inscriptions and stamps. Old binding.