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Lot 293 Letter Handwritten and Signed by Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski – Unpublished Halachic Responsum Regarding Assimilated Jews

Letter handwritten and signed by R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski. Vilna, Kislev 1926. Halachic responsum on the laws of burial apply
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Auction 74 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art September 15, 2020
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Letter handwritten and signed by R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski. Vilna, Kislev 1926.
Halachic responsum on the laws of burial applying to assimilated Jews, in response to the question of whether one is allowed to provide Jewish burial for a Jew who married a gentile or requested to be cremated. R. Chaim Ozer also discusses whether one can circumcise a child whose father is Jewish and mother is not, and he writes: "It is obvious that he is non-Jewish, and if one wishes to circumcise him, one recites the blessing for the circumcision of a convert, and it does not override Shabbat…".
This letter is not printed in Responsa Achiezer, nor in the series of books of the letters of R. Chaim Ozer.
R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski (1863-1940) was a foremost rabbi of his generation and leader of the entire European Jewry. He was the son of R. David Shlomo Grodzinski Rabbi of Iwye. Renowned from his childhood for his exceptional brilliance, he entered the Volozhin yeshiva at the young age of 11, and became a disciple of R. Chaim of Brisk. At the age of 24, he was appointed rabbi and posek in Vilna, in place of his father-in-law R. Eliyahu Eliezer Grodnansky posek in Vilna, son-in-law of R. Yisrael Salanter. He assumed the yoke of public leadership from a young age, and for close to fifty years, his opinion was conclusive on all communal matters which arose throughout the Diaspora. 
[1] leaf, official stationery (19 autograph lines). 25 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains. Minor tears and wear to folds.
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Lot 294 Interesting Letter by Rabbi Aryeh Leib Pupko – Regarding the Livelihood of His Father the Chafetz Chaim from the Sale of His Books – Warsaw, Sivan 1932

Lengthy letter (2 pages) handwritten and signed by R. Aryeh Leib HaKohen Pupko, son of R. Yisrael Meir HaKohen author of Chaf
Lengthy letter (2 pages) handwritten and signed by R. Aryeh Leib HaKohen Pupko, son of R. Yisrael Meir HaKohen author of Chaf
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Interesting Letter by Rabbi Aryeh Leib Pupko – Regarding the Livelihood of His Father the Chafetz Chaim from the Sale of His Books – Warsaw, Sivan 1932 Interesting Letter by Rabbi Aryeh Leib Pupko – Regarding the Livelihood of His Father the Chafetz Chaim from the Sale of His Books – Warsaw, Sivan 1932
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Auction 74 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art September 15, 2020
Opening: $1,000
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Lengthy letter (2 pages) handwritten and signed by R. Aryeh Leib HaKohen Pupko, son of R. Yisrael Meir HaKohen author of Chafetz Chaim. [Warsaw], Sivan 1932.
Letter pertaining to the shipping of various books published by the Chafetz Chaim. Addressed to the philanthropist, R. Avraham Meyers [from the United States?], who, as evident from the letter, sold the books of the Chafetz Chaim in his country. Written in the Chafetz Chaim's old age, when his son R. Aryeh Leib (himself over 70 years old at that time) assisted his father in the sale of his books. At the end of the letter, R. Aryeh Leib thanks the recipient for his assistance in selling the books, and for thereby providing his father with livelihood: "…and for his exceptional kindness towards my father… whose entire sustenance in the past year he provided through the sale of his books…". The letter is signed: "Aryeh Leib HaKohen".
R. Aryeh Leib HaKohen Pupko (1861-1939). Outstanding Torah scholar, cherished son and close attendant of the Chafetz Chaim. He was a disciple of his father, of the Beit HaLevi and other Lithuanian Torah scholars. He was a leading Torah scholar in his generation, yet his father dissuaded him from undertaking a rabbinic position. He contributed to the writing of Mishna Berura, and actually composed entire sections of it. Following his father's passing, he published MiKitvei HeChafetz Chaim, biography and selections from his father's lectures.
[1] leaf (written on both sides), official stationery of "Aryeh Leib Kohen Pupko – son of the Chafetz Chaim". 28 cm. Good condition. Folding marks.
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Lot 295 Letter from R. Aharon Bakst Rabbi of Lomza – 1925

Letter handwritten and signed by R. Aharon Yosef Bakst Rabbi of Łomża. Tishrei 1925. The letter is addressed to R. Tzvi Hirsh
Letter handwritten and signed by R. Aharon Yosef Bakst Rabbi of Łomża. Tishrei 1925. The letter is addressed to R. Tzvi Hirsh
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Letter from R. Aharon Bakst Rabbi of Lomza – 1925 Letter from R. Aharon Bakst Rabbi of Lomza – 1925
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Letter handwritten and signed by R. Aharon Yosef Bakst Rabbi of Łomża. Tishrei 1925.
The letter is addressed to R. Tzvi Hirsh Ferber, in London, and pertains to communal matters and fundraising on behalf of the Torah institutions in Lomza. R. Bakst mentions in his letter that he will be returning to Lomza in several days. He presumably wrote and sent the letter while travelling (the place the letter was sent from is noted at the top of the letter: "Post Office of ---").
R. Aharon Yosef Bakst – known as "R. Archik" (1869-1941; perished in the Holocaust), a prominent rabbi in his generation and one of the leaders of the mussar movement. He studied in the Volozhin yeshia, and later in the kibbutz in Slabodka, in the company and under the influence of R. Itzele Blazer. He then went to study in the Beit HaTalmud in Kelm (where he was highly regarded by his teacher, the Alter of Kelm, who qualified him as a "Bar Daat"). He was reputed for his genius and great perception. Together with his fellow mussar leaders in Kovno (R. Itzele Blazer, the Alter of Novardok), he was the target of much slander in the Haskalah press. R. Archik attributes the many offers of rabbinic positions from distant towns to the publicity he received in the press, which eventually worked to his benefit. From 1895, he served as rabbi in various cities in Russia, Lithuania and Poland. He was held in high esteem by the Chafetz Chaim, who would summon him by telegram to Radin to join various rabbinical meetings and consultations. The Chafetz Chaim would don Shabbat clothing whenever R. Archik came to visit him (Lev Aharon, p. 34). He earned the renown of a gifted orator, and his exceptional sermons drew large crowds, attracting young and old alike. During WWI, he moved to Poltava, Ukraine, where the Mir yeshiva, under the leadership of his colleague R. Yerucham of Mir, also found temporary haven. The latter invited him to deliver mussar lectures in the yeshiva during the month of Elul (Pirkei Chaim shel Chalutz Dati, I, pp. 37-38). During that period, he stood at the helm of Orthodox Jewry in Ukraine and was one of the founders of the Achdut movement, a precursor of the worldwide Agudath Yisrael movement. In 1937, he was appointed rabbi of Shavl (Shavli, Šiauliai), where he was murdered together with his community in 1941, following the Nazis' invasion of the town.
Official postcard. Approx. 14.5X9 cm. Good condition. Minor wear. Stamp removed, part of postmark lacking.
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Lot 296 Letter from Rabbi Yehuda Leib Chasman – Stutchin, 1925

Lengthy letter (2 pages) handwritten by R. Yehuda Leib Chasman, with his signature: "Y.H.L.". Stutchin (Shchuchyn), 1925. Add
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Auction 74 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art September 15, 2020
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Lengthy letter (2 pages) handwritten by R. Yehuda Leib Chasman, with his signature: "Y.H.L.". Stutchin (Shchuchyn), 1925.
Addressed to his confidant R. Yosef Shub, director of the Vaad HaYeshivot office in Vilna. The letter contains various directives concerning Vaad HaYeshivot matters, which were under the jurisdiction of R. Yehuda Leib Chasman, and regarding the Orthodox newspaper Vort, published in Vilna by R. Yosef Shub. R. Leib suggests to set up three different funds, one for boys' schools, one for Beit Yaakov, and one for the Vaad HaYeshivot. He suggests that in this way, the communal workers "won't shove their colleagues aside, since now everyone wants to bring the entire Torah under his wings, and for their great love, they will get crushed in their zealousness; while if there were three special funds, the Jewish people when solicited would donate to each of them. Let's hope that men of insight will be found, to arrange these great matters".
R. Yehuda Leib Chasman (1869-1935), a leading Torah scholar of his times, was the study partner and friend of R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski in their native city of Iwye. A student of the Kelm Beit HaTalmud, he served as mashgiach of the Telshe yeshiva (Telšiai) during the time of R. Shimon Shkop. From 1909, he served as rabbi of Shchuchyn, and established there a Yeshiva Gedola which was closed at the outbreak of World War I. After the war, with the ensuing destruction of Torah institutes and communities, he dedicated himself to the activities of the Vaad HaYeshivot in Vilna. He was a confidant of the heads of the Vaad: R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, the Chafetz Chaim and R. Shimon Shkop. In 1927, the Alter of Slabodka (who dubbed him "the genius in ethics") called him to succeed him as mashgiach of his yeshiva in Hebron, a position he held until his death in Cheshvan 1935. His Torah novellae were published in his book Minchat Yehuda and his discourses were printed by his leading disciples in the three volumes of Or Yahel.
[1] leaf (written on both sides, approx. 40 lines). Approx. 17 cm. Good condition.
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Lot 297 Letter from the Imrei Moshe – Brisk D'Lita, Cheshvan 1926

Letter handwritten and signed by R. Moshe Sokolovsky, dean of the "Torat Chessed yeshiva – Brisk D'Lita". Cheshvan 1926. Addr
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Auction 74 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art September 15, 2020
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Letter handwritten and signed by R. Moshe Sokolovsky, dean of the "Torat Chessed yeshiva – Brisk D'Lita". Cheshvan 1926.
Addressed to R. Yosef Shub of Vilna, director of the Vaad HaYeshivot, regarding the Vaad HaYeshivot fundraising, and funds allocated to the Torat Chessed yeshiva in Brisk.
R. Moshe Sokolovsky (1868-1931), a leading Torah educator in Lithuania. He was a close disciple of R. Chaim Brisk. In 1896-1931, he served as dean of the Torat Chessed yeshiva in Brisk (Brest; together with R. Simcha Zelig Rieger). He was renowned for his exceptional diligence and absorption in his learning: "When he would go to deliver his class in the yeshiva, all his senses and thoughts were focused on the topic to be discussed, to the point that he often unknowingly bumped into trees, so focused he was on his Torah studies… one of the Torah leaders of our times attested that he was able to contemplate one topic for 16 hours" (Gedolei HaDorot, p. 1021). His book Imrei Moshe was received in the yeshiva world with great reverence, and serves until this day as a basic book for scholarly, in-depth study. His renowned disciples include: family members of R. Chaim and R. Yitzchak Ze'ev Soloveitchik Rabbis of Brisk (who valued him for his profound and logical reasoning), R. Moshe Soloveitchik of Switzerland, his colleague R. Aharon Yehuda Leib Steinman author of Ayelet HaShachar, R. Aryeh Pomeranchik author of Torat Zera'im and R. Ze'ev Eidelman.
[1] leaf, official stationery (approx. 25 autograph lines). 28 cm. Good condition. Creases and wear. Filing holes, slightly affecting text.
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Lot 298 Letter from Rabbi Pesach Pruskin, Dean of the Kobryn Yeshiva – 1936 – "May They Be Blessed with True Success"

Letter from the management of the Kobryn yeshiva, addressed to the Vaad HaYeshivot in Vilna. The leaf begins with a letter ha
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Letter from the management of the Kobryn yeshiva, addressed to the Vaad HaYeshivot in Vilna. The leaf begins with a letter handwritten and signed by R. Shlomo Mates, a lecturer at the yeshiva. R. Pesach Pruskin, his father-in-law and dean of the yeshiva, added five lines in his handwriting, with his signature. Kobryn, Iyar 1936.
Addressed to R. Aharon HaKohen Burack, a member of the management of Vaad HaYeshivot. R. Shlomo Mates reports on the fundraising in Kobryn on behalf of Vaad HaYeshivot, and of the yeshiva's dire financial straits, due to its growth "the yeshiva enrollment has increased lately". He requests that he transfer the funds allocated to the Kobryn yeshiva.
R. Pesach Pruskin adds to the words of his son-in-law, R. Shlomo, and asks for assistance in supporting the Kobryn yeshiva: "I appeal to you to please send quickly the funds designated for our yeshiva, since we are still owed from last summer, and the situation is very difficult…". R. Pruskin concludes with blessings: "…may they be blessed with true success, to merit to see the prestige of our Torah raised… Pesach Pruskin".
R. Pesach Pruskin (1879-1939), a leading yeshiva dean in Lithuania. In his youth, he was one of the 14 students sent by the Alter of Slabodka to Slutsk to be the nucleus of R. Isser Zalman Meltzer's yeshiva. After his wedding, he was appointed lecturer in this yeshiva. In 1908, he moved to Shklow where he established his own yeshiva. One of his close disciples who moved with him from Slutsk to Shklow was R. Moshe Feinstein, author of Igrot Moshe. In 1924, he was appointed rabbi of Kobryn, where he founded his yeshiva, one of the most prominent in Lithuania.
His son-in-law, writer of the present letter, R. Shlomo Mates (perished in the Holocaust), a dean of the Kobryn yeshiva, lecturer and spiritual director, who was the driving force behind the Torah dissemination in the yeshiva. Most of the graduates of the Kobryn yeshiva in its final years regarded him as their prime teacher.
[1] leaf, official stationery. 25.5 cm. Good condition. Stains and folding marks. Filing holes, affecting one word of the letter.
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Lot 299 Letter from Rabbi Yechiel Michel Rabinowitz, Author of Afikei Yam – Baranovich, Kislev 1925

Letter (2 pages) handwritten and signed by R. Yechiel Michel Rabinowitz, author of Afikei Yam. Baranovich (Baranavichy), Kisl
Letter (2 pages) handwritten and signed by R. Yechiel Michel Rabinowitz, author of Afikei Yam. Baranovich (Baranavichy), Kisl
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Letter from Rabbi Yechiel Michel Rabinowitz, Author of Afikei Yam – Baranovich, Kislev 1925 Letter from Rabbi Yechiel Michel Rabinowitz, Author of Afikei Yam – Baranovich, Kislev 1925
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Auction 74 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art September 15, 2020
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Letter (2 pages) handwritten and signed by R. Yechiel Michel Rabinowitz, author of Afikei Yam. Baranovich (Baranavichy), Kislev 1925.
Written on the official stationery of the Ohel Torah yeshiva in Baranovich.
The letter is addressed to R. Yosef Shub of Vilna, head of the Vaad HaYeshivot, and pertains to fundraising efforts on behalf of Vaad HaYeshivot in Baranovich. He concludes the letter with a request to send regards to his relative (R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski): "And I send wishes to my relative, the great Torah scholar".
R. Yechiel Michel Rabinowitz, author of Afikei Yam, a most outstanding Torah scholar and Torah figure in Lithuania. Born in Slutsk. He gained renown in the yeshiva word for his profound and brilliant understanding. Following his wedding to the daughter of the wealthy R. Avraham Kaplan of Lechovitz (Lyakhavichy), he devoted himself to Torah study and worship of G-d in Lechovitz and later in Baranovich, earning an ample living from forest trade. During this time, he composed part I of his book Afikei Yam (Vilna, 1905), which earned him worldwide fame. He was one of the founders of the Ohel Torah yeshiva in Baranovich and editor of Maasaf Ohel Torah, a Torah anthology. He was closely connected to the Chafetz Chaim and was one of his confidants in matters of communal leadership and charity enterprises. After he lost his fortune, he was compelled to undertake a rabbinic position in 1926, and served as rabbi of Lechovitz and Stutchin (Shchuchyn). In his preface to part II of Afikei Yam, which was published in 1935, he relates how following "the world war which wrought havoc on the countries, to society in general and to the individual… it affected me very badly as well, and I lost my entire vast fortune, and I fell greatly, to the extent I was compelled to undertake the burden… of a rabbinic position… and thank G-d I did not submit to the counsel of my inclination, and I refused to accept the positions offered to me in large, prominent communities, and I chose the lesser of two evils…". He writes regretfully of the troubles his position entails, and the disparity between the two parts of the book – the first part was composed while he was serenely devoted to Torah study and worship of G-d, whereas the second part was authored amidst his preoccupation with his rabbinic duties.
R. Yechiel Michel perished in the Holocaust together with his community in Stutchin, presumably in 1941. His son R. Yitzchak Rabinowitz Rabbi of Volkovysk also perished in the Holocaust, together with his family and community.
[1] leaf, official stationery (written on both sides, approx. 22 autograph lines). 21.5X14 cm. Good condition. Stains. Folding marks and minor wear.
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Lot 300 Letter from Rabbi Elazar Simcha Wasserman – Torah Thoughts / The Publishing of the Books of His Father, R. Elchanan Wasserman – Baranovich, 1932

Lengthy letter (4 large pages) handwritten and signed by R. "Simcha son of R. E. Wasserman". Baranovich (Baranavichy), 27th T
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Auction 74 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art September 15, 2020
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Lengthy letter (4 large pages) handwritten and signed by R. "Simcha son of R. E. Wasserman". Baranovich (Baranavichy), 27th Tevet 1932.
Addressed to "The prominent rabbi… glory of our country, Dr. Weinberg" (presumably R. Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg, who served at that time as dean of the Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary in Berlin). The first part of the letter discusses the printing of the book of his father, R. Elchanan Wasserman (Kovetz He'arot on tractate Yevamot, printed at the end of 1931). It appears from the letter that R. Weinberg procured a sponsor for the printing costs. R. Elazar Simcha reports to him that he rushed to print the book at the beginning of Tevet, since the donor wished the book to be printed before the end of December 1931. The rest of the letter contains Torah thoughts on a Talmudic topic in tractate Menachot.
R. Elazar Simcha Wasserman (1898-1992), the eldest son of R. Elchanan Wasserman. He worked on disseminating Torah throughout the world. He established Torah communities in the most far-flung places, implementing the will of his teacher the Chafetz Chaim who instructed to spread Torah "even to the furthermost corners of the world, so that no one should forget they are Jewish". In 1933, he founded a yeshiva in Strasbourg (France) and after the Holocaust established yeshivot in the United States, in Detroit and Los Angeles. In his later years, he immigrated to Jerusalem, where he assisted the founding of the Or Elchanan yeshiva, named after his father, and lectured there on Torah and ethics.
[2] leaves (4 written pages). Printed letterhead of the yeshiva at top of first page. Size varies, 23.5-27.5 cm. Fair condition. Open tears and significant wear. Minor damage to text. Tape repairs and stains.
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Lot 301 Three Letters from Rabbi Shmuel Weintraub – Dean of Novardok Yeshivot – 1927 and 1936

Three letters handwritten and signed by R. "Shmuel Weintraub", dean of the Beit Yosef – Novardok yeshivot in Semiatyce and Pi
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Auction 74 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art September 15, 2020
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Three letters handwritten and signed by R. "Shmuel Weintraub", dean of the Beit Yosef – Novardok yeshivot in Semiatyce and Pinsk-Karlin.
• Two letters addressed to Vaad HaYeshivot in Vilna. "Siemiatycze", winter 1927.
• Letter of recommendation for a needy and sickly man, who was compelled "to wander from place to place and request assistance". Karlin-Pinsk, 1936.
R. Shmuel Weintraub (1894-1942), an elder and close disciple of the Alter of Novardok, and a leading dean of Novardok yeshivot. Born in Proskurov, Ukraine, at the age of 13 he came to study in the Novardok yeshiva. He also studied for a while in Telz and Slutsk, yet always returned to the yeshiva of his teacher in Novardok. In 1918, the Alter of Novardok appointed him dean of the Novardok yeshiva in Berditchev. He was a prominent leader of the Beit Yosef network of yeshivot, and headed the escape operations of Novardok yeshivot, who escaped with their thousands of students from Bolshevik Russia to Poland. R. Shmuel established many branches of the yeshiva throughout Poland, and wandered with his yeshiva from place to place. In 1925, he transferred the yeshiva to Semiatyce. In 1927, he was appointed rabbi of Karlin, and founded a large yeshiva in nearby Pinsk. He summoned his colleague, R. Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky – the Steipler, to head the yeshiva alongside him. During the war, he fled to Vilna and from there to Jerusalem, where he passed away at a young age, leaving behind a large family, known until this day as a family of Torah scholars and Torah disseminators.
Three letters (official stationery). Size and condition vary. Overall good condition.
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Lot 302 Two Letters of Torah Thoughts – By Rabbi Moshe Yitzchak Segal Dean of the Manchester Yeshiva

Two letters of Torah thoughts, handwritten and signed by R. Moshe Yitzchak Segal, dean of the Manchester yeshiva. [ca. 1910s-
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Auction 74 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art September 15, 2020
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Two letters of Torah thoughts, handwritten and signed by R. Moshe Yitzchak Segal, dean of the Manchester yeshiva. [ca. 1910s-1920s].
The letters are addressed to R. Shraga Meir Leizerowitz of Kelm (who served as rabbi of Chevrat Shas in London for decades).
R. Moshe Yitzchak HaLevi Segal (1881-1947), a disciple of the Alter of Novardok. A founder of the Etz Chaim yeshiva in London, he also established the Manchester yeshiva, which he headed for some 35 years. His son and successor as dean of the yeshiva was R. Yehuda Ze'ev Segal (1911-1993, a holy Tzaddik and wonder-worker, who was very active in raising the awareness of the importance of guarding one's speech, and was known as the Chafetz Chaim of England).
R. Moshe Yitzchak was an outstanding Torah scholar and an exalted Tzaddik. He devoted himself to disseminating Torah, and many of the rabbis of that time were his disciples (including R. Shaul Wagschal of Gateshead, R. Shmuel Alexander Unsdorfer, and others). Hegyonei Moharsha (p. 18, see enclosed copy) brings the wondrous testimony of two of his disciples, whose deceased father appeared to R. Moshe Yitzchak in a dream, requesting that he carefully supervise his orphaned sons. R. Moshe Yitzchak related the dream to them and asked them not to publicize it.
The recipient of the letter, R. Shraga Meir Leizerowitz (1840-1929), was a native of Kelm. He was a pious person and a kabbalist, close to R. Leibly Chassid of Kelm, to the foremost kabbalists of Lithuania (the Leshem, R. Aryeh Leib Lipkin of Kretinga, R. Aharon Shlomo Maharil, R. Yitzchak Meltzan and others) and to the leading disciples of R. Yisrael of Salant. After his marriage, he lived in Žagarė. R. Shraga Meir arrived in England in ca. 1891, where he served for many years a rabbi of Chevrat Shas. In his later years he immigrated to Jerusalem.
2 letters, one on postcard (14 cm), the second on official stationery (26 cm). Fair-good condition.
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Lot 303 Letter of Wedding Congratulations from R. Avraham Mordechai Ashkenazi Rabbi of Varish – 1934 / Invitation to His Wedding in 1924

Letter handwritten and signed by R. Avraham Mordechai Ashkenazi Rabbi of Varish. Varish (Varyazh, Galicia), Tevet 1934. Weddi
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Letter handwritten and signed by R. Avraham Mordechai Ashkenazi Rabbi of Varish. Varish (Varyazh, Galicia), Tevet 1934.
Wedding congratulations addressed to his good friend, R. Aharon Stauber of Seret. He reminisces in his letter about "my faithful friend, whom I was attached to with thousands of cords, both visible and hidden. I would stroll often with him… and exchange ideas on matters of utmost importance in Judaism…".
Enclosed: Printed invitation to the wedding of R. Avraham Mordechai Ashkenazi in Varish, 1924, sent to the same friend, R. Aharon Stauber.
R. Avraham Mordechai Ashkenazi (1903-ca. 1942), son of R. Moshe David Ashkenazi Rabbi of Seret, a Belz Chassid. He married the orphaned daughter of R. Shalom Babad Rabbi of Varish, and later succeeded him as rabbi. During the Holocaust, he was exiled to Siberia with his family. He reached Uzbekistan together with other refugees, and there he, his wife and one of their sons perished (Encyclopedia LeChachmei Galicia, VI, pp. 142-143).
[1] leaf (written on both sides). 22 cm. Good condition. Minor stains. Wear to fold. Envelope enclosed, with postage stamp and postmark (some postage stamps removed).
Enclosed: Printed invitation on official postcard of R. Moshe David Ashkenazi. 13.5 cm. Good condition. Stains and folding marks.
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Lot 304 Confirmation of Study Signed by Rabbi Meir Arik, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Babad and Rabbi Avraham Mendel Steinberg – Vienna, 1917

Confirmation of study, signed by R. Meir Arik, R. Menachem Mendel Babad and R. Avraham Mendel Steinberg. Vienna, January-Febr
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Auction 74 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art September 15, 2020
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Confirmation of study, signed by R. Meir Arik, R. Menachem Mendel Babad and R. Avraham Mendel Steinberg. Vienna, January-February 1917. German.
The first half of the page contains a handwritten confirmation for the student Aharon Stauber of Seret, Bukovina, signed and stamped by R. Menachem Mendel Babad Rabbi of Gura Humora (Gura Humorului).
This is followed by an additional confirmation signed by R. Avraham Mendel Steinberg Rabbi of Brody, with the signature and stamp of R. Meir Arik, during his tenure as rabbi of Buchach.
On verso, typewritten notarial authorization of the signatories, with the signature and embossed notary's seal of Dr. Yosef Reiner.
All the authorizations, signatures and stamps are in German. With revenue stamps.
• R. Meir Arik (1855-Tishrei 1925), a leading Galician Torah scholar. He served as rabbi of Yazlovets, Buchach and Tarnów. He was a disciple of R. Yaakov of Rimalov (Hrymailiv) and of the Maharsham. From 1885, he served as rabbi of Yazlovets, in place of his teacher the Maharsham who moved to Berezhany. From 1912, he served as rabbi of Buchach. During WWI, he fled to Vienna, studying Torah there with his friend R. Yosef Engel. Following the war, he returned to Galicia and was appointed rabbi of Tarnów. Many of Poland's leading Torah scholars were his close disciples, the most renowned ones include R. Meir Shapiro of Lublin, R. Aryeh Tzvi Frumer – the Gaon of Koziegłowy, R. David Sperber – Gaon of Brașov, R. Yehuda Horowitz – Rebbe of Dzikov, R. Meshulam Roth author of Kol Mevaser, R. Reuven Margolies and R. Yehoshua Ehrenberg Rabbi of Tel Aviv.
He published many books, yet most of his manuscripts were lost in his escape to Vienna during WWI, including five large volumes of halachic responsa. His books include: Sheyarei Tahara on Mishnayot Order Taharot (Kolomyia, 1890); Minchat Kenaot on Tractate Sota (Lviv, 1894); Minchat Pitim on Shulchan Aruch Yoreh De'ah and Even HaEzer (Munkacs, 1898-1908); Tal Torah (Vienna, 1921); Responsa Imrei Yosher Part I (Munkacs, 1913), Part II (Kraków-Tarnów, 1925). Other books containing selections of his Torah thought and letters: Minchat Aharon – Me'irat Einayim (Brooklyn, 1978) and Imrei Yosher HaChadash – Tal Torah HaChadash (Jerusalem, 1997).
R. Meir Arik was a prominent Chortkov Chassid, deeply attached with bonds of love, fear and submission to his teachers Rebbe David Moshe and Rebbe Yisrael of Chortkov. The leading Torah scholars of his generation greatly revered him. Rebbe Maharid of Belz declared: "After Maharsham [of Berezhany], we don't do anything in our court without consulting R. Meir". R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski praised him: "Such a R. Meir, we don't have in Lithuania".
• R. Menachem Mendel Babad (1862-1930), rabbi of Gura Humora from 1890. He was the grandson of R. Yosef Babad author of Minchat Chinuch. A leading rabbi in Bukovina, he held his position for some 40 years. He was a Chassid of Chortkov.
• R. Avraham Menachem Mendel HaLevi Steinberg (1847-1928), author of Responsa Machazeh Avraham. A Chassid of Rebbe Avraham Yaakov of Sadigura. He was a founder of Agudath Yisrael and a member of Moetzet Gedolei HaTorah. In 1869, he was appointed rabbi of Snyatyn and in 1907, of Brody.
[1] double leaf (2 written pages). 34 cm. Fair-good condition. Stains. Worming. Tears. Folding marks.
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