Twenty-four letters and manuscripts from the archive of R. Meshulam Zalman Neumark, rabbi of Horki, Starodub, Vitebsk and Nevel. Manuscript responsa and multipage halachic treatises composed by R. Meshulam Zalman, responsa which he received from other rabbis, certificates of rabbinic appointment and familial letters. Horki, Starodub, Vitebsk, Nevel, Pochep, Shumyachi and Khotsimsk (Belarus). 1850s-1890s.
The archive includes: certificates of rabbinic appointment, with signatures; manuscripts and halachic treatises written by R. Meshulam Zalman; copies of responsa which he kept for his own records, some in his handwriting and others written by a scribe; letters and responsa sent to him from other rabbis; familial letters and Tena’im of his sons; and more. This archive contains a wealth of information about the towns and cities of Belarus which were within the Pale of Settlement, various halachic controversies which arose there; interesting facts pertaining to the small communities in Belarus which were led by two rabbis - one Chassidic and one Ashkenazi, each directing their respective communities; detailed information on the rabbinic career of R. Neumark and about his family.
The contents of this archive were presumably never published.
The archive includes: certificates of appointment for R. Neumark as rabbi of Starodub and Vitebsk (signed by the community leaders); letters and manuscripts regarding the halachic controversy surrounding leniencies in the laws of Terefot practiced by the shochetim of Vitebsk (including a letter to R. Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor on the topic); sermon handwritten by R. Neumark for the birthday of the empress of Russia; halachic treatises from R. Neumark regarding Heter Me’ah Rabbanim (he mentions Rebbe Maharash of Lubavitch, who instructed him to issue a ruling on this question); responsa and halachic studies on various topics (laws of divorce, purity and terefot); halachic treatises, including polemics with R. Hillel Traizon, posek of the Ashkenazi community in Starodub (rare glimpse into the complex relationship between the Chabad and Ashkenazi rabbis in that time); letters sent to R. Neumark from various places, from rabbis and individuals requesting his decision in disputes and halachic issues; and more. A detailed description of the letters and documents will be sent upon request.
R. Chaim Meshulam Zalman Neumark (d. 1893), a leading Chabad rabbi, cherished disciple of the Tzemach Tzedek and his son Rebbe Maharash of Lubavitch. He served as rabbi of the following prominent Chabad cities and towns: Horki (1857-1867), Starodub (1867-1886), Vitebsk (1886-1888) and Nevel (1888-1893). R. Elazar Moshe Horowitz Rabbi of Pinsk testified that he found him to be of wise heart and pure intellect in line with the truth of the Torah. Rebbe Yehuda Leib of Kopust acclaimed him as "a renowned posek, both in Halachic ruling and in his Chassidic erudition". R. Meshulam Zalman was one of the most well-known and prominent rabbis of Chabad Chassidism in his times. Apart from his brilliance in both revealed and hidden parts of the Torah, his worship of G-d was legendary. He was a person of deep emotions, and exceptionally charitable - most of his salary was expended on supporting his needy relatives and marrying off their daughters.
During his tenure as rabbi of Starodub, R. Meshulam Zalman was very involved in helping Jewish boys evade conscription in the Russian army. He was denounced to the authorities, interrogated and imprisoned for two and a half years, together with eighty Jews of Starodub, from winter 1881 until Tishrei 1883. He devoted the years of his incarceration to Torah and heartfelt prayer, and for the rest of his life, he spoke with yearning of those elevating years which he could devote to Torah study without being troubled by the concerns of the rabbinate. His grandson R. Avraham Yaakov Neumark, a rabbi of Tel Aviv, relates that R. Meshulam Zalman’s neighbor in the prison cell was an infamous bandit and assassin, who had murdered dozens of people, "And this murderer would melt into tears when hearing the sounds of my grandfather praying, since his prayers were exceptionally heartfelt" (from his preface to Eshel Avraham on Zera’im). The entire account of the informing, imprisonment and surprising acquittal in trial was recorded by Dr. Fishel Schneersohn in his book Kocha shel Sanegoria (Tel Aviv 1967).
24 items, consisting of 74 written pages (approx. 35 leaves, some double). Size and condition vary.