Letter from the Bonn community, signed by the rabbi of the city, R. Avraham Auerbach, and by R. "Shmuel of Bonn" - one of the community leaders. Bonn, 12th Adar II 1832.
Addressed to the leaders of the Breslau community, and to their rabbi R. Shlomo Zalman Tiktin, the letter contains a request for assistance in obtaining documents for a member of the Bonn community, who was entitled to a share in the inheritance of a Jew who had passed away in Breslau. The inheritance was being held up by the Breslau court of law, due to the lack of a birth certificate.
Written by a scribe, with several corrections, presumably handwritten by R. Avraham Auerbach. The letter concludes: "So are the words of those who stand before the Jewish community, the members of the Israelite Consistory in the Bonn district", followed by the signature of R. Avraham Auerbach in Hebrew and German. Another signature, of "Shmuel of Bonn, known as S. Chevalier", presumably a head of the Bonn consistory.
R. Avraham Auerbach (1763-1845), disciple of R. Natan Adler and colleague of the Chatam Sofer. Leading rabbi of Germany and the Rhinelands. Son of R. Aviezri Zelig Auerbach Rabbi of Bouxwiller (1724-1768), and son-in-law of his uncle R. David Sinzheim (president of the Sanhedrin of French rabbis). He was raised by his grandfather R. Tzvi Hirsh Auerbach Rabbi of Worms, and later studied under R. Natan Adler in Frankfurt am Main, together with the Chatam Sofer (who later eulogized him; see: Ishim BiTeshuvot HaChatam Sofer, p. 20). He served as rabbi of several German communities. In 1808, he was appointed rabbi of Bonn. His descendants include prominent rabbis and Torah leaders, including: his eldest son, R. Tzvi Binyamin Auerbach - author of Nachal Eshkol and rabbi of Darmstadt and Halberstadt, his son R. Aharon Auerbach Rabbi of Bonn.
[1] leaf. 25.5 cm. Good condition. Folding marks. On verso: address in German and remnants of wax seal of the Bonn consistory.

Letter handwritten and signed by R. Yisrael Lifshitz, author of Tiferet Yisrael. Chodzież, Tevet 1835.
Familial letter addressed to his son R. Baruch Yitzchak Lifshitz and his wife "the esteemed Rebbetzin Mina", in Wronki, with mentions of the purchase and loan of books: "…and I lent you the two books, but I ordered you with the commandment of honoring one's father to return them to me after P. and P. (? = Purim and Pesach?), since then you will be able to buy them there. Nachalat Shiva as well, I will buy for you when I can…".
The address is inscribed on verso, "To the Wronki community - …to R. Baruch Yitzchak Lifshitz; signatures and signature trials of "Baruch Yitzchak Lifshitz".
R. Yisrael Lifshitz (1782-1860) is renowned for his monumental composition Tiferet Yisrael on the six orders of Mishna, which was accepted by the entire Jewish world and has been reprinted in hundreds of editions until this day. He was the son of R. Gedalia Lifshitz, author of Regel Yeshara, and grandson of R. Yisrael Lifshitz, rabbi of Cleves. An outstanding Torah scholar and a foremost leader of German Jewry, he sat studying Torah the entire day, bedecked in Tallit and Tefillin beneath his outer coat, and was renowned as a holy and G-d fearing man. He served as rabbi for over fifty years, in many Prussian communities, including: Wronki, Chodzież, Dessau, Danzig and others. Apart from Tiferet Yisrael on the Mishna, he composed many other books, of homily, novellae and halachic rulings.
His son, the recipient of the letter: R. Baruch Yitzchak Lifshitz (1812-1878), author of Misgeret Zahav - addenda to his father's commentary on the Mishna. His numerous glosses within the Tiferet Yisrael commentary begin with the initials A.B.Y. (Amar [said] Baruch Yitzchak). A great Torah scholar, holy and G-d fearing man. Already in his youth he was ordained by his illustrious father, and was appointed rabbi of Wronki, his birthplace. R. Akiva Eger, who fought the phenomenon of appointing young unmarried men to rabbinic positions, opposed this appointment, see Igrot R. Akiva Eger, Letters 42-49, from Tammuz 1833. This letter discloses that in the winter 1835, R. Baruch Yitzchak was already married to Rebbetzin Mina, and was still residing in Wronki. He later served as rabbi of Landsberg and as Chief Rabbi of the state of Mecklenburg. In 1859, he moved to Hamburg where he taught many disciples, his sermons and lectures earning great acclaim. R. Zalman Spitzer Rabbi of Vienna, son-in-law of the Chatam Sofer, once wrote in a letter regarding R. Baruch Yitzchak: "He is a perfect Tzaddik, who wages G-d's wars in Germany" (Milei DeAvot, II, Orach Chaim section 3).
[1] leaf. Approx. 17X13.5 cm. Thick, grayish paper. 12 autograph lines and signature, with his typical calligraphic flourishes. Good condition. The bottom of the leaf was cut with scissors.

Letter (2 pages), containing a query handwritten and signed by R. Yisrael Meir Freimann Rabbi of Filehne (Wieleń), addressed to his father-in-law R. Yaakov Ettlinger, author of Aruch LaNer; with a response (7 lines, unsigned) handwritten by the Aruch LaNer further on the page and on the verso. [Filehne and Altona, ca. 1870].
R. Yisrael Meir Freimann, who prepared the book VeHizhir for print, sent his father-in-law the Aruch LaNer a difficulty regarding the punishment for eating non-slaughtered meat. His father-in-law responded to the letter on the same leaf. This correspondence is mentioned briefly by R. Yisrael Meir in a footnote printed in VeHizhir on Shemot (Leipzig, 1873, p. 4a, footnote 3): "These laws are difficult, and I discussed them with my father-in-law, and please G-d in part II they will be addressed". Ultimately, R. Yisrael Meir did not publish this discussion in part II of his book, and this correspondence was only printed recently based on a manuscript, in the third part of Responsa Binyan Tzion, published by Dvar Yerushalayim (Jerusalem, 2002, section 176).
R. Yaakov Ettlinger (1789-1872), chief rabbi of Altona and the surroundings and rabbi of Altona, was a foremost leader of German Jewry and one of the strongest opponents of the Reform movement. In his youth, he served as lecturer in the yeshiva of his father, R. Aharon Ettlinger in Karlsruhe, and was one of the primary disciples of R. Asher Wallerstein, son of the Shaagat Aryeh and rabbi of the city. He also studied in the Würzburg yeshiva under R. Avraham Bing, and was a colleague of Chacham Yitzchak Bernays of Hamburg and R. Elazar Bergman of Jerusalem.
In ca. 1828, he was appointed dean of the yeshiva and rabbi of the Kloiz in Mannheim, and in 1836, went to serve as rabbi of the Three Communities (Altona, Hamburg and Wandsbeck), where he established a prominent yeshiva. R. Yaakov Ettlinger dedicated his life to disseminating Torah, and leading German rabbis were his disciples, the most renowned ones include: R. Samson Refael Hirsch; R. Azriel Hildesheimer, R. Tzvi Binyamin Auerbach Rabbi of Halberstadt and author of Nachal Eshkol, R. Getsch Schlesinger dayan in Hamburg, R. Eliyahu Munk dayan in Altona and his son R. Yehuda Munk Rabbi of Marburg, R. Zev Yitzchak HaLevi Dunner of Köln author of LiChevod Amudei HaTorah, R. Moshe Weisskopf Rabbi of Paris, and other renowned disciples who glorified German communities in that generation.
He authored the following books: Aruch LaNer on Talmudic tractates, Bikurei Yaakov, Responsa Binyan Tzion, Minchat Ani on the Torah and others. He was the founder and editor of the Orthodox periodical Shomer Tzion HaNe'eman. His books are studied until this day in Torah study halls, and his teachings are quoted extensively in Halachic literature. Already in his generation, he was considered a leading Halachic authority, and Halachic questions were referred to him from Jerusalem and throughout the Jewish world. R. Yosef Shaul Natansohn wrote in several dispensations for Agunot, that he will issue a permission only if the "Gaon from Altona" will concur with him (Shoel UMeshiv, Telitaa, part II, 216; part III, 87). He was the supreme authority amongst German rabbis, and even the great Torah scholar from Würzburg, R. Yitzchak Dov Bamberger, wrote regarding him: "Since then, I would bring any difficulty before one of the leading Torah scholars of the generation, R. M. Kargau and my mechutan R. Yaakov Ettlinger… before them I posed any difficult matter" (Responsa Yad HaLevi, Jerusalem 1988, p. 60). After his passing and that of the Ktav Sofer the same year, Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Deyzh termed them the righteous men of the generation (Maaglei Tzedek, I, Parashat Vaera).
His son-in-law R. Yisrael Meir Freimann (1830-1884), rabbi of Filehne (Wieleń) and Ostrowo (Ostrów Wielkopolski, Posen Province), author of Anfei Yehuda on VeHizhir. He exchanged extensive correspondence with his father-in-law the Aruch LaNer on various topics, some of which was published in Responsa Binyan Tzion, mostly in part III of the new edition of Likutei Teshuvot - Binyan Tzion (Dvar Yerushalayim publication, Jerusalem 2002).
[1] leaf (written on both sides). Approx. 11X14 cm. Thin stationery. Good condition. Creases and light stains.

Letter handwritten and signed by R. Azriel Hildesheimer, addressed to R. Eliyahu Menachem Goitein Rabbi of Hőgyész. [Berlin], Av 1876.
Letter of Torah thoughts on various topics. At the end of the letter, R. Azriel responds to the innovative proposal presented by R. Eliyahu Menachem. It appears that R. Eliyahu Menachem suggested to publish the letters of queries sent by rabbis to their colleagues on halachic issues, since most responsa books contain mainly answers, whilst the questions are only mentioned succinctly. R. Azriel replies to R. Eliyahu Menachem that there is indeed value in printing the letters of queries as well, and such a project would be considered "holy work", with the power to "glorify and raise the prestige of the Torah". R. Eliyahu Menachem's initiative presumably never materialized.
To the best of our knowledge, this letter was not published.
R. Azriel Hildesheimer (1820-1899), a leader in his times, was a disciple of the Aruch LaNer and of R. Yitzchak Bernays of Hamburg. He served as rabbi of Eisenstadt between 1851-1869 where he founded an innovative yeshiva integrating secular studies according to the Torah with Derech Eretz doctrine. This move drew opposition and criticism both from the Reform movement and from certain sects of Orthodox Judaism. However, the leading rabbis of Hungary and Germany recognized his greatness and backed his yeshiva. In 1869, he was appointed rabbi of Berlin, where he established the Rabbinical seminary, standing at the helm of Orthodox Jewry in Germany.
R. Eliyahu Menachem Goitein (1839-1902), recipient of this letter, son of R. Tzvi Hirsch Goitein and grandson of R. Baruch Bendit Goitein author of Kesef Nivchar. A disciple of the Ketav Sofer. Just like his father and grandfather, he served as rabbi of Hőgyész. He was a colleague of R. Azriel Hildesheimer and corresponded with him extensively.
[1] leaf. 22.5 cm. Approx. 20 autograph lines and signature. Good condition. Stains. Folding marks. Address in German on verso.

Five letters addressed to R. Eliyahu Guttmacher Rabbi of Greiditz (Grodzisk Wielkopolski), ca. 1860s.
• Lengthy and interesting letter from his disciple R. Yaakov Moshe Rosenfeld (son of R. Baruch Rabbi of Golub, disciple of R. Akiva Eger). Bielawy, Gmina Strzałkowo, 1864.
• Letter of request for a blessing for recovery, with a few Torah thoughts, handwritten and signed by R. "Meir son of R. Yidel" (R. Meir son of R. Yidel of Rawicz, a Prussian rabbi, disciple of R. Akiva Eger, see enclosed material from the book Sofrei HaMelech).
• Letter from R. David Tevele, regarding charity funds for the Sukkat Shalom society. Brandenburg, 1866.
• Letter regarding charity funds, by R. Baruch [Riesh?]. Posen (Poznań), [1863].
• Letter pertaining to Eretz Israel funds, by R. Yekutiel [Kempner?]. 1867.
5 letters. Size and condition vary. Overall good condition. Creases and folding marks.