Letter signed by Rebbe Moshe of Kobryn, addressed to R. Menachem Mendel Epstein, trustee of Kollel Reisin (Belarus) in Tiberias. [Kobryn, 1853].
Letter written by a scribe, with the signature of Rebbe Moshe of Kobryn. Addressed to R. Menachem Mendel Epstein, one of the heads of Kollel Reisin in Tiberias. The letter is inscribed on a small piece of paper, and was originally written as a continuation of R. Moshe Kobryn's letter to the heads and directors of Kollel Reisin, regarding Kollel matters (see Kedem Auction 63, item 87; Auction 66, item 49). In this letter, the Rebbe addresses R. Menachem Mendel personally.
From the contents of the letter, it appears that the recipient of this letter, R. Menachem Mendel, requested a raise in his salary for his work on behalf of the Kollel, as the administrator of the distribution. To this the Rebbe responds, "Surely if this was a regular year, I would also wish [to add?] a little", but this is not feasible: "This year --- everything was done with loans" (that year - 1853, much of the donations were not collected, and the Rebbe of Kobryn was compelled to borrow funds to provide for the Kollel members in Tiberias, see Kedem Auction 63, where the Rebbe wrote in his letter: "Know that I have not yet succeeded in collecting all the donations… to the point that I was compelled to rely on loans").
Further in the letter, the Rebbe writes: "Believe me my friend, that the vast majority of his personal funds were not yet collected… and now, may they receive life and peace from the Master of peace, as is G-d's wish and that of his close friend" (personal funds - also named Maamadot - were funds collected for the benefit of specific members of the Kollel living in Eretz Israel, by their friends, acquaintances or family members, as opposed to funds raised as a general donation for the entire Kollel. This letter discloses that not only did the Rebbe experience difficulty in soliciting general donations, he was even unable to collect the personal funds - those intended specifically for R. Menachem Mendel). In the last line, the Rebbe added his signature in his own handwriting: "The above-mentioned Moshe".
Background to this letter: For many years, R. Moshe of Kobryn would devotedly make rounds throughout Lithuania and Reisin (Belarus), collecting funds to support the Chassidic settlement in Tiberias (descendants of the large Chassidic immigration in 1777). He had been appointed to this position by his teacher, R. Mordechai of Lechovitz. The Rebbe delegated the responsibility for collecting charity for Eretz Israel funds to various gabba'im in a number of regions, and he would travel several times a year to collect these monies from the gabba'im. In 1853, R. Moshe, who was nearing his seventies, had aged considerably and could not keep up these journeys (see Auction 63 for further details).
Rebbe Moshe Polier of Kobryn (1784-1858), a great Chassidic leader, and amongst the foremost righteous men in Lithuania. He was the close disciple of Rebbe Mordechai of Lechovitz (Lyakhavichy), and prime teacher of the first Rebbe of Slonim, R. Avraham Weinberg, author of Yesod HaAvoda. Supremely holy and righteous, he benefitted from Divine Inspiration and effected salvations. He loved his fellow Jew wholeheartedly. His worship of G-d was exceptionally devout, involving his entire being. He exerted himself in prayer to the extent of fainting. Reputedly, R. Yaakov Meir Padwa Rabbi of Brisk would advise Brisk residents: "Whoever wishes to pray during the High Holidays with a prayer leader possessing all the qualities which the sages require of a cantor, should travel to Kobryn", and indeed, many would travel to attend the prayer services led by R. Moshe of Kobryn. One of the travelers related that on Rosh Hashanah eve, the synagogue was filled to capacity, yet even those standing at the extremities of the synagogue heard clearly how "his teeth chattered in fear of G-d and of His glorious splendor", while he said Barchu (see: Torat Avot, Jerusalem 1989, pp. 294-295, section 121). The Beit HaLevi (whose father-in-law was a Kobryn chassid) reputedly acclaimed him: "Moshe is true and his Torah is truth".
Following the passing of his teacher Rebbe Mordechai of Lechovitz, in 1810, R. Moshe frequented the court of the former's son, Rebbe Noach of Lechovitz, and after the demise of R. Noach in 1833, R. Moshe was appointed rebbe in Kobryn. His leadership was described as following: "Many flocks gathered around him to thirstily drink his holy words, which enthused the hearts of the Jewish people towards their Father in Heaven with their passion and fieriness… and whatever exited his holy mouth was as if a man inquired of the word of G-d… still today, over sixty years following his passing, whenever his holy name is mentioned, one senses a respectful awe together with a concealed fear… and in his old age, he would frequent the court of Rebbe Yisrael of Ruzhin, and the righteous men of the generation cherished him greatly" (Or Yesharim, Warsaw 1924, p. 63).
R. Menachem Mendel son of R. Mordechai Epstein of Minsk (d. after 1879), recipient of this letter, was known as R. Mendel Reisisher. In 1834, he immigrated from Minsk to Eretz Israel. Around 1840, he was appointed one of the three trustees of Kollel Reisin. His signature appears on many of the Kollel documents, starting from the early 1840s. R. Mendel was respected and esteemed by all sects of the Jewish community in Tiberias, and even the Arabs in Tiberias revered him. Known to be scrupulous and trustworthy in monetary matters, R. Menachem Mendel is mentioned in one of the Kollel documents, which is signed by the Torat Chaim of Kosov and Rebbe Avraham Yaakov of Sadigura, as an honest, faithful person who can be relied upon. His son-in-law was R. Noach Weinberg of Tiberias, brother of the Divrei Shmuel, Rebbe of Slonim, and father of the Birkat Avraham, Rebbe of Slonim, grandfather of the current Rebbe of Slonim-Jerusalem.
A small piece of paper. Approx. 6 cm. Fair condition. Stains. Faded ink. Tears affecting text. Wear and folding marks. Some words undecipherable. Mounted on thin paper for preservation.