Letter handwritten and signed by Rabbi Shmuel Sega"l Landau, Av Bet Din of Prague, to Rabbi Ber Oppenheimer. [Prague], 1824.
The letter concerns the rights of sale to his books. The author apologizes that another distributor sent his books to Hungary without his foreknowledge and is depriving Rabbi Shlomo Mahr, owner of rights in Pest and all of Hungary, of his income. "I deny responsibility for this, these pamphlets have become as if available to anyone who wants to publish my writings…". "And I know that it is unacceptable both for me and for the reputation of my father…".
Rabbi Shmuel Halevi (Segal) Landau (1740-1835), of the prominent leaders of his generation. The oldest son and successor of the "Noda BiYehuda" to the Prague Rabbinate. His responsa and sermons are printed in his father's books and in his own book, "Shivat Zion".
The recipient of the letter, Rabbi Ber Oppenheimer (1760-1850), rated amongst the illustrious scholars of Pressburg, author of Responsa Mei Be'er in which he also printed his correspondence with the leaders of the generation and with his friend Rabbi Shmuel Landau.
21.5cm. Very good condition, fold marks.

Letter from Rabbi Ezriel Hildesheimer, to Rabbi Yehuda Asad. Eisenstadt, (1865).
In the beginning of the letter he writes in reference to a letter which he received “from our friend, our famous and prominent rabbi, Av Beit Din of the holy congregation of Pressburg [author of the Ktav Sofer]. The letter states that my esteemed friend is studying this precious letter which this person has written to me a number of weeks ago”. In the continuation of the letter he very humbly writes “why should I trouble my esteemed friend who dedicated all of his time to Torah and holiness and the spreading of Torah to his many disciples”.
The topic of the letter was enigmatically written, however, it is apparent that it deals with methods of struggling against the reformists without encountering difficulties with the Austrian-Hungarian authorities, which supported the organization of the neological congregations. [This letter was written during the famous “congress” era]. The writer claims that everything he does is in accordance with the advice of his rabbis.
Rabbi Azriel Hlidesheimer (1820-1899), was among the leading torah authorities of his generation. Disciple of the Aruch LaNer and of Rabbi Yitzchak Bernays of Hamburg. He served as Rabbi of Eisenstadt in years 1851-1869, and during that time established there one of the major Yeshivot of Hungary and Germany. In 1869 he was appointed as Rabbi of Berlin, where he established the Beit Midrash LeRabbanim. He led Orthodox Jewry in Germany. His works were published by "Machon Yerushalaim".
2 pages, 21cm. Good condition, folding marks and minor damage to page margins.

Letter by Rabbi Shabtai Sheftil Ha’Levi Av Beit Din of Setshin, to Rabbi Shlomo Rosenthal (Mahr) from Pest. Setshin, 1836.
In the handwritten letter signed “Shabtai Sheftil son of the great rabbi and Av Beit Din and Rosh Metivta of the congregation of Setshin”, Rabbi Shabtai Sheftil requests Rabbi Shlomo’s assistance through his connections and influence, to receive a rabbinic position after leaving the Setshin Rabbinate. A large portion of the letter consists of a Jewish philosophical discussion. “…and this is the opinion from Shpinoza… and the answer to it was… and indeed regarding the question of the Chacham Kant on Moshe Mendelson I have said…”.
The Ga’on Rabbi Shabtai Sheftil Ha’Levi Margaliot (Encyclopedia of the Scholars of Galicia, 3, page 948; personalities in the responsa of the Chatam Sofer, page 364), son of Rabbi Gershon from Tronopol, was a prominent disciple of Rabbi Yehoshua Heshil from Tronopol author of “Sefer Yehoshua”. He served as Av Beit Din of Kastoli from the year 1828 and left due to a dispute with the members of his congregation following his appointment as rabbi of Setshin. Also in Setshin certain people embittered his life and in a desperate gesture he approached Rabbi Shlomo Rosenthal for assistance (see attached material). As it appears from this letter, Rabbi Shabtai Sheftil was forced to leave the Setshin Rabbinate: “Because I am deprived of livelihood, nevertheless, I will thank the Almighty for ridding me of these evil people…”.
The recipient of the letter, Rabbi Shlomo Rosenthal-Mahr from Pest, was a rabbi and one of the most prominent and influential leaders of Hungary during that period. Many great Torah leaders of the generation corresponded with him regularly. See items 389, 395.
On the other side of the letter two lines were written by someone else: “Rabbi Sheftil latched onto fundamentals of religion but did not know the difference between right and left”. [Perhaps written by one of the deliverers of the letter, by a resident of the city who opposed him…].
[3] pages, 24 cm. Good condition. Tear upon third page [slightly defecting the text], near the wax stamp. Folding marks. Upon back page an address in a foreign language and in Hebrew as well as a wax stamp of Rabbi Shabtai.