Auction 101 Part 2 Chassidut and Kabbalah | Jerusalem Printings | Letters and Manuscripts | Objects
Feb 18, 2025
Displaying 181 - 192 of 302
Auction 101 Part 2 Chassidut and Kabbalah | Jerusalem Printings | Letters and Manuscripts | Objects
Feb 18, 2025
Opening: $300
Sold for: $1,000
Including buyer's premium
Manuscript leaf originating in a Genizah, ordinance relating to the Chevra Kadisha, signed by leading rabbis of Jerusalem. Jerusalem, [1815].
Ordinance to bolster the "watches" of the Chevra Kadisha in Jerusalem, with details on the rights of the various members of the Chevra Kadisha.
The first signatory is the Rishon LeTzion R. Yaakov Moshe Ayash – who signs only with his stamp. After his stamp appear the calligraphic signatures of: R. Yom Tov Danon (1741-1823, a leading rabbi of Izmir and Rishon LeTzion in Jerusalem after R. Refael Yosef Chazan), R. Shlomo Moshe Suzin (d. 1836; the Rishon LeTzion after R. Yom Tov Danon), R. Yehudah Uziel (d. 1827, rabbi, dayan and emissary of Jerusalem), R. Shlomo Yitzchak Binyamin Meyuchas (rabbi, dayan and emissary of Jerusalem), R. Shlomo Yitzchak Binyamin Meyuchas (rabbi, dayan and emissary of Jerusalem, known as Morenu Meyuchas). On the left – remains of the signature of R. Yaakov Kural (d. 1818, rabbi of Jerusalem, Rishon LeTzion after R. Yaakov Moshe Ayash).
[1] leaf. Approx. 17 cm. Fair condition. Stains and wear. Damage and large open tears, significantly affecting text, mainly text of ordinance and some signatures. Leaf repaired by mounting on paper.
Catalogue
Auction 101 Part 2 Chassidut and Kabbalah | Jerusalem Printings | Letters and Manuscripts | Objects
Feb 18, 2025
Opening: $300
Sold for: $625
Including buyer's premium
Lengthy handwritten letter by the Anshei Maamad society in Jerusalem, addressed to R. Eliyahu Levinson of Kretinga, signed by three treasurers of the society: R. Bentzion Shlez, R. Moshe son of R. Aryeh Leib and R. Yitzchak Meir son of R. Yechezkel, with stamps of the society. Jerusalem, [ca. early 1880s].
On verso, abbreviated copying of the statutes of the society, enacted by R. Yehoshua Leib (Maharil) Diskin, and of a letter of leaders of the community in Jerusalem, R. Meir Meisel, R. Yaakov Tzvi Rabinowitz, R. Aharon Zelig son-in-law of R. Mordechai Chen Tov, R. Avraham Eisenstein and R. Moshe son of R. Yaakov. They go on to request donations to be sent to the trustee R. Yitzchak Tzvi, administrator of the Suvalk Kollel (son-in-law of R. Yitzchak Eizik Chaver).
The Anshei Maamad society was established in Jerusalem, ca. 1878-1879, by R. Bentzion Shlez. Its members were Torah scholars who kept a fixed morning study regimen of study and prayer.
The present letter describes the Anshei Maamad society, and asks for donations to support the members and their devotion to acts of kindness.
R. Eliyahu (Elinke) of Kretinga (1822-1888), studied in his youth in Salant under R. Yosef Zundel of Salant, during which time he became the close friend and disciple of R. Yisrael Salanter and R. Shmuel Salant. He remained the close disciple of R. Yisrael his whole life, and served as his close attendant in public activism and a staunch proponent of the Musar movement founded by R. Yisrael Salanter. Though he was one of the prominent Torah scholars of his generation, he refused to serve as rabbi and worked as a merchant and banker. R. Elinke was a foremost leader of Russian Jewry and a leading lobbyist in the upper echelons of the government. He was an administrator and trustee of the Eretz Israel funds for over forty years.
[1] leaf. 26 cm. Written on both sides. Fair condition. Stains, wear and tears. Open tears, slightly affecting text and one stamp.
Catalogue
Auction 101 Part 2 Chassidut and Kabbalah | Jerusalem Printings | Letters and Manuscripts | Objects
Feb 18, 2025
Opening: $300
Sold for: $1,875
Including buyer's premium
Large collection of over forty letters, handwritten and signed by heads of the community in Tiberias, rabbis and officials of Ashkenazi kollels in the city. Tiberias, 1880s-1890s.
The letters were sent to the Pekidim and Amarkalim organization in Amsterdam, which was responsible for raising funds from the diaspora for the Old Yishuv in Eretz Israel. The collection contains letters handwritten, signed and stamped by community leaders, rabbis and kollel officials in Tiberias, with accounts of allocation and transfer of funds, public affairs and various controversies, as well as private letters of dayanim, Torah scholars and others in Tiberias, describing their harsh financial conditions and requesting financial aid and assistance; some include letters of recommendation from rabbis and kollel officials in Tiberias, and some bear official stamps.
See Hebrew description for a list of authors of letters included in the collection
46 letters. Size and condition varies. Overall good condition.
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Auction 101 Part 2 Chassidut and Kabbalah | Jerusalem Printings | Letters and Manuscripts | Objects
Feb 18, 2025
Opening: $1,000
Sold for: $6,250
Including buyer's premium
Huge collection of over 240 letters from rabbis, tzedakah collectors and philanthropists from all over the world: United States, Canada, South America, Europe, Russia and various other countries. [Ca. 1890s-1900s].
The letters were addressed to R. Shmuel Salant, Rabbi of Jerusalem. Some are also addressed to the other rabbis who assisted him in administering the city's tzedakah funds: R. Eliyahu David Rabinowitz-Teomim (the Aderet); R. Yitzchak Blazer of St. Petersburg; R. Chaim Berlin of Moscow; and other rabbis and tzedakah collectors from the Vaad HaKlali and other institutions in the city.
R. Shmuel Salant (1816-1909), immigrated from Salant to Eretz Israel in 1841 to serve as posek and rabbi of the Perushim community of disciples of the Vilna Gaon in Jerusalem. His father-in-law R. Yosef Zundel Salant immigrated to Jerusalem in the same period. In his capacity as rabbi of Jerusalem, a position he held for close to seventy years, he founded the educational and charitable institutions in the city, established the Beit Din and strengthened the Ashkenazi community. He was renowned for his brilliance and pragmatic approach to halachic ruling and in running communal matters in Jerusalem and worldwide.
Over 240 letters. Size and condition varies.
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![Printed letter – receipt for a donation to the "Shaarei Chesed General Gemach". Jerusalem, [ca. 1890s]. Printed](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale101/221.jpg "Receipt of the Shaarei Chesed Gemach – Jerusalem, 1899 – Signature of")
Auction 101 Part 2 Chassidut and Kabbalah | Jerusalem Printings | Letters and Manuscripts | Objects
Feb 18, 2025
Opening: $300
Unsold
Printed letter – receipt for a donation to the "Shaarei Chesed General Gemach". Jerusalem, [ca. 1890s]. Printed in blue, red and yellow ink.
Filled in by hand for the donation from Toivah Brecher of Ventspils – signed by the administrators of the Gemach: R. "Meir Meisel"; R. "Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld" and R. "Naftali Tzvi Porush". Elul, 1899.
R. Meir Meisel of Khislavichi (1819-1904), a leader of Torah and charitable institutions in Jerusalem, and a leader of the Belarusian Kollel and administrator of the Etz Chaim yeshiva. Founder of the Diskin orphanage and Shaarei Chesed Gemach.
R. Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld (1849-1932), spiritual leader of Orthodox Jewry in Eretz Israel. Outstanding Torah scholar, a wise and holy man. Disciple of the Ktav Sofer in the Pressburg yeshiva, and of R. Avraham Shag Rabbi of Kobersdorf. He immigrated to Jerusalem in 1873 together with his teacher R. Avraham Shag, and was renowned as one of its leading Torah scholars. When R. Yehoshua Leib Diskin immigrated to Jerusalem in 1879, R. Yosef Chaim cleaved to him, becoming his close disciple and head of his Beit Din. In 1919-1921, the independent Edah HaCharedit community was established, and R. Yosef Chaim was appointed its first leader.
R. Naftali Tzvi Porush (1871-1952), son and successor of R. Shlomo Zalman Porush (1852-1898) as administrator of the Shaarei Chesed Gemach. He served as secretary of R. Shmuel Salant and officiated in the institutions he ran, including the Etz Chaim yeshiva and the Bikur Cholim hospital. He also founded several neighborhoods in Jerusalem.
The Shaarei Chesed Gemach was a charity and free loan organization established in Jerusalem in 1870 and still active. The organization established a neighborhood, known to this day as Shaarei Chesed [west of Rechavia].
[1] leaf. 21 cm. Good-fair condition. Wear and open tears, not affecting text.
Catalogue
Auction 101 Part 2 Chassidut and Kabbalah | Jerusalem Printings | Letters and Manuscripts | Objects
Feb 18, 2025
Opening: $300
Sold for: $1,875
Including buyer's premium
Collection of manuscript leaves, including: a leaf handwritten by R. Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, with a draft of the address he delivered in a formal assembly for the visit of President Tomáš Masaryk of Czechoslovakia. [Jerusalem, 1927]. Additional leaves from earlier periods [before 1917], apparently written by a leader of the Hungarian Kollel in Jerusalem, with drafts of addresses prepared for official celebrations and ceremonies held in Jerusalem in honor of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary. [Jerusalem, ca. 1890s-1910s]. Western Yiddish.
1. Leaf handwritten by R. Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld – draft of an address delivered to President Tomáš Masaryk on Czechoslovakia, on his visit to Jerusalem in 1927, on the tenth anniversary of the foundation of the republic.
2-6. Six leaves handwritten by a leader of the Hungarian Kollel in Jerusalem – drafts for various addresses delivered in the presence of the Austro-Hungarian consulate in Jerusalem on formal occasions. [Apparently, these addresses were also delivered by R. Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, as a representative of the Jerusalem settlement and the Shomrei HaChomot Kollel – see enclosed material]. These leaves include addresses for the 63rd and 66th anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph's accession (ca. 1911 and 1914), with prayers for the welfare and victory of the Empire, and more.
R. Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld (1849-1932), spiritual leader of Orthodox Jewry in Eretz Israel. Outstanding Torah scholar, a wise and holy man. Disciple of the Ktav Sofer in the Pressburg yeshiva, and of R. Avraham Shag Rabbi of Kobersdorf. He immigrated to Jerusalem in 1873 together with his teacher R. Avraham Shag, and was renowned as one of its leading Torah scholars. When R. Yehoshua Leib Diskin immigrated to Jerusalem in 1879, R. Yosef Chaim cleaved to him, becoming his close disciple and head of his Beit Din. In 1919-1921, the independent Edah HaCharedit community was established, and R. Yosef Chaim was appointed its first leader.
[7] leaves (14 handwritten pages). Size and condition varies
. Overall good condition. Stains and dampstains. Creases and light wear. Inscription on margins of most leaves: "Sonnenfeld" (late handwriting).
. Overall good condition. Stains and dampstains. Creases and light wear. Inscription on margins of most leaves: "Sonnenfeld" (late handwriting).
Catalogue
Auction 101 Part 2 Chassidut and Kabbalah | Jerusalem Printings | Letters and Manuscripts | Objects
Feb 18, 2025
Opening: $300
Sold for: $400
Including buyer's premium
Manuscript, emissary ledger from Hebron, to Morocco and Gibraltar. 1921-1923.
Detailed ledger of one of the emissaries of Hebron who traveled to Morocco and Gibraltar in Av 1921. We were unable to determine who the emissary is. The ledger contains accounts of income and expenses, a detailed account of the emissary's travels to various cities and people he met and lodged with, his activities for the Hebron fund and more details, some of which appear to be exclusive documentation of Moroccan communities of the day. The Moroccan cities he stayed in include Tangiers, Tétouan, Rabat, Casablanca, Safi, Essaouira, Marrakesh, Ouazzane, Fez, Debdou, Sefrou and many other cities and towns.
[23] leaves (including 4 blank leaves). 24 cm. Fair-good condition. Stains, tears and wear. Detached leaves. Without binding.
Catalogue
Auction 101 Part 2 Chassidut and Kabbalah | Jerusalem Printings | Letters and Manuscripts | Objects
Feb 18, 2025
Opening: $500
Sold for: $688
Including buyer's premium
Letter signed by deans of Etz Chaim yeshiva, R. Yechiel Michel Tucazinsky and R. Shlomo Zalman Zalaznik. Jerusalem, 23rd Sivan 1924.
Addressed to the Chief Rabbinate of Eretz Israel, asking to accelerate the processing of documents for R. Isser Zalman Meltzer, "Rabbi and yeshiva dean of Slutsk, presently yeshiva dean of Kletsk, coming to Jerusalem as yeshiva dean of the Etz Chaim yeshiva in Jerusalem, accompanied by his son Mr. Tzvi Hirsch, 18 years old".
R. Isser Zalman Meltzer's immigration to Eretz Israel in 1924 was the beginning of the historical move of the leaders of Lithuanian yeshivas to Eretz Israel. It was followed by the immigration of the Slabodka, Lomza and Novardok yeshivas. Along with these moves, the local yeshivas in Jerusalem began to study in the intellectual tradition of R. Chaim of Brisk, carried by the yeshiva deans of Lithuania.
R. Isser Zalman Meltzer (1870-1953), author of Even HaAzel. A leading Torah scholar of Lithuania and Jerusalem, he was born in Mir and studied in the Volozhin yeshiva under the Netziv and R. Chaim of Brisk, who esteemed him highly. After his marriage he served as the first yeshiva dean of the Knesset Yisrael yeshiva in Slabodka along with R. Moshe Mordechai Epstein, and later moved to Slutsk where he established a large yeshiva and subsequently succeeded the Ridvaz as Rabbi of the city. He immigrated to Jerusalem in 1924 and was appointed dean of the Etz Chaim yeshiva. He was also a leader of Moetzet Gedolei HaTorah, and father-in-law of R. Aharon Kotler, dean of Kletsk and Lakewood yeshivas.
[1] leaf. Official stationery. 28 cm. Good condition. Stains and folding marks.
Catalogue
Auction 101 Part 2 Chassidut and Kabbalah | Jerusalem Printings | Letters and Manuscripts | Objects
Feb 18, 2025
Opening: $400
Unsold
Large decorated certificate appointing R. Tzvi Yehudah Meltzer as rabbi and posek of Rechovot, with stamps of the "local council" and "council of the Hebrew community of Rechovot", and twenty signatures of city officials "members of the community council". Rechovot, 6th Tamuz 1947.
Large-format certificate. Neat square script, in black and gold paint and ink. With decorated frame and Star of David at top of certificate.
Enclosed: Additional leaf, the same size, which apparently served as the "title page" of the certificate, also decorated with a fine frame and a Star of David, with the caption: "Rabbinic certificate – Rechovot – 1947".
R. Tzvi Yehudah Meltzer (1899-1969), son of R. Isser Zalman Meltzer and disciple of the Alter of Novardok. He was appointed Rabbi of Pardes Channa, where he established the Kletsk yeshiva, which formed the basis for Midrashiat Noam. In 1947 he was appointed Rabbi of Rechovot, succeeding his father-in-law R. Tzvi Steinman, and established Yeshivat HaDarom. In 1951 he retired from his position as Rabbi of the city, appointing R. Elimelech Bar Shaul as his successor, while he continued to serve as head of the city's Beit Din and dean of Yeshivat HaDarom.
[2] leaves. 46-49 cm. Fair condition. Dry paper. Tears and open tears.
Catalogue
![Tehillim, with the Beurei Zohar and Metzudat Tzion commentaries. Safed: Yisrael Bak, [1833].
Kavanat HaMeshorer i](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale101/226.jpg "Tehillim – Safed, 1833 – Printed by Rabbi Yisrael Bak")
Auction 101 Part 2 Chassidut and Kabbalah | Jerusalem Printings | Letters and Manuscripts | Objects
Feb 18, 2025
Opening: $2,000
Sold for: $4,750
Including buyer's premium
Tehillim, with the Beurei Zohar and Metzudat Tzion commentaries. Safed: Yisrael Bak, [1833].
Kavanat HaMeshorer is printed at the beginning of each Psalm. The volume also contains prayers recited before and after reading Tehillim on weekdays, Shabbat, Yom Tov and Hoshana Rabba night, a prayer on behalf of the sick, and order of Pidyon Nefesh.
One of the first books printed by R. Yisrael Bak in Safed, about a year after he established his printing press in the city.
The printer of Berditchev, R. Yisrael Bak (1797-1874), a disciple of the Chassidic masters R. Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev and R. Yisrael of Ruzhin. At a young age he established a printing press in Berditchev, where he was active for about nine years. Following his immigration to Eretz Israel, ca. 1831, he settled in Safed, where he established a printing press. After the great 1837 earthquake which completely destroyed the town, he established the first Hebrew printing press in Jerusalem, the only press in the city for over 20 years.
On title page, leaf 73 and back endpaper, ownership inscriptions in Oriental script.
[4], 152 leaves. 15 cm. Fair condition. Stains. Wear and signs of heavy use. Damage to inner margins of several leaves, affecting text (repaired with tape). Worming in many places, affecting text. Stamps. Non-original binding.
Catalogue
Auction 101 Part 2 Chassidut and Kabbalah | Jerusalem Printings | Letters and Manuscripts | Objects
Feb 18, 2025
Opening: $500
Sold for: $750
Including buyer's premium
Peat HaShulchan, laws pertaining to Eretz Israel, by R. Yisrael of Shklow, disciple of the Vilna Gaon. Safed: R. Yisrael Bak, 1836. First edition.
On title page, various ownership inscriptions and signatures dated 1837 and 1842. At top of title page, ownership inscriptions (partly trimmed) dated 1837 (during the author's lifetime), on receipt of the book through R. Tzvi Hirsch Lehren of Amsterdam, founder of the Pekidim and Amarkalim organization: "R. Tzvi Hirsch Lehren of Amsterdam, received from Safed from the author, to distribute among the Jewish philanthropists… Isru Chag of Yom Kippur 1837… Yosef son of R. Zanvil".
Four lengthy glosses in Ashkenazic script from the time of the book's printing, two signed with initials.
The author, R. Yisrael of Shklow (1770-1839), a close disciple of the Vilna Gaon (who studied with him during his final days), published the books of the Vilna Gaon and disseminated his teachings, and was a leader of the immigration of the Vilna Gaon's disciples to Eretz Israel.
In a lengthy and important introduction at the beginning of the book, the author relates his trials and tribulations after his immigration to Eretz Israel, including a plague that broke out in the Galilee in 1813, the passing of his wife when they fled to Jerusalem, the passing of their children from the plague which also spread to Jerusalem, and the passing of his parents in the Galilee. He goes on to recount his subsequent return to the Galilee, his imprisonment during the Siege of Acre, his miraculous rescue from a collapse of houses during winter in Safed, and more.
The rest of his introduction is a highly important biographical source for the Vilna Gaon. R. Yisrael of Shklow describes at length the greatness of his teacher, his method and practices, his outstanding expertise in Torah and sciences and more.
[5], 2-104, 106-107, 106-109, [1] leaves (leaves 106-107 printed twice). 30 cm. Varying types of paper. Good-fair condition. Many stains (including dampstains). Some wear. Ex libris label (from library of philosopher Jakob Klatzkin). Old binding, worn and deteriorated.
One of the last books published in Safed before the 1837 earthquake, after which the author and printer, R. Yisrael Bak, moved to Jerusalem.
The present copy includes final leaf of errata.
Vinograd, Otzar Sifrei HaGra, No. 1543.
Catalogue
Auction 101 Part 2 Chassidut and Kabbalah | Jerusalem Printings | Letters and Manuscripts | Objects
Feb 18, 2025
Opening: $400
Sold for: $625
Including buyer's premium
Printed letter, "A letter-for-letter transcription of the document from Jerusalem rabbis", signed (in print) by the Sephardic rabbis of Jerusalem: R. Yitzchak Kubo, R. Yaakov Finzi and R. Binyamin Mordechai Navon. [Jerusalem: Yisrael Bak, ca. Cheshvan 1848].
Copying of the emissary letter given by rabbis of Jerusalem in Cheshvan 1848 to R. Avraham Ger Tzedek of Jerusalem, a survivor of the Safed earthquake. R. Avraham was a convert to Judaism, along with his family, who studied Torah diligently. After the earthquake, all his property was stolen and he had to leave Eretz Israel to collect charity.
The leaf is bibliographically unknown, and may be the only extant copy. Another leaf printed in Jerusalem was also recently discovered (see Refaeli Auctions, Auction 11, 16.12.2019, Lot 25), with a letter from the rabbis of Baghdad, detailing how R. Avraham was the son of a high-ranking official who converted to Judaism and immigrated to Safed.
This may be the same R. Avraham Ger Tzedek of Safed who printed an emissary letter from the rabbis of Safed in Livorno (see: Yaari, Shluchei Eretz Yisrael, p. 671).
[1] leaf. 29.5 cm. Fair-good condition. Dark stains. Wear and folding marks. Marginal open tears, not affecting text.
Bibliographically unknown. Not recorded in Sh. Halevy or the NLI catalogue. It may be the only extant copy of this unknown printing.
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