Halachic responsum, by the Krakow Beit Din, to Rabbi Ze'ev Wolf Frankel Rabbi of Przeworsk, signed by Rabbi "Shaul Landau of Krakow ". [C. 1857].
In the letter, he discusses the matter of the government decrees on changing the attire of the population, and he discusses if this is included in the prohibition of "Not following the customs of non-Jews", and if a person must give his life to refrain from changing his dress.
The "Decree of Attire" is a well-known historical affair. In circa 1846, a law was passed in Russian lands, allowing only several fixed styles of clothing, village dress, city dress, shaving beards, etc. Leading Polish rabbis of those days disagreed on this matter; whether the decree can be called a Gezerat Shmad which would halachically prohibit Jews from dressing like non-Jews (as we learn about the Jews in Egypt that did not change their dress); or, since the dress code had been decreed on all the country's population, Jews and non-Jews alike, Jews are not prohibited to heed the decree. The opinion of the Chiddushei HaRim and Rabbi Avraham of Ciechanów was that the change of dress is prohibited by Jewish law even if one has to forfeit his life to adhere to this law. This item is a halachic letter about this historic subject by one of the heads of the Beit Din in Krakow, Poland.
Rabbi Shaul Landau of Krakow (1790-1854), a holy Chassid, Mekubal and outstanding Torah genius, one of the leading rabbis of Galicia-Poland, served for 50 years as rabbi and dayan in Krakow and was held in high esteem by all the city's population. After the split in 1832, he headed the Beit Din of Chassidim in the city. He was known to be a holy person, who ate and slept little, yet was robust and on Simchat Torah he used to dance hugging two Torah scrolls while prancing around like a light bird. Written on his tombstone is "Master of thousands and great among the Jews".
The recipient of the letter is Rabbi Avraham Ze'ev Wolf Frankel (1780-1849), Av Beit Din of Przeworsk, and one of the leading rabbis of Rzeszów. A disciple of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Rubin Av Beit Din of Lesko (Linsk) ( father of Rabbi Naftali of Ropczyce). Chassid and close to the Chozeh of Lublin, Rabbi Shalom of Belz and Rabbi Zvi Hirsh of Rymanów.
2 pages, approximately 22.5 cm. closely written (approximately 68 lines). Good condition.

Long letter handwritten and signed by Rabbi David Deutsch to his brother Rabbi Avraham. Zaharoy, 1861.
Rabbi David Deutsch Rabbi of Mysłowice and Zaharoy, (1810-1873), disciple of Maharam Benet and the Chatam Sofer, author of Esof Aseifa (Breslau 1846), in opposition to the Reform convention in Braunschweig, and other books. (See Chatam Sofer V'Talmidav, page 105). Son of Rabbi Mordechai Deutsch (Rabbi of Zülz – died in 1813).
Letter's recipient: His brother Rabbi Avraham Deutsch of Zülz. A manuscript of his novellae appeared in Kedem catalog, Auction 14, Item 476.
2 pages, 17 cm. Approximately 70 handwritten lines. Good condition

Large handwritten leaves, copies by the scribe of the Dretske congregation in Hungary, related to appointment of rabbis of city.
Copies include: • Protocol of community decision to appoint Rabbi Shlomo Sofer as rabbi from Rosh Chodesh Adar I 1888. • Letter of response to the congregation written by Rabbi Shlomo Sofer regarding his appointment. • Letter by Rabbi Simcha Bunim Sofer [author of Shevet Sofer] blessing appointment of his brother as rabbi of city. • Decision of the congregation to inaugurate Rabbi Yosef Leib Sofer. Iyar 1885. • Rabbinate writ to his brother Rabbi Shmuel Binyamin Sofer. 1903. • Poem in honor of inauguration of Rabbi Shmuel Binyamin Sofer.
Ga’on Rabbi Shlomo Sofer, youngest son of the Ktav Sofer, who arrived to Dretske in light of his marriage to the daughter of the city rabbi, served in the rabbinate of the city between 1878 and 1884. He was then transferred to the rabbinate of Beregszasz. His successor was Ga’on Rabbi Yosef Leib Sofer, who was not related to him, and was the son of Gao’n Rabbi Eliezer Zussman Sofer Av Beit Din of Paks. He served in Dretske until the demise of his father in 1903, when he was summoned to succeed him in Paks, and his younger brother Rabbi Shmuel Binyamin Sofer took his place and served in Dretske until his demise during the Holocaust in 1943.
[4] leaves (7 written pages). 38 cm. Good condition. Stains.

A handwritten and signed letter by Rabbi Yehuda Segal Rosner, to the heads of the "Union of Ungarin Yeshiva Students" in the US, headed by Rabbi Chaim Meir Bravin. Székelyhid , 1936.
Long letter of thanks for a large donation to the yeshiva: "I have received your letter with the check for $150 and this will sustain the lives of the 250 students who are studying Torah in dire need…", with warm hearty blessings.
Rabbi Ya'akov Segal Rosner (1879-1944, Otzar HaRabbanim 7101), a leading Hungarian Torah scholar, served for 39 years in the Székelyhid Rabbinate and headed the yeshiva there, which was one of the foremost yeshivot in Hungary. Close to the Satmar Rebbes, author of Imrei Ya'akov on the Talmud, responsa and Torah commentary. Perished in the Holocaust with his entire family.
Official stationery, 29 cm. Good-fair condition. Folding marks, wear and tear to margins.

• Letter sent to Jerusalem to Rabbi Ya'akov Berlin [the Netziv's father], from the young man Yisrael Isser Dorfman ben Meir Tzerkover, native of Jerusalem who studies in the Mogilev Yeshiva in Russia and is about to get engaged and he requests that his allowance that is being kept by Rabbi Ya'akov Berlin be tripled. Mogilev , the 9th of Nissan 1863. In the letter margins is a confirmation and signatures of the city's Rabbi "Meir Berlin" and Rabbi "Eliezer Lipman Rivlin".
• On the second leaf is another letter confirming receiving money signed by the young man Yisrael Isser Dorfman, and with the signatures of Rabbi Eliezer Lipman Rivlin and Rabbi Zvi Hirsh Natkin. Mogilev, 9th of Nissan 1863.
Rabbi Meir Berlin Av Beit Din of Mogilev (died in 1869), brother of Rabbi Ya'akov Berlin of Mir the Netziv's father. Served as Rabbi in Hlusk and for 40 years was Rabbi of Mogilev (Kherson region, on the Dnieper River) a central city in Russia and he was considered one of the most famous leading Torah figures of his generation together with Rabbi David Luria (the Radal) and Rabbi Avraham Simcha of Mstsislaw.
Rabbi Eliezer Lipman Rivlin (1800-1884), exceptional Torah genius from the school and family of the disciples of the Vilna Gaon. A few of his novellae appear in the book Divrei Shlomo in which he printed some of the Torah thoughts of his father Rabbi Shlomo Zalman of Shklow son of Rabbi Hillel Rivlin.
2 attached leaves, 21 cm. Good condition. Folding marks.