* Including the Beit HaLevi, the Ridvaz, Rabbi Matityahu Shterashon, Rebbe Shmarya Noach Schneerson Av Beit Din of Babruysk, Rabbi Aryeh Leib Lipkin Son of Rabbi Yisrael of Salant and More – Signed in the Notebook of Beit Ya'akov by Rabbi Yechiel Michel Luria – With a Manuscript of the Composition that had not been Printed Manuscript, work on Talmudical Aggadot, Tractates Brachot, Ketubot, Bava Batra and compilations on the Torah. Autograph in the handwriting of the author, Rabbi Yechiel Michel ben Rabbi Ya'akov Luria, grandson of the Vilna Gaon and author of Seder HaDorot. * With a "Notebook of Signatures" containing signatures and letters of recommendation of rabbis including several written by famous Torah leaders.
The author wandered throughout Jewish communities in Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine, to collect subscribers to print his book as was the usual practice in those days. This is the "Notebook of Signatures" bound together with the manuscript, with over 100 signatures and letters, including dozens of famous rabbis who supported the publishing of the book and gave money in advance towards its printing. The names of cities visited by the author from 1883-1885 are listed in titles at the beginning of the notebook.
At the top of the leaf of signatures of Vilna rabbis is a warm letter of recommendation from the renowned Rabbi Ya'akov David Vilovsky, the Ridvaz who then served as a Torah authority in Vilnius and writes about the author "The great rabbi, elder… from holy lineage". In Vilnius, Rabbi Matityahu Shterson and the Re'em widow and brothers also signed.
In Brisk, the author received an enthusiastic letter of recommendation handwritten and signed by the rabbi of the city, author of Beit HaLevi who wrote a few lines in the book in his own handwriting: "I have seen many great people who have lavishly praised the rabbi… who is descended from a holy lineage, grandson of the Vilna Gaon… Yosef Duber ben Rabbi Yitzchak Ze'ev".
The author continued his journey to Minsk, there Rabbi Moshe Yehuda Leib Henden (author of Milei D'Brachot) wrote him a recommendation and many of the community's prominent members signed the recommendation. In the bordering city Ihumen, the city's Rabbi Aryeh Leib Lipkin wrote a few lines and signed his full name: "Aryeh Leib ben Rabbi Yisrael Salanter' [This was in Sivan 1883, a few months after the death of his father Rabbi Yisrael of Salant].
Later, the author traveled through Mahilyow (Mogilev) and he received the signature of Rabbi Natan Neta Netkin and of Rabbi Shlomo ben R' Shemaryahu Luria and from there proceeded to Babruysk. There the first to sign was the Chassidic rabbi of the city Rebbe "Shemarya Noach" Schneerson (Chabad Rebbe of the Kapust branch) next to many other signatures. Among them are Rabbi "Avraham Baruch ben R' Yosef Duber HaLevi Soloveitchik"). In the city of Homyel (Gomel), the author was supported by the city's Rabbi Zvi Dov. In Kiev, Rabbi Ze'ev Wolf ben Mohri Weil wrote him a letter of seven lines and in Kremenchuk, two rabbis wrote him letters of recommendation, Rabbi Yitzchak Yoel Refaelowitz and Rabbi Yisrael Ya'akov Ya'avetz.
So the author continued traveling and collecting subscribers' signatures for his book in many cities: Yelizavetgrad (Kirovohrad) (signature of Rabbi Yehuda Leib Epstein), Kharkiv (signature of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Baharav), Shpola, Uman, Ćmielów, Cherkasy, Alexandria (signature of R' Yoel Itkin), Kochanov, Kharkiv, Bender and Poltava where the city's Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Re'em signed.
The author, Rabbi Yechiel Michel Luria, author of Mayim Chaim novellae on the Talmud, (Warsaw, 1875) signed at the beginning of the book "Yechiel Michel ben Ya'akov Luria from Jerusalem". At the beginning of Imrei Noam (Warsaw, 1899) is a letter of Rabbi Yechiel Michel ben Rabbi Ya'akov of London written in Kislev 1897 that confirms that he bought the manuscript of the Vilna Gaon's novellae and explanations on Tractate Brachot from Rabbi Shmuel Meltzen and he sold the manuscript to the publishers who published it by Rabbi Aryeh Leib Lipkin Av Beit Din of Kretinga and Rabbi Shraga Meir Leizerovitz.
This work has not yet been printed, notwithstanding the large number of signatures of subscribers. In this manuscript, the author writes in the name of "my grandfather the Gaon", which are indeed things attributed to the Torah of the Vilna Gaon.
65 leaves, 21.5 cm. Varying condition, some leaves are damaged and restored. Leaves bound out of order. Elaborate leather binding.