Long interesting autograph letter signed by R. Yitzchak (Isaac) Hutner. Jerusalem, Iyar 1933.
The letter was written to his teacher and friend from his Slobodka days, R. Baruch Yosef Feivelson [head of the Radin (Radun) Yeshiva and son-in-law of R. Naftali Trop]. R. Hutner describes in detail his inner world, his activities and plans: "Beloved elder brother! Truly, what time does, a person's mind cannot do. Recent events and facts flooded me with such force… I became engaged, married, made aliya… As you can see from the letterhead ["Isaac Hutner, Even Ezra Street, Rehavia, Jerusalem"] I am now residing in Rehavia Jerusalem. Rehavia is the 'intelligentsia neighborhood' and all ridicule me that I became an 'intelligent". However, what can I do, as you surely remember from my childhood days, I have become accustomed to this derision… My first step upon coming here is to immerse myself again in Torah study…For this purpose, I have chosen three very talented young men and we study together Tractate Mikva'ot, in depth, just like old times, and the voice of Torah can be vociferously heard in Rehavia. I have already been informed that R. Menachem Ussishkin [head of the Jewish Agency] (who is my neighbor), asked who is the man, in the style of the old Yishuv, that moved to Rehavia…" [This arrangement for studying Tractate Mikva'ot is mentioned in the book of R. Hirsh, pp. 127-129. The group of four was composed of R. Yitzchak and three young men: R. Simcha Zissel Broide, Simcha Pines and Hirsch Palei, men who eventually became Torah and Musar teachers in the Hebron Yeshiva and other yeshivas. Their study session was thorough in-depth study without pause from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. Once, one of the young men yawned in the middle of the session and R. Yitzchak slapped him saying that Mikva'ot and yawns do not go hand in hand…].
Further in the letter, R. Yitzchak details his plans for the near future for in-depth halachic study. He explains his leaning towards this type of learning and the benefit of studying Tur with the Beit Yosef commentary. "In my opinion, this is the first bridge between the treatise and the halacha". He summarizes his plans in his characteristic manner: "I cannot write you the results of this trial, even to express my assessment as to whether this will bring me success, because I am not among those who are quick to judge. When we correspond, and the time will come, I will write you in detail of the progress…".
Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner (1906-1980) studied in the Slabodka Yeshiva in Lithuania and in Hebron. In 1932, he published the book Torat HaNazir which surprised the Torah world with its original scholarly depth produced by such a young man. Two weeks after his marriage, he made aliya and resided one year in the Rehavia neighborhood of Jerusalem. In 1934, he moved to the US and stood at the helm of Metivta Chaim Berlin in NY for many years and at the same time served as one of the heads of US Mo'etzet Gedolei HaTorah. He was renowned for his thought-provoking halachic discourses and for his articles on Jewish philosophy on Hilchot De'ot B'Chovot HaLevavot, later published in the Pachad Yitzchak series.
Official stationery, 28 cm. Written on both sides and in the margins. Good-fair condition, creases and wear.
A long interesting letter that does not appear in the book Pachad Yitzchak Igrot U'Ktavim, and to the best of our knowledge has not been printed elsewhere.

Long letter of condolence, handwritten and signed by the Lubavitch-Chabad Rebbe Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson (the Rayatz), to Ms. Rachel Schneerson [mother of the poet Zelda], upon the death of her husband Rabbi Shalom Shlomo Schneerson. Leningrad, 1926
The rebbe opens the letter with the words: "I was taken aback by the sad news of the death of your husband, the renowned Rabbi…", and afterward he consoles and blesses her and her daughter. At the end of the letter, the Rayatz writes that he has decided not to show the widow's letter to his mother, Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah, wife of Rebbe Shalom Ber of Lubavitch lest her distress upon hearing of the tragedy cause her health to deteriorate in her old age.
R. Shalom Shlomo Schneerson, son of R. Baruch Shneuer Schneerson, related to the Lubavitch-Chabad Rebbes (father of R. Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, father of the last Chabad Rebbe), son-in-law of R. David Zvi (Radatz) Chen, Rabbi of Chernihiv (Russia) and a prominent Chabad rabbi. First he served as Rabbi in a Jewish agricultural colony in the Kherson district (Russia). Following the Bolshevik revolution, he left the colony and in Sivan 1925 moved to Eretz Israel together with his son-in-law the Radatz Chen and with his wife and only daughter Zelda. Less than one year after their Aliya to Jerusalem, the Radatz Chen died and six weeks later his son-in-law, Rabbi Shalom Shlomo also suddenly died after contracting pneumonia. His daughter, mentioned in the letter by the Rayatz is the celebrated poet Zelda who was 11 years old at the time of her father's death. Zelda, the orphan, received special permission to recite Kaddish in the Georgian synagogue and during the year of mourning, she said Kaddish daily for her father and grandfather.
15 autograph lines signed by the Rebbe the Rayatz. 21.5 cm. Good condition. Folding marks. Stains.

Autograph letter signed by Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson. Brooklyn, 1951.
Letter to Tamar Gluskin from the Hadar Yosef neighborhood of Tel Aviv. The Rebbetzin mentions "my son" [in his first year as rebbe after the death of his father-in-law, the Rayatz], and she writes that she sent the medicine. She requests that the recipient write her details about life in Eretz Israel and tells of her acclimation to the US.
The pious Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson (1880-1965), mother of R. Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the last Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe. "Eshet Haver" of the Rebbe's father, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, who alongside her husband was active during the Communist rule, first in the city of Yekatrinoslav, of which he was rabbi (today Dnipropetrovsk), and later she exiled with him to Kazakhstan to which he was banished as a penalty for his religious activities. During this time, the rebbetzin produced ink from weeds to enable her husband to write his Torah novellae and later risked her life by taking his writings with her in her wanderings. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak died in Kazakhstan and the rebbetzin crossed the Russian border to Poland, eventually reaching Paris, the city in which her son, the Rebbe, was living at that time. In 1947, she traveled to the US together with the Rebbe and his wife. Approximately three years later, the Rebbe the Rayatz died and was succeeded by Rebbe Menachem Mendel. From then until her death, she was active alongside her son and was very involved in the lives of the Chassidim and in various Chabad activities. She also served as a member of the board of Neshei and B'not Chabad (women's organizations) in the US.
On the verso of the letter, in a draft of the recipient's reply.
Letter (aerogram), 30X21 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and wear. Folding marks. Several small tears.

Large collection of letters and telegrams with good wishes upon the marriage of the groom R. Shmuel Weizel, son of R. David Weizel, Rabbi of Baranovich (Baranavichy, Poland), with the bride Hinda Segal daughter of R. Shalom Yitzchak Segal, Rabbi of Supraśl (Poland) and Trīškē (Lithuania). The wedding took place in Trīškē in the month of Adar 1933.
Letters, postcards and telegrams with good wishes, "alternative" telegrams [leaves which look like telegrams printed and sent by various charity institutes, on which people write their good wishes in their own handwriting and later are sent together by these institutes. This collection contains many telegrams of Tomchei Torah - a fund for assisting the young men studying at the Baranovich Yeshiva; of Ezrat Torah, the library of the Mir Yeshiva; the charity fund of the Beit Yosef-Novardok Yeshiva in Białystok; Keren Hayishuv affiliated with Agudat Yisrael; Or Torah Yeshiva in Tiberias; and telegrams with greetings, issued by the JNF, with Zionist postage stamps].
An impressive collection of dozens of autographs of great Lithuanian scholars, Torah leaders and heads of yeshivas and mussar figures. Among the telegrams from the Baranovich Yeshiva are letters of greetings and good wishes in the handwriting of the heads of the yeshiva: R. Elchanan Wasserman and R. David HaCohen Rappaport [author of Mikdash David], R. Simcha Wasserman, R. Zvi Guttman. Letters of greeting and good wishes from Rebbetzin Bluma Lubchansky, R. Asher Boirsky and many families in the community. Among the "telegrams" from the Mir Yeshiva is a letter of good wishes from "Naftali Beinish Wasserman" [son of R. Elchanan] and "Yisrael Mendel Kaplan". Among the "telegrams" from the Novardok Yeshiva [in which the groom studied] are letters from the mashgiach R. Yisrael Movshovitz, R. Nissan Patshinsky and R. Chaim Zeitchik
Letters from R. Yehuda Leib Fine, Rabbi of Slonim; R. Yechiel Michel Rabinowitz, Rabbi of Shtotzin [author of Afikei Yam]; R. Meir Avovitz, Rabbi of Navahrudak; heads of yeshivas and spiritual heads of various Novardok branches; dozens of other letters by rabbis and head of yeshivas in Lithuania and Poland and dozens more from family members and friends. [For more details, see Hebrew description].
R. Shmuel Weizel (1905-1978) was a prominent student of the Beit Yosef-Novardok Yeshiva in Białystok and a childhood friend of the Steipler. He made aliya to Eretz Israel in 1935 and served as Rabbi of several Tel-Aviv neighborhoods (Ya'avetz-HaTavor, and from 1958, rabbi of the Brenner neighborhood). The father of the groom is R. David Weizel (1875-Tishrei 1958), son-in-law of R. Chaim Yehuda Leib Lubchansky (the first rabbi of the Jewish community in Baranovich). After the death of R. Chaim Yehuda Leib, R. Yisrael Ya'akov Lubchansky (mashgiach of the Baranovich Yeshiva) succeeded his father, but he resigned and passed on the rabbinate to his brother-in-law R. David Weizel who held the position of rabbi of the city for 35 years, from 1906 until he was banished to Siberia in 1941. He was celebrated for his humility and piety. R. Yerucham of Mir attested that the Rabbi of Baranovich is a shining example of someone who flees honor, yet honor pursues him (Hane'eman Year 10, Issue 8, p. 35). After World War II, Rabbi David served as member of the Ichud HaRabbanim (union of rabbis) in the Prague DP Camp, and later traveled to Paris in 1947 and from there made Aliya to Tel Aviv. He lived a long life and died in Tishrei 1957. The father of the bride, R. Shalom Yitzchak Segal (1884-1935) was a leading Lithuanian rabbi, famous for his erudite Torah knowledge and his piety. He served for 20 years in the city of Supraśl and from 1921 as Rabbi of Trīškē.
More than 140 letters and telegrams. Size and condition vary.Very good to fair condition. Overall good condition.

Ketubah recording the marriage of the groom Eliyahu son of Yehuda son of Mordechai Ibn Atar, with the bride Miriam daughter of Shmuel HaLevi daughter of Menachem HaLevi Ben Shushan. Gibraltar, 1794.
Handwritten on vellum. The text of the ketubah is written in semi-cursive Sephardi script and is framed by an illustrated architectural frame topped with floral and vegetal patterns. Verses and blessings embellish the top of the ketubah and the inside of the frame. An additional outer frame with floral ornamentation.
The ketubah is written according to the custom of the "expelled" [Jews expelled from Spain who arrived in Gibraltar] as written at the end of the ketubah: "The custom and stipulations and regulations according to the tradition…of the holy communities expelled from the Kingdom of Castille…".
On the margins are the witnesses' signatures: "Shlomo Avraham" and "Yosef Konaki" with the groom's signature between them.
Aprox. 38X45 cm. Good condition, stains and folding marks. Framed. Unexamined outside of frame.
One of the earliest ketubot from Gibraltar (only three other ketubot from late 18th century are known).