Interesting letter handwritten and signed by R. Chaim HaLevi Soloveitchik, with the "Stamp of the Beit Din… Brisk in Lithuania. Brisk (Brest), Tevet 1895.
Sent to a R. Avraham David (who presumably served as rabbi or posek). In his letter, R. Chaim expresses his surprise, why the inquiring rabbi, who obviously possesses straight reasoning and does not rule unless he has fully clarity, is later second-guessing himself and his ability to rule. At the end of the letter, R. Chaim adds: "His honor should not bear grudge against me for not expanding on Halachic topics, since the time does not allow me to".
This letter, written in the early days of R. Chaim's tenure as rabbi of Brisk, was written entirely in his own handwriting, unlike letters from later periods, which were written on his behalf by his attendants and household members.
R. Chaim HaLevi Soloveitchik of Brisk, Rabbi of Brisk (1853-1918), a foremost Torah scholar in Lithuania and one of the leaders of his generation, is considered the initiator of the learning method in Lithuanian yeshivot. He was the son of R. Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, the Beit HaLevi, and son-in-law of R. Refael Shapira, dean of the Volozhin yeshiva and son-in-law of the Netziv. After his marriage, he began serving as a third dean of the Volozhin yeshiva. With the yeshiva's closure, he proceeded to succeed his father, who passed away in 1894, as rabbi of Brisk, and continued teaching Torah to a small group of elite students. He was known for the uncompromising battle he waged against Zionism (R. Chaim would frequently say that the Zionist movement's prime objective is to uproot faith and Torah observance from the Jewish people). He was one of the founders of Agudath Yisrael, yet despite his extensive public and charitable activity, he did not cease innovating and learning Torah in his thoughts, delving deeply in Torah topics until to absolute exhaustion. A small compendium of his novellae was printed some twenty years after his passing, in the book Chiddushei Rabbeinu Chaim HaLevi on the Rambam, published by his son R. Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik Rabbi of Brisk (Brisk, 1936 – in the foreword by the author's sons, they write how this book was written over a period of many years, revised over and over again, "even a hundred times"). Many novellae were disseminated orally in his name throughout Lithuanian yeshivot, transmitted and copied by many writers, resulting in the stencil edition of Chiddushei HaGaon R. Chaim [in recent years, several books were published based on R. Chaim's draft notebooks, including some novellae parallel to those printed in Chiddushei HaGaon R. Chaim based on oral transmission].
[1] leaf. Approx. 13X22 cm. Fair condition. Severe wear, slightly affecting text, professionally repaired.
The verso of the leaf contains novellae on the laws of Treifot (presumably written by the recipient of the letter).

A letter (14 lines), handwritten and signed by R. Yitzchak Yaakov Rabinowitz Rabbi of Ponevezh – R. Itzele Ponevezher. Ponevezh, Rosh Chodesh Tamuz 1914.
Letter with good wishes to his disciple R. Eliezer Ze'ev Luft, upon his unanimous appointment to the Ribinishok (Lithuania) rabbinate.
R. Yitzchak Yaakov Rabinowitz [R. Itzele Ponevezher] (1853-1919, Otzar HaRabbanim 11378) disciple of the Beit HaLevi and study-partner of his son R. Chaim Soloveitchik for two years. In 1889, the Saba of Slabodka summoned him to head the Slabodka Yeshiva. In 1894, he left Slabodka for the Gruzdziai rabbinate and later relocated to officiate in the Ponevezh rabbinate. In each place, in addition to performing rabbinical tasks, he taught Torah to flocks of disciples and paved a new way of study. A wellspring of Torah, his method of learning is famous in Yeshiva circles until this very day. He died in the typhus epidemic after continually visiting residents of his town who had contracted the disease. Remnants of his Torah novellae were printed in the book Zecher Yitzchak.
The recipient: R. Eliezer Ze'ev Luft (1871-1920), a leading figure of the Mussar Movement. Disciple of the Saba of Slabodka and disciple of R. Itzele Rabinowitz at the time he headed the Slabodka Yeshiva. After R. Rabinowitz left Slobodka in 1894 to serve in the Gruzdziai rabbinate, R. Eliezer Ze'ev was sent by the Saba of Slabodka to join the first nucleus of the Gruzdziai yeshiva. From 1901-1906, he taught and served as mashgiach at the Telz and Radin yeshivot. In 1906, he was appointed rabbi in Kamajai (Lithuania) and established a yeshiva in the city. In the summer of 1914, he accepted the position of Rabbi of Ribinishok wherein he established a yeshiva following the mussar methods acquired from his teacher the Saba of Slabodka. Upon the outbreak of WWI, he wandered with his disciples and finally joined the Chafetz Chaim's yeshiva which had exiled deep into Belarus.
[1] leaf. 20.5 cm. Good condition. Stains and light creases. Filing holes.

Letter (26 lines), handwritten and signed by the Kabbalist R. Shlomo Elyashov, author of Leshem Shvo V'Achlama. Šiauliai (Lithuania), Tishrei 1901.
Interesting letter, opening with wishes for "gmar chatima tova, with much good in physical and spiritual realms" and concluding with "May G-d renew upon us a good year, a year of Redemption and salvation for the nation and the individual… His close friend, who blesses him with all the good in the world… Shlomo Eliashov". Sent to his close friend and relative in London, R. Shraga Meir Leizerovitz of Kelm. The letter discusses various matters: financial assistance for a family member from Šiauliai; experts in producing first-rate Tefillin in Lithuania; and publishing Kabbalistic writings from the period of the Rishonim extant in manuscript form in London.
"...And regarding the finding in his town of Kabbalistic writings from the Rishonim. If these manuscripts are from prominent Rishonim such as the Ramban and the Rashba, of which I heard manuscripts exist on Sefer Yetzira, and all the more so if they are from early Geonim such as R. Hai Gaon and R. Paltoi Gaon and their colleagues, specifically early Geonim, certainly it is very fitting to copy them, and may G-d grant that it should be possible to publish them. But apart from the aforementioned Geonim, I can't answer him anything, since from the moment the Gates of Light were revealed to us from the Arizal through R. Chaim Vital, as well as all the renowned holy books by the Remak, all other Kabbalistic books were sealed…".
The holy Torah scholar, R. Shlomo Elyashov (1851-1926), a leading Kabbalist in Lithuania – "the G-dly Kabbalist, Master of secrets, Unique in his generation…" (as his disciple R. Aryeh Levine described him in the title page of the biography he wrote about him), lived in Šiauliai (Lithuania). R. Shlomo became renowned at a young age for his proficiency in Kabbalah, and he arranged for printing most of the writings of the Gaon of Vilna on Kabbalah. His notes on Etz Chaim were printed in the Warsaw 1891 edition under the title Hagahot HaRav SheVaCh (Shlomo ben Chaikel). His series of books on Kabbalah named Leshem Shvo V'Achlama were published in 1909-1948, and are considered fundamental works on the study of Kabbalah. His books and writings were composed amidst much holiness and purity (he reputedly also used Hashbaat HaKulmus). He entertained a close relationship with the Chafetz Chaim, who visited him in his home in Šiauliai and Homel (Gomel) several times (the Chafetz Chaim once spent a Shabbat with him in Šiauliai, and on that occasion, the women of the family ate the meals in a different room. See the letter of R. Tzvi Hirsh Farber, Yeshurun, 5, p. 663, no. 6). The Chafetz Chaim urged his disciple R. Eliyahu Dushnitzer to go visit the Leshem, famously saying that in this world one may still merit to see him, while in the Next World, his place will be in the highest spheres, and we will be far from him.
The recipient of the letter: R. Shraga Meir Leizerovitz (1840-1929) was a native of Kelm. He was a pious person and a Kabbalist, close to R. Leib'ly Chassid of Kelm, the foremost Kabbalists of Lithuania (the Leshem, R. Aryeh Leib Lipkin of Kretinga, R. Aharon Shlomo Maharil, R. Yitzchak Meltzan and others) and the leading disciples of R. Yisrael of Salant.
He arrived in England in the early 1890s, where he served for many years a rabbi of Chevrat Shas. In his later years he immigrated to Jerusalem.
Postcard, 14 cm. Good condition. Stains (mainly on the side of the address and stamps). Postal stamping of Šiauliai and London.