Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $6,000
Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000
Unsold
Large handwritten leaf, letter in Arabic on behalf of the Jewish community of Safed, addressed to the consuls of European countries (based in Haifa), with an impassioned plea for assistance in the wake of the city's destruction in the earthquake, and following the looting which devastated the community during the Peasants' revolt. With the stamp of Rebbe Avraham Dov of Ovritsh (Ovruch) author of Bat Ayin, and the stamp of R. Gershon Margolies (head of the Chassidic community). Safed, Shevat 1837. Important letter documenting the history of the Safed community.
Large format leaf, written in Arabic. At the foot of the letter, on the left, signature in Arabic (presumably written by the scribe) "Avraham Dov – representative of Russian subjects in Safed" (translated from Arabic), together with his stamp (in Hebrew): "Avraham Dov of Zhitomir". On the right, signature in Arabic (presumably written by the scribe): "Gershon – representative of German subjects" (translated from Arabic), with his stamp (in Hebrew – difficult to decipher).
The letter describes the difficult state of Safed Jewry in the wake of the earthquake, which claimed the lives of some two thousand Jewish residents. This calamity closely followed the pogroms and widespread looting which local Arab mobs perpetrated on the Jews of the city, during the course of the Peasants' Revolt. The letter portrays the horrors they endured during the pogroms, including murder and injury of men, women and children, the defilement of women, and other atrocities, and depicts how these troubles were compounded by the present earthquake which destroyed their homes and their few remaining possessions, killed thousands, and left countless of wounded without food nor a roof over their heads. The writers ask the consuls of the various countries to intercede on their behalf and obtain support and assistance for them.
At the start of the 19th century, Safed was one of the prominent communities in Eretz Israel. Safed was home to two famous communities: the Chassidic community, founded by the disciples of the Baal Shem Tov, alongside the community of the disciples of the Gaon of Vilna. In the 1830s, the Chassidic community was headed by R. Avraham Dov of Ovritsh. The Perushim community was led by R. Yisrael of Shklow, disciple of the Gaon of Vilna. In that period, two great calamities befell the city, and led to its destruction: the first was the Safed riots which evolved from the Peasants' Revolt in 1834, and the second – the deadly earthquake in 1837.
The Peasants' Revolt erupted following the decree of Muhammad Ali, ruler of Egypt (who also ruled over Eretz Israel) and his son Ibrahim Pasha, who imposed a general conscription order on the local population. The Muslim tribes rebelled against this enlistment duty and started a popular uprising, during which the rebels attacked the Jewish population, looting, murdering and cruelly torturing their victims. The Safed community was one of the main victims of these riots. Apart from the casualties, the rebels looted Jewish property. They robbed and destroyed private homes, broke into synagogues and Batei Midrash, ripped and desecrated Torah scrolls and holy books. They also raided R. Yisrael Bak's printing press, destroying the machinery and equipment, and damaging any books they found. Only the book Pe'at HaShulchan by R. Yisrael of Shklow, which was in the process of being printed, was miraculously spared. The book was printed after the reestablishment of the press, in 1836, and in its preface, R. Yisrael describes the riots.
While the community was still licking its wounds from the riots, the earthquake struck, completely devastating the city. The earthquake took place on 24th Tevet 1837, while the Mincha services were being held in the synagogues. It hit Tiberias, Shechem and other towns as well, yet the main victim was Safed. R. Yisrael of Shklow, who was staying at that time in Jerusalem, describes the calamity in a letter he sent to the Chatam Sofer.
Another description of the disaster is found in a different letter, which R. Yisrael of Shklow sent to R. Tzvi Hirsch Lehren, informing him that the Rebbe Avraham Dov of Ovritsh and R. Gershon Margolies (whose stamps appear on this leaf) both survived the earthquake.
R. Yisrael of Shklow regarded the earthquake as a sign of the approaching Redemption (in accordance with the saying of the sages: "With the approach of Mashiach, the Galilee will be destroyed"), yet the Chatam Sofer attributed it to a different cause. In a eulogy he delivered on "the death of Tzaddikim and the destruction of the Galilee" in the Pressburg synagogue, in Iyar that year, the Chatam Sofer asserted that the earthquake came as a retribution for the fact that the immigrants preferred Safed over the holy city of Jerusalem.
Rebbe Avraham Dov of Ovritsh, signatory of this appeal, suffered greatly during the Peasants' Revolt in 1834, and most his possessions were looted. He then miraculously survived the earthquake in 1837. The miracle of his rescue is well-known. As mentioned, the earthquake struck during Mincha. Rebbe Avraham Dov warned his Chassidim not to leave the synagogue, and he lay on the floor of his Beit Midrash, surrounded by the congregants, who were clutching his belt. The entire building collapsed, apart from the small area where he and his Chassidim lay (the Rebbe later related that he recognized that the earthquake was not a natural event since the stones were cast to the sides and did not fall directly to the ground, in defiance of the laws of gravity. He understood that great power had been granted to the Satan, and he therefore lay submissively on the ground in fulfillment of the verse "Hide for but a moment, until the wrath passes"). This letter was written approximately a month following the earthquake. R. Yisrael of Shklow and his colleagues left Safed in the wake of the earthquake, and established the Perushim community in Jerusalem. A year later, Safed was once again looted by Druze tribes, and during that time Rebbe Avraham Dov of Ovritsh was captured, and was only released once the community paid his ransom.
Rebbe Avraham Dov of Ovritsh (1765-1840), a renowned Chassidic leader. He was a disciple of Rebbe Nachum of Chernobyl and his son R. Mordechai, as well as of R. Zusha of Anipoli and R. Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev. He also associated with the Rebbe of Apta, R. Yisrael of Ruzhin, R. Aharon of Chernobyl and R. Aharon of Zhitomir. He served for a short while as rabbi of Chmelnik (Khmilnyk), yet most of his life (for some forty years), he was the rabbi of Ovritsh, by which name he was known for posterity. In 1825, he moved to Zhitomir where he was appointed head of the Beit Din.
In 1833, he immigrated to Eretz Israel, settling in Safed, where he established his Beit Midrash and served as rabbi and leader of the Chassidic communities in Safed. Through his illustrious personality, he brought together all sections of the Chassidic community, and created bonds with the Sephardi and Perushim communities. R. Yisrael of Shklow, disciple of the Gaon of Vilna and head of the Perushim community, held him in high esteem, and they together managed all communal matters. His study companion was R. Leib Baal HaYisurim. He drew many to repentance, and would advise them to engage in the study of Mishnayot.
Following the earthquake, he helped rebuild the Safed community, and did not allow the holy city to be abandoned. He perished in a plague in 1840, and with his passing, the plague ceased. He was buried in the Safed cemetery, close to the gravesites of R. Aryeh Leib of Volochysk and R. David Shlomo author of Levushei Serad. Many miraculous stories are told of his exceptional holiness and ability to bring salvations for the Jewish people. (Until this day, the Bat Ayin Beit Midrash in the Old city of Safed holds his chair, his Torah scroll with the original Torah ark and Bimah, and other holy items belonging to him, and the gabbaim report of miraculous salvations which occurred to people after sitting on his chair). His book Bat Ayin was printed in Jerusalem, 1847 and in Zhitomir in 1850, in different editions, and is considered a basic book of Chassidic teachings.
Large leaf, 68 cm. Good condition. Thick paper. Stains. Folding marks. Several tears to folds.
Provenance: the collection of Jean-Jacques-Pierre Desmaisons (1807-1873), Russian Orientalist and diplomat, professor of Oriental languages.
Large format leaf, written in Arabic. At the foot of the letter, on the left, signature in Arabic (presumably written by the scribe) "Avraham Dov – representative of Russian subjects in Safed" (translated from Arabic), together with his stamp (in Hebrew): "Avraham Dov of Zhitomir". On the right, signature in Arabic (presumably written by the scribe): "Gershon – representative of German subjects" (translated from Arabic), with his stamp (in Hebrew – difficult to decipher).
The letter describes the difficult state of Safed Jewry in the wake of the earthquake, which claimed the lives of some two thousand Jewish residents. This calamity closely followed the pogroms and widespread looting which local Arab mobs perpetrated on the Jews of the city, during the course of the Peasants' Revolt. The letter portrays the horrors they endured during the pogroms, including murder and injury of men, women and children, the defilement of women, and other atrocities, and depicts how these troubles were compounded by the present earthquake which destroyed their homes and their few remaining possessions, killed thousands, and left countless of wounded without food nor a roof over their heads. The writers ask the consuls of the various countries to intercede on their behalf and obtain support and assistance for them.
At the start of the 19th century, Safed was one of the prominent communities in Eretz Israel. Safed was home to two famous communities: the Chassidic community, founded by the disciples of the Baal Shem Tov, alongside the community of the disciples of the Gaon of Vilna. In the 1830s, the Chassidic community was headed by R. Avraham Dov of Ovritsh. The Perushim community was led by R. Yisrael of Shklow, disciple of the Gaon of Vilna. In that period, two great calamities befell the city, and led to its destruction: the first was the Safed riots which evolved from the Peasants' Revolt in 1834, and the second – the deadly earthquake in 1837.
The Peasants' Revolt erupted following the decree of Muhammad Ali, ruler of Egypt (who also ruled over Eretz Israel) and his son Ibrahim Pasha, who imposed a general conscription order on the local population. The Muslim tribes rebelled against this enlistment duty and started a popular uprising, during which the rebels attacked the Jewish population, looting, murdering and cruelly torturing their victims. The Safed community was one of the main victims of these riots. Apart from the casualties, the rebels looted Jewish property. They robbed and destroyed private homes, broke into synagogues and Batei Midrash, ripped and desecrated Torah scrolls and holy books. They also raided R. Yisrael Bak's printing press, destroying the machinery and equipment, and damaging any books they found. Only the book Pe'at HaShulchan by R. Yisrael of Shklow, which was in the process of being printed, was miraculously spared. The book was printed after the reestablishment of the press, in 1836, and in its preface, R. Yisrael describes the riots.
While the community was still licking its wounds from the riots, the earthquake struck, completely devastating the city. The earthquake took place on 24th Tevet 1837, while the Mincha services were being held in the synagogues. It hit Tiberias, Shechem and other towns as well, yet the main victim was Safed. R. Yisrael of Shklow, who was staying at that time in Jerusalem, describes the calamity in a letter he sent to the Chatam Sofer.
Another description of the disaster is found in a different letter, which R. Yisrael of Shklow sent to R. Tzvi Hirsch Lehren, informing him that the Rebbe Avraham Dov of Ovritsh and R. Gershon Margolies (whose stamps appear on this leaf) both survived the earthquake.
R. Yisrael of Shklow regarded the earthquake as a sign of the approaching Redemption (in accordance with the saying of the sages: "With the approach of Mashiach, the Galilee will be destroyed"), yet the Chatam Sofer attributed it to a different cause. In a eulogy he delivered on "the death of Tzaddikim and the destruction of the Galilee" in the Pressburg synagogue, in Iyar that year, the Chatam Sofer asserted that the earthquake came as a retribution for the fact that the immigrants preferred Safed over the holy city of Jerusalem.
Rebbe Avraham Dov of Ovritsh, signatory of this appeal, suffered greatly during the Peasants' Revolt in 1834, and most his possessions were looted. He then miraculously survived the earthquake in 1837. The miracle of his rescue is well-known. As mentioned, the earthquake struck during Mincha. Rebbe Avraham Dov warned his Chassidim not to leave the synagogue, and he lay on the floor of his Beit Midrash, surrounded by the congregants, who were clutching his belt. The entire building collapsed, apart from the small area where he and his Chassidim lay (the Rebbe later related that he recognized that the earthquake was not a natural event since the stones were cast to the sides and did not fall directly to the ground, in defiance of the laws of gravity. He understood that great power had been granted to the Satan, and he therefore lay submissively on the ground in fulfillment of the verse "Hide for but a moment, until the wrath passes"). This letter was written approximately a month following the earthquake. R. Yisrael of Shklow and his colleagues left Safed in the wake of the earthquake, and established the Perushim community in Jerusalem. A year later, Safed was once again looted by Druze tribes, and during that time Rebbe Avraham Dov of Ovritsh was captured, and was only released once the community paid his ransom.
Rebbe Avraham Dov of Ovritsh (1765-1840), a renowned Chassidic leader. He was a disciple of Rebbe Nachum of Chernobyl and his son R. Mordechai, as well as of R. Zusha of Anipoli and R. Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev. He also associated with the Rebbe of Apta, R. Yisrael of Ruzhin, R. Aharon of Chernobyl and R. Aharon of Zhitomir. He served for a short while as rabbi of Chmelnik (Khmilnyk), yet most of his life (for some forty years), he was the rabbi of Ovritsh, by which name he was known for posterity. In 1825, he moved to Zhitomir where he was appointed head of the Beit Din.
In 1833, he immigrated to Eretz Israel, settling in Safed, where he established his Beit Midrash and served as rabbi and leader of the Chassidic communities in Safed. Through his illustrious personality, he brought together all sections of the Chassidic community, and created bonds with the Sephardi and Perushim communities. R. Yisrael of Shklow, disciple of the Gaon of Vilna and head of the Perushim community, held him in high esteem, and they together managed all communal matters. His study companion was R. Leib Baal HaYisurim. He drew many to repentance, and would advise them to engage in the study of Mishnayot.
Following the earthquake, he helped rebuild the Safed community, and did not allow the holy city to be abandoned. He perished in a plague in 1840, and with his passing, the plague ceased. He was buried in the Safed cemetery, close to the gravesites of R. Aryeh Leib of Volochysk and R. David Shlomo author of Levushei Serad. Many miraculous stories are told of his exceptional holiness and ability to bring salvations for the Jewish people. (Until this day, the Bat Ayin Beit Midrash in the Old city of Safed holds his chair, his Torah scroll with the original Torah ark and Bimah, and other holy items belonging to him, and the gabbaim report of miraculous salvations which occurred to people after sitting on his chair). His book Bat Ayin was printed in Jerusalem, 1847 and in Zhitomir in 1850, in different editions, and is considered a basic book of Chassidic teachings.
Large leaf, 68 cm. Good condition. Thick paper. Stains. Folding marks. Several tears to folds.
Provenance: the collection of Jean-Jacques-Pierre Desmaisons (1807-1873), Russian Orientalist and diplomat, professor of Oriental languages.
Category
Jerusalem and Eretz Israel – Letters and Documents
Catalogue
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $8,000
Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000
Sold for: $15,000
Including buyer's premium
A long, interesting letter handwritten and signed by Warder Cresson, the first person to be appointed USA consul to Jerusalem. Written in Jerusalem (Mount Zion) on September 13, 1860 (shortly before his death) and sent to Ann Paschal Jackson of Pennsylvania, USA. With the letter is enclosed the original envelope in which it was sent (with postmarks of the French postal services in Jerusalem and Jaffa and other postmarks). English.
Warder Cresson, one of the most fascinating figures in the history of Jerusalem in the 19th century, was born to a Quaker family in the USA. He was appointed the first USA consul to Jerusalem (an appointment that was cancelled even before his arrival to Eretz Israel) and eventually moved to the city permanently, converted to Judaism and consequently stood trial in the USA, the claim being he had lost his mind.
The letter before us was written when he was sick, shortly before his death, to his friend Ann Paschal Jackson, a Quaker minister in the USA. The letter indicates Cresson's sense of belonging to the Jewish community of Jerusalem. He writes about the sanctity of the city and his desire to be buried there, about his way of life combining prayer and the study of the Torah, about the severing of his ties with his family in the USA, and about many additional issues, all this while quoting many biblical verses. Cresson begins his letter with the verse "And the redeemed of the Lord shall return & come to Zion" (Isaiah, 35, 10). The first part of the letter deals mainly with this verse and the idea of the Jews' return to Zion. In this context, Cresson writes about the Muslim inhabitants of Eretz Israel: "Hagar, the mother of Ishmael & the present Turks, was a very bad Woman, & her Son was very bad; & so are very many of their descendants, therefore G-d said to Sarah, 'Cast out the Bond-Woman, & her Son; for the Son of this Bondwoman, shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac'. Gen. 21c-10v. & Why? Because neither Hagar, nor Ishmael, was either of them, the 'Redeemed of Lord'… & very soon, they will be 'cast-out' from this land, as the
52nd Chapter of Isaiah declares, & not return to Zion with the Redeemed of the Lord…".
Later in the letter, Cresson addresses his visit to the USA in 1848 (a visit he made after his conversion and during which he was prosecuted by his family members): "In the year 1848, I returned, at the particular request of my family, to America, & I very soon found, that I had got out of the 'field of Boaz'… for I found, that all their Conversations; their Places of Diversion; – their Pleasures – Their Love of mammon, would eventually land me, in the field of Weakness & Sin & I therefore determined, to return to Jerusalem, at every Sacrifise, as soon as possibly could; wh. I did… I am here; where I hope to lay my Bones".
In the course of his writing, Cresson describes Jerusalem, while citing from the Book of Psalms, Isaiah and Jeremiah, and also describes his Jewish way of life: three prayers a day ("as our Blessed David says in Psalms 55c-17"), study of Torah, visiting the poor and the sick, writing, and more. In addition, Cresson relates that several people chose to convert to Judaism in Jerusalem, among them a Catholic woman ("The Rabbis questioned her very closely & found, that the Truth & Light of G-d had been doing their work, & therefore they could not reject her").
Warder Cresson (1798-1860, also known by his Hebrew name Michael Boaz Yisrael Ben Avraham), was born to a wealthy Quaker family in Philadelphia. In 1830, Cresson published the composition "Babylon the Great is Falling!" which decisively denunciated the degeneration that had, in his opinion, spread in American Christianity. In the following years, he changed his religion five times, eventually adopting a Messianic faith according to which redemption is dependent on the Jews returning to Eretz Israel.
When in 1844, he was offered the office of American consul to Jerusalem, he immediately accepted, even without pay, and in May of that same year, President John Tyler signed his decree of appointment. However, when the White House heard rumors of his Messianic beliefs, it was decided to cancel the appointment. Cresson was already on his way to Eretz Israel and therefore never received the announcement about the cancelling of his appointment. With his arrival to Jerusalem, he declared himself the USA consul to Jerusalem and started to advocate the return of Jews to Eretz Israel. He even sold capitulations on behalf of the USA government. He stopped his activity only after being notified that if he continues presenting himself as consul, he will be banished from the country.
Despite the cancellation, Cresson decided to remain in Eretz Israel and in 1848, converted to Judaism. When he traveled to the USA to liquidate his business once and for all, his family issued a court order ordering his hospitalization, the claim being he had lost his mind. The trial garnered unprecedented public interest, was held with the participation of dozens of witnesses (some of them well-known figures such as Moses Montefiore and Mordechai Emanuel Noah), and at its end – Cresson was acquitted and was permitted to return to Eretz Israel.
In his final years he settled in Jerusalem, devoted himself to the study of the Torah and became an honorable member of the Sephardic community of Jerusalem. At the same time, he conducted important agricultural experiments, opened several small schools for agriculture in the vicinity of Jaffa and even attempted to open an agricultural farm in the area of Emek Refa'im in Jerusalem. He married a Jewish woman named Rachel Moledano and the couple had two children. In 1860 he died of a prolonged illness. He was buried in the Mount of Olives cemetery.
Enclosed is the original envelope in which the letter was sent, with postmarks of the various stations it had gone through on its way from Jerusalem to Pennsylvania. The letter was sent using the French post in Jerusalem (with a "Jerusalem Cross" postmark), via the French post in Jaffa (postmark from September 15 1860), then through Alexandria, Lyon, Paris and Boston.
Letter: [1] folded leaf (four pages handwritten by him), 26.5 cm. Good condition. Fold lines. A few stains. A few tiny tears along edges and fold lines. Envelope: 8X13.5 cm. Good condition. Minor creases and stains. Was opened with a letter opener at the edge.
Warder Cresson, one of the most fascinating figures in the history of Jerusalem in the 19th century, was born to a Quaker family in the USA. He was appointed the first USA consul to Jerusalem (an appointment that was cancelled even before his arrival to Eretz Israel) and eventually moved to the city permanently, converted to Judaism and consequently stood trial in the USA, the claim being he had lost his mind.
The letter before us was written when he was sick, shortly before his death, to his friend Ann Paschal Jackson, a Quaker minister in the USA. The letter indicates Cresson's sense of belonging to the Jewish community of Jerusalem. He writes about the sanctity of the city and his desire to be buried there, about his way of life combining prayer and the study of the Torah, about the severing of his ties with his family in the USA, and about many additional issues, all this while quoting many biblical verses. Cresson begins his letter with the verse "And the redeemed of the Lord shall return & come to Zion" (Isaiah, 35, 10). The first part of the letter deals mainly with this verse and the idea of the Jews' return to Zion. In this context, Cresson writes about the Muslim inhabitants of Eretz Israel: "Hagar, the mother of Ishmael & the present Turks, was a very bad Woman, & her Son was very bad; & so are very many of their descendants, therefore G-d said to Sarah, 'Cast out the Bond-Woman, & her Son; for the Son of this Bondwoman, shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac'. Gen. 21c-10v. & Why? Because neither Hagar, nor Ishmael, was either of them, the 'Redeemed of Lord'… & very soon, they will be 'cast-out' from this land, as the
52nd Chapter of Isaiah declares, & not return to Zion with the Redeemed of the Lord…".
Later in the letter, Cresson addresses his visit to the USA in 1848 (a visit he made after his conversion and during which he was prosecuted by his family members): "In the year 1848, I returned, at the particular request of my family, to America, & I very soon found, that I had got out of the 'field of Boaz'… for I found, that all their Conversations; their Places of Diversion; – their Pleasures – Their Love of mammon, would eventually land me, in the field of Weakness & Sin & I therefore determined, to return to Jerusalem, at every Sacrifise, as soon as possibly could; wh. I did… I am here; where I hope to lay my Bones".
In the course of his writing, Cresson describes Jerusalem, while citing from the Book of Psalms, Isaiah and Jeremiah, and also describes his Jewish way of life: three prayers a day ("as our Blessed David says in Psalms 55c-17"), study of Torah, visiting the poor and the sick, writing, and more. In addition, Cresson relates that several people chose to convert to Judaism in Jerusalem, among them a Catholic woman ("The Rabbis questioned her very closely & found, that the Truth & Light of G-d had been doing their work, & therefore they could not reject her").
Warder Cresson (1798-1860, also known by his Hebrew name Michael Boaz Yisrael Ben Avraham), was born to a wealthy Quaker family in Philadelphia. In 1830, Cresson published the composition "Babylon the Great is Falling!" which decisively denunciated the degeneration that had, in his opinion, spread in American Christianity. In the following years, he changed his religion five times, eventually adopting a Messianic faith according to which redemption is dependent on the Jews returning to Eretz Israel.
When in 1844, he was offered the office of American consul to Jerusalem, he immediately accepted, even without pay, and in May of that same year, President John Tyler signed his decree of appointment. However, when the White House heard rumors of his Messianic beliefs, it was decided to cancel the appointment. Cresson was already on his way to Eretz Israel and therefore never received the announcement about the cancelling of his appointment. With his arrival to Jerusalem, he declared himself the USA consul to Jerusalem and started to advocate the return of Jews to Eretz Israel. He even sold capitulations on behalf of the USA government. He stopped his activity only after being notified that if he continues presenting himself as consul, he will be banished from the country.
Despite the cancellation, Cresson decided to remain in Eretz Israel and in 1848, converted to Judaism. When he traveled to the USA to liquidate his business once and for all, his family issued a court order ordering his hospitalization, the claim being he had lost his mind. The trial garnered unprecedented public interest, was held with the participation of dozens of witnesses (some of them well-known figures such as Moses Montefiore and Mordechai Emanuel Noah), and at its end – Cresson was acquitted and was permitted to return to Eretz Israel.
In his final years he settled in Jerusalem, devoted himself to the study of the Torah and became an honorable member of the Sephardic community of Jerusalem. At the same time, he conducted important agricultural experiments, opened several small schools for agriculture in the vicinity of Jaffa and even attempted to open an agricultural farm in the area of Emek Refa'im in Jerusalem. He married a Jewish woman named Rachel Moledano and the couple had two children. In 1860 he died of a prolonged illness. He was buried in the Mount of Olives cemetery.
Enclosed is the original envelope in which the letter was sent, with postmarks of the various stations it had gone through on its way from Jerusalem to Pennsylvania. The letter was sent using the French post in Jerusalem (with a "Jerusalem Cross" postmark), via the French post in Jaffa (postmark from September 15 1860), then through Alexandria, Lyon, Paris and Boston.
Letter: [1] folded leaf (four pages handwritten by him), 26.5 cm. Good condition. Fold lines. A few stains. A few tiny tears along edges and fold lines. Envelope: 8X13.5 cm. Good condition. Minor creases and stains. Was opened with a letter opener at the edge.
Category
Jerusalem and Eretz Israel – Letters and Documents
Catalogue
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $2,000
Estimate: $5,000 - $8,000
Sold for: $5,750
Including buyer's premium
Letter sent to Calcutta, regarding the emissary of Kollel Polin in India, with the signatures of four Jerusalem Torah leaders: the Gaon of Kutno author of Zayit Raanan, R. Yitzchak David son of Rebbe Moshe of Lelov, and the holy brothers R. Nachum of Shadek and R. Yaakov Yehuda Leib Levi-Weissfish. Jerusalem, [1859].
Addressed to the magnate David Yosef Ezra, a prominent philanthropist in Calcutta, India, in preparation for the arrival of R. Yaakov Eliezer, emissary of Kollel Warsaw, who would be travelling to Indian cities, raising funds for the building of a synagogue and study hall for the Torah scholars of Kollel Warsaw. Kollel Warsaw was at that time one of the new Kollelim in Jerusalem, established following the large wave of immigration from Poland in the 1840s-1850s. The founders and administrators of the Kollel were the leading Torah scholars originating from Poland, signatories of this letter. Due to the difficult conditions which prevailed in those days, establishing the Kollel necessitated overcoming numerous hurdles, as the rabbis relate in this letter. They describe the absence of a permanent location for their outstanding Torah scholars to study and pray in, unlike other Kollelim who each have their own institutions. They explain that a suitable location was found and secured, but large sums of money are needed to finalize the acquisition.
The rabbis write that they sent a special emissary to India, and that this letter is an introduction to the letters the emissary would be carrying with him.
At the beginning of the letter, the rabbis mention that they pray regularly on behalf of their donors, especially at holy sites in Eretz Israel, such as the Kotel and Kever Rachel.
This letter constitutes an interesting historic document recording the development of the Old Yishuv in Jerusalem. The establishment of the Ashkenazi settlement was the product of a complex and protracted process of setting up institutions for prayer, Torah study and charity, alongside the construction of new apartment buildings and neighborhoods. These enterprises were coordinated by the Kollelim, which were comprised of natives of their respective communities in Europe, with each community providing for the needs of their senior and newly arrived immigrants. The Kollel administered donations received from its country of origin, and these served as the basis for the existence and development of the Kollelim and their institutions. Kollel Warsaw (later renamed Kupat Rabbi Meir Baal HaNess – Kollel Polin) was founded slightly later, while several both major and smaller Kollelim were already functioning in Jerusalem. In the 1840-1850s, immigration from Poland increased, creating the need for an independent framework, which resulted in the founding of Kollel Warsaw – eventually one of the most prominent Kollelim in the city.
The four signatories on the letter:
The Gaon of Kutno, R. Moshe Yehuda Leib Zylberberg (1798-1865) author of Zayit Raanan and Tiferet Yerushalayim. A prominent Torah leader of the generation in Poland, he served as rabbi of various Polish cities, notably of Kutno, by which he was known for posterity. He immigrated to Eretz Israel in 1857, and was one of the leading rabbis in Jerusalem. While still in Poland he edified many disciples, and many Polish rabbis and rebbes were his students. In Jerusalem, he devoted his entire day to Torah study, bedecked in Tallit and Tefillin. The exceptional Talmudic lectures he delivered in his home were attended by many of Jerusalem's students. The Gaon of Kutno would deliver two lectures daily: one in the morning, on the Talmud with the Rashi and Tosafot commentaries, and one in the evening on halachic literature. He was recognized as one of the foremost Torah scholars in the city, and earned the title of Mara D'Ara DeYisrael (Rabbi of Eretz Israel), as he led the city together with R. Shmuel Salant and R. Meir Auerbach the Imrei Bina, who had immigrated from Kalisch three years after him.
R. Yitzchak David Biederman (1815-1886, Encyclopedia L'Chassidut, II, p. 402), son of Rebbe Moshe of Lelov. He immigrated to Jerusalem in 1851, and stood for many years at the helm of the Chassidic settlement in the city, together with his brother Rebbe Elazar Menachem Mendel. He was one of the founders of Kollel Polin, and of the Chayei Olam yeshiva, together with his sons-in-law R. Binyamin Leib Bernstein and R. Avraham Eliezer Münzberg Rabbi of Józefów.
R. Nachum Rabbi of Shadek (1813-1868) was the son of R. Moshe Avraham Levi-Weissfish and a disciple of the Chemdat Shlomo – a leading Torah scholar in Poland, who granted him rabbinical ordination at the age of 18. He served as rabbi of Shadek (Szadek), Poland for a few years, and immigrated to Eretz Israel in 1843 together with his two brothers, R. Asher Lemel Rabbi of Gołyń and R. Yaakov Yehuda Leib, following a dream all three of them dreamt separately, instructing them to immigrate to Eretz Israel. In Jerusalem, he would sit for the main part of the day bedecked with Tallit and Tefillin, learning with great diligence. He founded Yeshivat HaRan, where he delivered scholarly lectures to the leading young Torah scholars of Jerusalem. He studied Kabbalah together with R. Yosef Zundel of Salant under the kabbalist R. Yehuda HaKohen. He passed away in a Cholera epidemic in 1868 and the epitaph on his grave in the Mount of Olives reads: "A holy and pure man, at the age of eight he began searching for G-d and devoted his whole life to Torah, fasts and ascetism. He studied Torah without respite, day and night. He merited to learn and teach, and edified many disciples… A pious and modest man…".
His brother, R. Yaakov Yehuda Leib Levi (1813-1889), head of the Jerusalem Beit Din for over forty years. An outstanding scholar in revealed and esoteric realms of the Torah, a holy kabbalist. He served as rabbi of Sleshin (Ślesin), and later immigrated to Jerusalem in 1843 together with his two brothers, R. Asher Lemel Rabbi of Gołyń and R. Nachum Rabbi of Shadek. He authored Beit L'Avot on Pirkei Avot.
[1] leaf, thin, blueish stationery. 27.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Folding marks and creases. Small holes from ink corrosion. On verso – address, French postage stamp, and postmarks.
This letter was published in Moriah (issue 351-352, Kislev 2010, pp. 52-55).
Addressed to the magnate David Yosef Ezra, a prominent philanthropist in Calcutta, India, in preparation for the arrival of R. Yaakov Eliezer, emissary of Kollel Warsaw, who would be travelling to Indian cities, raising funds for the building of a synagogue and study hall for the Torah scholars of Kollel Warsaw. Kollel Warsaw was at that time one of the new Kollelim in Jerusalem, established following the large wave of immigration from Poland in the 1840s-1850s. The founders and administrators of the Kollel were the leading Torah scholars originating from Poland, signatories of this letter. Due to the difficult conditions which prevailed in those days, establishing the Kollel necessitated overcoming numerous hurdles, as the rabbis relate in this letter. They describe the absence of a permanent location for their outstanding Torah scholars to study and pray in, unlike other Kollelim who each have their own institutions. They explain that a suitable location was found and secured, but large sums of money are needed to finalize the acquisition.
The rabbis write that they sent a special emissary to India, and that this letter is an introduction to the letters the emissary would be carrying with him.
At the beginning of the letter, the rabbis mention that they pray regularly on behalf of their donors, especially at holy sites in Eretz Israel, such as the Kotel and Kever Rachel.
This letter constitutes an interesting historic document recording the development of the Old Yishuv in Jerusalem. The establishment of the Ashkenazi settlement was the product of a complex and protracted process of setting up institutions for prayer, Torah study and charity, alongside the construction of new apartment buildings and neighborhoods. These enterprises were coordinated by the Kollelim, which were comprised of natives of their respective communities in Europe, with each community providing for the needs of their senior and newly arrived immigrants. The Kollel administered donations received from its country of origin, and these served as the basis for the existence and development of the Kollelim and their institutions. Kollel Warsaw (later renamed Kupat Rabbi Meir Baal HaNess – Kollel Polin) was founded slightly later, while several both major and smaller Kollelim were already functioning in Jerusalem. In the 1840-1850s, immigration from Poland increased, creating the need for an independent framework, which resulted in the founding of Kollel Warsaw – eventually one of the most prominent Kollelim in the city.
The four signatories on the letter:
The Gaon of Kutno, R. Moshe Yehuda Leib Zylberberg (1798-1865) author of Zayit Raanan and Tiferet Yerushalayim. A prominent Torah leader of the generation in Poland, he served as rabbi of various Polish cities, notably of Kutno, by which he was known for posterity. He immigrated to Eretz Israel in 1857, and was one of the leading rabbis in Jerusalem. While still in Poland he edified many disciples, and many Polish rabbis and rebbes were his students. In Jerusalem, he devoted his entire day to Torah study, bedecked in Tallit and Tefillin. The exceptional Talmudic lectures he delivered in his home were attended by many of Jerusalem's students. The Gaon of Kutno would deliver two lectures daily: one in the morning, on the Talmud with the Rashi and Tosafot commentaries, and one in the evening on halachic literature. He was recognized as one of the foremost Torah scholars in the city, and earned the title of Mara D'Ara DeYisrael (Rabbi of Eretz Israel), as he led the city together with R. Shmuel Salant and R. Meir Auerbach the Imrei Bina, who had immigrated from Kalisch three years after him.
R. Yitzchak David Biederman (1815-1886, Encyclopedia L'Chassidut, II, p. 402), son of Rebbe Moshe of Lelov. He immigrated to Jerusalem in 1851, and stood for many years at the helm of the Chassidic settlement in the city, together with his brother Rebbe Elazar Menachem Mendel. He was one of the founders of Kollel Polin, and of the Chayei Olam yeshiva, together with his sons-in-law R. Binyamin Leib Bernstein and R. Avraham Eliezer Münzberg Rabbi of Józefów.
R. Nachum Rabbi of Shadek (1813-1868) was the son of R. Moshe Avraham Levi-Weissfish and a disciple of the Chemdat Shlomo – a leading Torah scholar in Poland, who granted him rabbinical ordination at the age of 18. He served as rabbi of Shadek (Szadek), Poland for a few years, and immigrated to Eretz Israel in 1843 together with his two brothers, R. Asher Lemel Rabbi of Gołyń and R. Yaakov Yehuda Leib, following a dream all three of them dreamt separately, instructing them to immigrate to Eretz Israel. In Jerusalem, he would sit for the main part of the day bedecked with Tallit and Tefillin, learning with great diligence. He founded Yeshivat HaRan, where he delivered scholarly lectures to the leading young Torah scholars of Jerusalem. He studied Kabbalah together with R. Yosef Zundel of Salant under the kabbalist R. Yehuda HaKohen. He passed away in a Cholera epidemic in 1868 and the epitaph on his grave in the Mount of Olives reads: "A holy and pure man, at the age of eight he began searching for G-d and devoted his whole life to Torah, fasts and ascetism. He studied Torah without respite, day and night. He merited to learn and teach, and edified many disciples… A pious and modest man…".
His brother, R. Yaakov Yehuda Leib Levi (1813-1889), head of the Jerusalem Beit Din for over forty years. An outstanding scholar in revealed and esoteric realms of the Torah, a holy kabbalist. He served as rabbi of Sleshin (Ślesin), and later immigrated to Jerusalem in 1843 together with his two brothers, R. Asher Lemel Rabbi of Gołyń and R. Nachum Rabbi of Shadek. He authored Beit L'Avot on Pirkei Avot.
[1] leaf, thin, blueish stationery. 27.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Folding marks and creases. Small holes from ink corrosion. On verso – address, French postage stamp, and postmarks.
This letter was published in Moriah (issue 351-352, Kislev 2010, pp. 52-55).
Category
Jerusalem and Eretz Israel – Letters and Documents
Catalogue
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $1,000
Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000
Sold for: $1,375
Including buyer's premium
Letter of appointment as emissary on behalf of the Hebron community, on a mission to Persia, Iraq, Kurdistan, Syria and Lebanon, signed by the rabbi of Hebron – R. Menachem Suleiman Mani, and other rabbis in the city: R. Chanoch Hasson, R. Meir Shmuel Castiel and R. Meir Franco. Hebron, 1924.
Handwritten on a large parchment leaf in square scribal script with enlarged, emphasized words. At the foot of the text, the signatures of the rabbis with their official stamps.
Written for the emissary R. Abba Yair, setting out on a mission on behalf of Hebron to the region of Iran, Iraq and Kurdistan, and to Syria and Lebanon. The emissary letter lists all the places he would be visiting.
[1] large parchment leaf. Height: 34 cm. Width: 50 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains, folding marks, several tears to folds.
Handwritten on a large parchment leaf in square scribal script with enlarged, emphasized words. At the foot of the text, the signatures of the rabbis with their official stamps.
Written for the emissary R. Abba Yair, setting out on a mission on behalf of Hebron to the region of Iran, Iraq and Kurdistan, and to Syria and Lebanon. The emissary letter lists all the places he would be visiting.
[1] large parchment leaf. Height: 34 cm. Width: 50 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains, folding marks, several tears to folds.
Category
Jerusalem and Eretz Israel – Letters and Documents
Catalogue
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $1,000
Estimate: $2,000 - $3,000
Sold for: $2,250
Including buyer's premium
Three historic documents pertaining to the renewal and upholding of the prohibition and ban enacted by the Jerusalem rabbis on sending children to study in schools in Jerusalem, and the battle against the Shpitzer girls' school (which was established as a "Charedi" school, yet was banned by the rabbis of the Eda HaCharedit). Jerusalem, 1929-1931-1941.
• Letter signed by the dayanim of the Beit Din "for all Ashkenazi communities": R. Yitzchak Frankel, R. Simcha Bunem Werner and R. Pinchas Epstein (the first panel of Eda HaCharedit dayanim), warning that the prohibition and ban on the schools has not been lifted, and it includes "all the schools of the Zionists and of the Mizrachi, and the aforementioned Orthodox school for girls (presumably referring to the Spitzer school), and their status is like that of all the secular schools, without any permission whatsoever". At the foot of the letter, confirmation (approx. 4 lines) handwritten and signed by R. Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, rabbi of the Eda HaCharedit in Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Adar 1931.
• Letter signed by six members of the "Committee of Supervisors for the Shomrei HaChomot Kollel": "With the approval of the rabbi (R. Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld) – it has been decided to impose a fine on whoever sends their children to schools, including Shpitzer's or Miss Landau's". One of the signatories is R. "Amram son of R. Sh.Y. Blau" (later head of Neturei Karta). Jerusalem, Sivan 1929.
• Letter addressed to Rebbe Elimelech Paneth of Deyzh, with a request to fire a clerk working in the Kollel Siebenbürgen office, whose daughters attend the forbidden Shpitzer school, and dress immodestly in the summer. The second leaf, with the signature and name of the writer of the letter, is lacking. Jerusalem, 1941.
3 letters. Size and condition vary. Creases, wear and tears.
• Letter signed by the dayanim of the Beit Din "for all Ashkenazi communities": R. Yitzchak Frankel, R. Simcha Bunem Werner and R. Pinchas Epstein (the first panel of Eda HaCharedit dayanim), warning that the prohibition and ban on the schools has not been lifted, and it includes "all the schools of the Zionists and of the Mizrachi, and the aforementioned Orthodox school for girls (presumably referring to the Spitzer school), and their status is like that of all the secular schools, without any permission whatsoever". At the foot of the letter, confirmation (approx. 4 lines) handwritten and signed by R. Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, rabbi of the Eda HaCharedit in Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Adar 1931.
• Letter signed by six members of the "Committee of Supervisors for the Shomrei HaChomot Kollel": "With the approval of the rabbi (R. Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld) – it has been decided to impose a fine on whoever sends their children to schools, including Shpitzer's or Miss Landau's". One of the signatories is R. "Amram son of R. Sh.Y. Blau" (later head of Neturei Karta). Jerusalem, Sivan 1929.
• Letter addressed to Rebbe Elimelech Paneth of Deyzh, with a request to fire a clerk working in the Kollel Siebenbürgen office, whose daughters attend the forbidden Shpitzer school, and dress immodestly in the summer. The second leaf, with the signature and name of the writer of the letter, is lacking. Jerusalem, 1941.
3 letters. Size and condition vary. Creases, wear and tears.
Category
Jerusalem and Eretz Israel – Letters and Documents
Catalogue