Lengthy and interesting letter handwritten and signed by R. "Wolf HaLevi Boskowitz". Kelin (Kolín), Adar II 1810.
Addressed to his friend, R. Shmuel Leib Kauder, a foremost rabbi of Prague. At the beginning of the letter, R. Wolf relates briefly to two questions on Torah topics which R. Shmuel Leib had sent him, and refers him to R. Baruch Jeitteles of Prague and to R. Betzalel Ronsburg of Prague, whom he had sent answers to these very questions in the past. Further in the letter, he mentions two brothers, of Prague's influential and wealthy figures: R. Moshe and R. Shimon Yerushalmi. Most of the letter pertains to R. Wolf's personal matters, and to his reaching a juncture in his rabbinic career. The letter relays his concerns of losing out both ways, and of remaining in Kelin indefinitely.
Ishim BiTeshuvot HaChatam Sofer (section 113, p. 89) recounts that R. Wolf Boskowitz was appointed rabbi of Kelin in ca. 1803, a position he was compelled to vacate in 1810, due to a royal decree, following which he went to serve as rabbi of Bonyhád. In a biographical essay on R. Boskowitz printed at the end of his book Seder Mishneh on Sefer HaMada (Jerusalem, 1991, p. 437), the historian R. Yitzchak Yosef HaKohen writes: "R. Wolf Boskowitz left Balassagyarmat and Hungary despite the good conditions he enjoyed there, to reside in the same country as his father. In 1804, he was appointed rabbi of Kelin, birthplace of his father the Machatzit HaShekel. He hoped to find peace and tranquility in Bohemia, yet there too, as in Moravia, the authorities persecuted him and he was only authorized to remain in the country for a limited period of time. In 1809, he was commanded to leave the city and the country. That year, he was appointed rabbi of Bonyhád… R. Wolf arrived in Bonyhád in the summer of 1810… and there, his travails finally ended and he was able to settle down". This letter discloses new and different details surrounding this same episode. The letter was written in Kelin on 7th Adar II 1810, and R. Wolf relates in it that he is still residing with his family in Kelin, yet is already receiving a monthly salary from the Bonyhád community. He writes that he fears that the Bonyhád community will give up waiting for him, since a large part of the year has already passed since he was appointed, on 19th Tammuz 1809, and he still hasn't moved there. He mentions in passing that he and his family endured much tribulation for over six years (presumably since 1803, when he returned to Bohemia).
R. Binyamin Ze'ev Wolf Boskowitz (1740-1818), an eminent Hungarian rabbi, son and disciple of the Machatzit HaShekel - R. Shmuel HaLevi of Kelin Rabbi of Boskovice (1724-1806). He served as rabbi of Aszód, Prostitz (Prostějov; during this tenure, he developed a close relationship with the Chatam Sofer, see Ishim BiTeshuvot Chatam Sofer, section 113), Pest, Balassagyarmat, Kelin and Bonyhád and taught hundreds of disciples. His Torah erudition and perspicacity were venerated by leading Torah scholar of his times such as the Noda BiYehuda, R. Betzalel Ronsburg, R. Mordechai Banet, the Chatam Sofer, R. Akiva Eger, and others. He authored many printed and manuscript compositions, most prominently his monumental Seder Mishneh on all parts of Yad HaChazaka by the Rambam, which has not yet been fully published. His Talmudic glosses named Agudat Ezov are printed in the Vienna 1830-1833 Shas edition, with an approbation by the Chatam Sofer.
R. Shmuel Kauder (1766-1838), a close associate of R. Betzalel Ronsburg, and dayan in his Beit Din in Prague. He was a prime disciple of R. Michael Bacharach Rabbi of Prague, and later of R. Elazar Kalir author of Or Chadash, in Kelin. He resided in Kalady (Koloděje), and from 1812 served as rabbi in the communities of Tábor and Budweis (České Budějovice) in Bohemia. In 1835 he was appointed head of the Prague Beit Din, where he disseminated Torah and was renowned as a prominent halachic authority. Of his many writings, only Responsa Olat Shmuel (on Orach Chaim), Ahavat Emet (homily) and Zikaron BaSefer (on tractate Megillah) were published.
[1] leaf. Approx. 23 cm. Good condition. Folding marks and stains. Address inscribed on verso.

Letter handwritten by R. Eliyahu Guttmacher, with his full signature. [Greiditz (Grodzisk Wielkopolski)], 1851. Yiddish.
Familial letter addressed to his son in Pleschen (Pleszew; presumably his eldest son R. Tzvi Hirsh, who served as rabbi of Pleschen). The letter opens with blessings "May joy and gladness reach my son". R. Eliyahu Guttmacher mentions another son, Yaakov, in the letter. The letter concludes with his full signature: "So are the words of your father, Eliyahu son of R. Sh., residing in Greiditz".
R. Eliyahu Guttmacher Rabbi of Greiditz (1796-1875), disciple of R. Akiva Eger, served as rabbi of Pleschen (Pleszew) until 1841, thereafter moving to serve in the Greiditz rabbinate. His eldest son, R. Tzvi Hirsh, succeeded him as rabbi of Pleschen. Famed as a holy kabbalist, in his senior years his name spread throughout the Jewish world as a wonder-worker, with amazing stories circulating of the great miracles and salvations attained through the blessings of "der Greiditzer Tzaddik" (the Tzaddik of Greiditz), "from all countries people came to seek his blessings and prayers, each one according to his needs" (Igrot Sofrim, at the foot of letter 29).
After his eldest son, R. Tzvi Hirsh Rabbi of Pleschen, died in his lifetime childless (in 1871), he published his son's books Nachalat Zvi and Ken Meforeshet (Lviv, 1873). In the introduction to Ken Meforeshet, R. Eliyahu promises: "If someone seeks deliverance from G-d… he should study a Mishna with the Rav (Bartenura), Tosafot Yom Tov and my son's commentary and then stand to pray in any language he is comfortable in… detailing his request so he will be answered…".
[1] leaf (approx. 5 autograph lines). 14.5X16.5 cm. Good condition. Folding marks and light stains. Postmarks and part of the address inscribed on verso.

Letter addressed to Hungarian rabbis, regarding a petition against the Rabbinical Seminary decree, to be signed by rabbis and community leaders. With one line handwritten and signed by R. Yehuda Aszód. [Serdahely (Dunajská Streda), ca. 1864-1865].
The letter, addressed to the rabbi of a Hungarian city and to his community (the name of the rabbi and community are not indicated), contains a request that he send a petition to the royal court of the Austro-Hungarian emperor, signed by the community leaders, opposing the establishment of a Rabbinical Seminary, and instructs that it be transferred via R. Yehuda Aszód, rabbi of Serdahely.
At the foot of the letter, R. Yehuda Aszód added one line in his handwriting and with his signature: "To confirm and uphold all the above, I am signing in person, Yehuda Aszód".
The letter reports that a rabbinical conference convened to oppose the establishment of a rabbinical seminary by the Neologs in collaboration with the government. The letter also alludes to a rabbinical audience with the Emperor Franz Joseph on this topic, which met great success (in this audience, R. Yehuda Aszód served as the Oberland delegate). In the conference, the rabbis resolved to resume the activism, and to collect letters and signatures from rabbis and community leaders, demanding the abolishment of this initiative.
R. Yehuda Aszód (1796-1866), a foremost rabbi and yeshiva dean in Hungary. A disciple of R. Aharon Suditz and R. Mordechai Banet. He was appointed rabbi of Semnitz (Senica) and Serdahely, at the initiative of the Chatam Sofer. His books include: Responsa Mahari – Yehuda Yaaleh, Chiddushei Mahari on the Talmud, Divrei Mahari on the Torah.
R. Yehuda led the battles for faithful Judaism and the secession of the Orthodox community, together with the Ketav Sofer and foremost Austro-Hungarian rabbis. In 1864, when the Neologs attempted to establish a rabbinical seminary, he stood at the helm of the battle the rabbis waged against this initiative, for fear that the seminary would impinge upon the appointment of G-d fearing, Torah observant rabbis (when Emperor Franz Joseph reduced the fine imposed on the Jewish communities following the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, and agreed to direct it to educational and social purposes within the Jewish communities, the Neologs seized the opportunity to request that the funding be allocated to a rabbinical seminary, which would compel the young generation of rabbis to undergo secular training in order to qualify for rabbinic positions). R. Yehuda Aszód convened a rabbinical conference on the matter in Nyíregyháza (see his letter to the Ketav Sofer, dated Cheshvan 1863, Igrot Sofrim, letter 27). Following the conference, a delegation of seven rabbis went to meet the young Emperor Franz Joseph in Vienna. The emperor was very moved by the dignified appearance of R. Yehuda Aszód, the elder rabbi, who blessed him with a lengthy sovereignty. Many years following this historic meeting, Franz Joseph attributed his longevity to the blessing he had received (Emperor Franz Joseph reigned for close to seventy years). This delegation comprised the Ketav Sofer, R. Yirmiyahu Löw of Ujhel, R. Menachem Eisenstädter of Ungvar and other rabbis. Three days of prayer were announced throughout Hungary for the success of the audience, and the members of the delegation undertook to fast (R. Menachem Eisenstädter later related that R. Yehuda Aszód, eldest delegate, sat in the corner of the carriage during the entire duration of the two-day trip to Vienna, praying with copious tears, to the extent that the carriage upholstery was completely moistened from his tears). Reputedly, during that historic audience, while walking throughout the palace entrance halls which were lined with large mirrors, R. Yehuda Aszód turned to his colleagues and remarked that their mission would surely be crowned with success, since a G-dly angel was accompanying them. R. Yehuda Aszód, who had never gazed in a mirror, did not realize that the angel he had seen was actually his own reflection (Divrei Mahari, Jerusalem 1970, Biography of the Author, pp. 21-22). Following that successful audience, efforts continued to lobby in the upper echelons of the government for the rescindment of the decree, which presented a great threat to the Orthodox communities and the rabbinical world. Drashot Maharam Schick (Klausenburg, 1937, pp. 13b-14a) mentions this audience with the emperor, in which R. Yehuda Aszód served as head speaker, and quotes a letter the latter wrote to Maharam Schick in Nissan 1864, in which he informs him of the success they met, and of the necessity for further lobbying, in the form of letters from community leaders to the Royal Court chancellor expressing their opposition to the proposed seminary.
[1] leaf. 22.5 cm. Fair-good condition. Stains and folding marks. Tear through one line in middle of leaf, repaired with tape on verso (affecting several words). Ink corrosion to autograph and signature of R. Yehuda Aszód.

Letter signed by R. Yerucham Yehuda Leib Rabbi of Minsk and R. Eliyahu Chaim Meisel Rabbi of Łódź. Av 1894.
At the foot of the letter, an additional letter (3 lines) handwritten and signed by R. Meir Simcha HaKohen Rabbi of Dvinsk. Dvinsk (Daugavpils), Elul 1894.
Letter appealing to philanthropists to support and assist the reestablishment of the Volozhin yeshiva, under the "license of the exalted government". This letter, written several months following the government's authorization to reopen the Beit Midrash doors (under the pretense of a house of prayer), calls for assistance in reestablishing the "holy yeshiva": "And it was with the exalted government's benevolence to open the prestigious house where Torah is fostered, and they shall see fit to reinstate this establishment to its former holiness, so that Torah and prayer may reside there as is fitting for this holy house". The rabbis' signatures are preceded with the following: "…on the explicit condition that it conforms with the government license according to the laws of the Emperor".
The Or Same'ach in his letter also stresses that everything must be done according to the governmental license. "If the matter the rabbis aroused to receives governmental license, it is superfluous to enthuse the hearts of the Jewish people and the leaders of the community to this sublime matter, to implant Torah in the place whose cornerstone was laid by the mighty shepherd (R. Chaim of Volozhin), and blessed be those who support the Tree of Life… Motzaei Shabbat Kodesh, 22nd Elul 1894. Dvinsk. Meir Simcha Kohen".
The Volozhin yeshiva was shut down by the Russian authorities in 1892, in the lifetime of the yeshiva dean, the Netziv of Volozhin. The government edict included an order to expel all Torah learners from the city, apart from ten Torah scholars studying in Kollel Brodsky, who received special permission to remain in Volozhin to study. After several years of intensive lobbying (by the yeshiva trustees in Vilna and Minsk), and with the authorities turning a blind eye, they succeeded in reopening the doors of the Beit Midrash which had been closed with the seals of the Russian government, and to allow the Torah scholars of Kollel Brodsky to study there. The breaking of the wax-seals and opening of the doors took place in Nissan 1894. This was an significant step in the gradual withdrawal of the prohibition of establishing a yeshiva in the city, as is insinuated in the opening lines of this letter, regarding the scheme to slowly and gradually dissolve the prohibition, while creating a veil around this change: "So the redemption of the Jewish people occurs, bit by bit, and not only the redemption of the Jewish people, likewise any significant and holy matter… will increasingly shine, and return to illuminate with the light of Torah and Mitzvot". The yeshiva was eventually reopened in 1899, under the leadership of R. Refael Shapiro, and operated until the Holocaust, led by his son R. Yaakov Shapiro.
This letter was publicized in the American press in those days (in part, without the additional letter of the Or Same'ach), under the title "Good News", announcing the reopening of the yeshiva (see enclosed photocopies of the HaIvri newspaper, New York, November 1894-January 1895. The letter of R. Yerucham of Minsk and R. Eliyahu Chaim Meisel is printed there together with the letter of the emissary R. Yitzchak Persky of Volozhin. See: M. Tzinowitz, Etz Chaim – History of the Volozhin Yeshiva, pp. 353-355).
R. Yerucham Yehuda Leib Perelman (1835-1896), known as "the Gadol of Minsk". Disciple of the renowned Torah scholar, R. Yaakov Meir Padwa. He served as rabbi of Seltz (Sialiec) and Pruzhany, and from 1893 as rabbi of Minsk, until his passing. His comments and novellae on Mishnayot were published in the Vilna 1905 edition of Mishnayot under the title Or Gadol. His responsa were also published under this name in Vilna 1924. He was the only one in his generation who earnt the title of "HaGadol", as noted on his tombstone.
R. Eliyahu Chaim Meisel (1821-1912), was celebrated from his youth for his brilliance, and at the age of eight, he joined the Volozhin yeshiva to study under R. Yitzchak of Volozhin. At the age of 19, he was appointed rabbi of Horodok (Gródek), his native city, and in 1851, of Derechin (Dereczyn). He later served as rabbi of Pruzhany and Łomża, and from 1873, of Łódź, a position he held for 40 years. He was renowned as one of the most prominent Torah leaders of his times in Lithuania and Poland, and was famous for his exceptional acts of kindness in redeeming captives and saving needy families from starvation. His gravesite in Łódź was popular as a prayer-site for requesting salvations for the Jewish people and for individuals, and was perpetually covered with kvittlach.
R. Meir Simcha HaKohen of Dvinsk (1843-1926), a leading Lithuanian Torah scholar and exceptionally righteous man. He was amongst the foremost rabbis of his times and a leader of Eastern-European Jewry prior to the Holocaust. He served as rabbi of Dvinsk (Dinaburg, present day Daugavpils, Latvia) for forty years, alongside R. Yosef Rosen – the Rogatchover (who served as rabbi of the Chassidic community in the city). He authored Or Same'ach on the Rambam and Meshech Chochma on the Torah. Already in his times, his books were received in the study halls and yeshivot as essential, basic books in scholarly Torah study and in-depth understanding of Biblical commentary, and were since reprinted in many editions.
[1] leaf. 37 cm. Good-fair condition. Folding marks. Minor tears and wear to upper margin.