Auction 67 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
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Auction 67 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
September 18, 2019
Opening: $1,200
Sold for: $1,625
Including buyer's premium
Lengthy letter (2 pages, approx. 40 lines), handwritten and signed by R. Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor Rabbi of Kovno (Kaunas). Kovno, 1878.
Addressed to R. Shmuel Salant Rabbi of Jerusalem, and to the philanthropist R. Mordechai Yoffe of Jerusalem. The letter pertains to the terrible tragedy which struck the family of R. Yitzchak Elchanan's brother in Jerusalem, with the untimely passing of the latter's son. The letter discloses his worry for his brother's daughter-in-law, the young widow, and discusses the handling of the inheritance and financial concerns of the deceased's family.
R. Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor (1817-1896), a Torah luminary in his generation, renowned for his exceptional Torah knowledge, his diligence and outstanding piety. The supreme Torah authority of his times, he led Lithuanian and Russian Jewry for years with wisdom and compassion. He served as rabbi from ca. 1837 and in 1864, he was appointed rabbi of Kovno, his fame spreading throughout the world as a foremost halachic authority. His responsa and novellae are printed in his books Be'er Yitzchak, Nachal Yitzchak and Ein Yitzchak.
[1] leaf. 21 cm. Good-fair condition. Marginal worming, affecting two words of the letter.
Addressed to R. Shmuel Salant Rabbi of Jerusalem, and to the philanthropist R. Mordechai Yoffe of Jerusalem. The letter pertains to the terrible tragedy which struck the family of R. Yitzchak Elchanan's brother in Jerusalem, with the untimely passing of the latter's son. The letter discloses his worry for his brother's daughter-in-law, the young widow, and discusses the handling of the inheritance and financial concerns of the deceased's family.
R. Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor (1817-1896), a Torah luminary in his generation, renowned for his exceptional Torah knowledge, his diligence and outstanding piety. The supreme Torah authority of his times, he led Lithuanian and Russian Jewry for years with wisdom and compassion. He served as rabbi from ca. 1837 and in 1864, he was appointed rabbi of Kovno, his fame spreading throughout the world as a foremost halachic authority. His responsa and novellae are printed in his books Be'er Yitzchak, Nachal Yitzchak and Ein Yitzchak.
[1] leaf. 21 cm. Good-fair condition. Marginal worming, affecting two words of the letter.
Category
Letters - Lithuanian, Polish and Eretz Israeli Rabbis
Catalogue
Auction 67 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
September 18, 2019
Opening: $600
Sold for: $875
Including buyer's premium
Two lengthy and interesting letters handwritten and signed by R. Chaim Berlin, addressed to R. Shmuel Salant, regarding fundraising for the Etz Chaim yeshiva in Jerusalem. Vilna (Vilnius), 1890; Yelizavetgrad (Kropyvnytskyi), [1899].
The letters contain detailed reports of the fundraising on behalf of the Etz Chaim yeshiva in Jerusalem, and various details concerning the administration of the fundraising. In the second letter, dated 1899, R. Chaim outlines his plans to involve rabbis and wealthy men, who would share with him the burden of organizing the fundraising in Lithuania and Poland: "You surely know that I have been searching for a long time for notables to join me in the management of this fundraising, to replace the late R. Yehonatan of Volkovisk, and unfortunately, I have not yet found such a person, and I am here alone, I am not able to establish such a committee properly". In that letter, R. Chaim describes his loneliness in his position as rabbi of a city in the inner regions of Russia: "For I am like a juniper in the desert, here in the southern land, which is dry of any trace of Torah and holy matters, and I am here completely alone, without anyone to strengthen me, and I pray to G-d… that He draw me up from the pit… from this thick mire, which I entered upon the advice of some of the great rabbis of the generation, who lured me, and I was swayed…".
The first letter is dated: "Tuesday, the day bread rained down from Heaven, 1890. Vilna" (16th Iyar, the day the manna began falling following the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. See Tractate Shabbat f. 87b). The second letter is dated: "The fast of the 10th month, may it become a joyous occasion, 1899, Yelizavetgrad" (10th Tevet).
R. Chaim Berlin (1832-1912), foremost Torah scholar in his generation, was an illustrious Torah figure of Lithuania and Jerusalem. Eldest son of the Netziv of Volozhin. He served as chief rabbi of Moscow, and his Torah influence spread throughout Russia. He served for a while as yeshiva dean and rabbi in Volozhin, and as rabbi of Kobryn and Yelisavetgrad (Kropyvnytskyi). He immigrated to Jerusalem in 1906, where he soon became recognized as a leading rabbinic authority in the city.
Two letters: A double leaf and a single leaf (4 written pages). 20.5 cm. Good condition.
The letters contain detailed reports of the fundraising on behalf of the Etz Chaim yeshiva in Jerusalem, and various details concerning the administration of the fundraising. In the second letter, dated 1899, R. Chaim outlines his plans to involve rabbis and wealthy men, who would share with him the burden of organizing the fundraising in Lithuania and Poland: "You surely know that I have been searching for a long time for notables to join me in the management of this fundraising, to replace the late R. Yehonatan of Volkovisk, and unfortunately, I have not yet found such a person, and I am here alone, I am not able to establish such a committee properly". In that letter, R. Chaim describes his loneliness in his position as rabbi of a city in the inner regions of Russia: "For I am like a juniper in the desert, here in the southern land, which is dry of any trace of Torah and holy matters, and I am here completely alone, without anyone to strengthen me, and I pray to G-d… that He draw me up from the pit… from this thick mire, which I entered upon the advice of some of the great rabbis of the generation, who lured me, and I was swayed…".
The first letter is dated: "Tuesday, the day bread rained down from Heaven, 1890. Vilna" (16th Iyar, the day the manna began falling following the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. See Tractate Shabbat f. 87b). The second letter is dated: "The fast of the 10th month, may it become a joyous occasion, 1899, Yelizavetgrad" (10th Tevet).
R. Chaim Berlin (1832-1912), foremost Torah scholar in his generation, was an illustrious Torah figure of Lithuania and Jerusalem. Eldest son of the Netziv of Volozhin. He served as chief rabbi of Moscow, and his Torah influence spread throughout Russia. He served for a while as yeshiva dean and rabbi in Volozhin, and as rabbi of Kobryn and Yelisavetgrad (Kropyvnytskyi). He immigrated to Jerusalem in 1906, where he soon became recognized as a leading rabbinic authority in the city.
Two letters: A double leaf and a single leaf (4 written pages). 20.5 cm. Good condition.
Category
Letters - Lithuanian, Polish and Eretz Israeli Rabbis
Catalogue
Auction 67 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
September 18, 2019
Opening: $4,000
Sold for: $5,000
Including buyer's premium
Letter signed by R. Chaim HaLevi Soloveitchik Rabbi of Brisk. Brisk D'Lita (Brest-Litovsk, today: Brest, Belarus), Cheshvan 1908.
Addressed to Dr. Avraham Eliyahu Harkavy, the letter confirms receipt of funds donated to the yeshiva via the emissary R. Binyamin Ze'ev Chusiczer, with an appeal to continue "upholding this yeshiva, which comprises a large group of excellent, exceptional students, who toil diligently over Torah study with strength. Some are sons of the poor, from whom Torah will emerge, and whose parents cannot afford to support them, therefore large sums are required to provide them with all their needs". R. Chaim praises and blesses the supporters: "Fortunate is the lot of those who support them, who merit and benefit many with the light of Torah… and may he receive his full recompense from G-d, to be blessed with good and lengthy years of life, happiness and wealth, much blessing, and all good forever". The entire letter is written by a scribe, apart from the concluding line: "One who esteems him, Chaim HaLevi Soloveitchik".
R. Chaim HaLevi Soloveitchik (1853-1918), rabbi of Brisk, was a foremost Torah scholar in Lithuania and one of the leaders of his generation. He is considered the initiator of the learning method in Lithuanian yeshivot. Son of R. Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, the Beit HaLevi, and son-in-law of R. Refael Shapiro, dean of the Volozhin yeshiva and son-in-law of the Netziv. After his marriage, he began serving as the third dean of the Volozhin yeshiva (the disciples of R. Chaim from that period include: R. Baruch Ber Leibowitz, R. Shimon Yehuda Shkop and R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski). With R. Refael's move in 1881 to Babruysk, R. Chaim was appointed second yeshiva dean in his place. After the passing of his father the Beit HaLevi in 1894, he succeeded him as rabbi of Brisk, and continued teaching Torah to a small group of elite students who gathered to absorb his teachings (behind the scenes, R. Chaim also directed the Torah Chesed yeshiva in Brisk, which was intended for slightly younger students). These disciples later disseminated his study method in all Lithuanian yeshivot, orally and in writing. Many of his novellae circulated orally within Lithuanian yeshivot, transmitted and copied by many writers (some were later printed in the stencil edition of Chiddushei HaGrach, published in Eretz Israel ca. the 1950s).
R. Chaim founded the Torah Chesed yeshiva in Brisk in the late 1890s. He first appointed R. Simcha Zelig Reguer, posek in Brisk, as its dean, and later R. Moshe Soloveitchik of Brisk, author of Imrei Moshe. This yeshiva operated until the Holocaust. (Its renowned alumni, from its final years, include: R. Moshe Soloveitchik of Switzerland, his colleague R. Aharon Yehuda Leib Steinman, R. Ze'ev Eidelman of Bnei Brak, and many other leading scholars of the yeshiva world).
[1] leaf. 25.5 cm. Very good condition. Stamps of "Yeshiva Torat Chesed, Brisk", and of the rabbi of the city, R. "Chaim HaLevi Soloveitchik - Brisk".
Addressed to Dr. Avraham Eliyahu Harkavy, the letter confirms receipt of funds donated to the yeshiva via the emissary R. Binyamin Ze'ev Chusiczer, with an appeal to continue "upholding this yeshiva, which comprises a large group of excellent, exceptional students, who toil diligently over Torah study with strength. Some are sons of the poor, from whom Torah will emerge, and whose parents cannot afford to support them, therefore large sums are required to provide them with all their needs". R. Chaim praises and blesses the supporters: "Fortunate is the lot of those who support them, who merit and benefit many with the light of Torah… and may he receive his full recompense from G-d, to be blessed with good and lengthy years of life, happiness and wealth, much blessing, and all good forever". The entire letter is written by a scribe, apart from the concluding line: "One who esteems him, Chaim HaLevi Soloveitchik".
R. Chaim HaLevi Soloveitchik (1853-1918), rabbi of Brisk, was a foremost Torah scholar in Lithuania and one of the leaders of his generation. He is considered the initiator of the learning method in Lithuanian yeshivot. Son of R. Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, the Beit HaLevi, and son-in-law of R. Refael Shapiro, dean of the Volozhin yeshiva and son-in-law of the Netziv. After his marriage, he began serving as the third dean of the Volozhin yeshiva (the disciples of R. Chaim from that period include: R. Baruch Ber Leibowitz, R. Shimon Yehuda Shkop and R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski). With R. Refael's move in 1881 to Babruysk, R. Chaim was appointed second yeshiva dean in his place. After the passing of his father the Beit HaLevi in 1894, he succeeded him as rabbi of Brisk, and continued teaching Torah to a small group of elite students who gathered to absorb his teachings (behind the scenes, R. Chaim also directed the Torah Chesed yeshiva in Brisk, which was intended for slightly younger students). These disciples later disseminated his study method in all Lithuanian yeshivot, orally and in writing. Many of his novellae circulated orally within Lithuanian yeshivot, transmitted and copied by many writers (some were later printed in the stencil edition of Chiddushei HaGrach, published in Eretz Israel ca. the 1950s).
R. Chaim founded the Torah Chesed yeshiva in Brisk in the late 1890s. He first appointed R. Simcha Zelig Reguer, posek in Brisk, as its dean, and later R. Moshe Soloveitchik of Brisk, author of Imrei Moshe. This yeshiva operated until the Holocaust. (Its renowned alumni, from its final years, include: R. Moshe Soloveitchik of Switzerland, his colleague R. Aharon Yehuda Leib Steinman, R. Ze'ev Eidelman of Bnei Brak, and many other leading scholars of the yeshiva world).
[1] leaf. 25.5 cm. Very good condition. Stamps of "Yeshiva Torat Chesed, Brisk", and of the rabbi of the city, R. "Chaim HaLevi Soloveitchik - Brisk".
Category
Letters - Lithuanian, Polish and Eretz Israeli Rabbis
Catalogue
Auction 67 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
September 18, 2019
Opening: $5,000
Unsold
Interesting letter handwritten and signed by R. Chaim HaLevi Soloveitchik, with the "Stamp of the Beit Din… Brisk D'Lita". 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 as to why the inquiring rabbi, who obviously possesses straight reasoning and does not rule unless he has full 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 Israel, yet despite his extensive public and charitable activity, he did not cease innovating and learning Torah in his thoughts, delving deeply into Torah topics until absolute exhaustion. A small compendium of his novellae was printed some twenty years after his passing, in the book Chiddushei Rabbenu 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.
On verso - novellae on the laws of Terefot (presumably written by R. Avraham David, recipient of this letter - see similar autograph in Kedem Auction 65, item 265).
Sent to a R. Avraham David (who presumably served as rabbi or posek). In his letter, R. Chaim expresses his surprise as to why the inquiring rabbi, who obviously possesses straight reasoning and does not rule unless he has full 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 Israel, yet despite his extensive public and charitable activity, he did not cease innovating and learning Torah in his thoughts, delving deeply into Torah topics until absolute exhaustion. A small compendium of his novellae was printed some twenty years after his passing, in the book Chiddushei Rabbenu 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.
On verso - novellae on the laws of Terefot (presumably written by R. Avraham David, recipient of this letter - see similar autograph in Kedem Auction 65, item 265).
Category
Letters - Lithuanian, Polish and Eretz Israeli Rabbis
Catalogue
Auction 67 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
September 18, 2019
Opening: $1,000
Unsold
Seven letters from the archive of R. Shraga Meir Leizerowitz of Kelm - later rabbi of Chevrat Shas in London.
• Rabbinic ordination, handwritten and signed by R. Mordechai Gimpel Yoffe. Ruzhany, 1885.
• Letter of good year wishes, handwritten and signed by R. Aryeh Leib Lipkin (nephew of R. Yisrael of Salant). Kretinga, Elul 1900.
• Lengthy letter (7 pages of Torah thoughts) handwritten and signed by R. Shraga Meir Leizerowitz, addressed to R. Binyamin Eliyahu Kantor Rabbi of Działoszyn. [London], 1922.
At the end of the letter, R. Leizerowitz asks R. Kantor to relay the letter to his nephew R. Shmuel Yisrael HaKohen Kaplan Rabbi of Kolno, for him to study it.
On verso of the last leaf of this multi-page letter: Letter handwritten, signed and stamped by R. Binyamin Eliyahu Kantor Rabbi of Działoszyn, who sent this letter to R. Kaplan.
• Lengthy and interesting letter (2 pages), of Torah thoughts and worldly matters, handwritten and signed by R. Shmuel Yisrael HaKohen Kaplan. Kolno, Iyar 1924.
• Lengthy letter (3 pages), handwritten and signed by R. Menachem Manes Horowitz. Antwerp (Belgium), Kislev 1913.
• Letter (2 pages), halachic query pertaining to Hilchot Shechita, handwritten and signed by the shochet and bodek R. "Avraham son of R. Sh. Zeidel ---, cantor, shochet and bodek of the --- community".
• Interesting letter handwritten and signed by R. Eliyahu Eliezer Skolsky. London, Chanukah 1925.
R. Mordechai Gimpel Yoffe (1820-1892) was a leading Torah scholar in his generation - the times of the Netziv and R. Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor. He was a disciple of R. Yitzchak of Volozhin, who predicted that he would be amongst the foremost rabbis of the generation. He served as rabbi in Deretchin (Dziarečyn), and later in Ruzhany (Lithuania, presently Belarus), a position he held for some 36 years, until his immigration to Eretz Israel in 1888. Upon his arrival in Eretz Israel, he settled in the newly established moshava of Yehud, where he founded a yeshiva of outstanding Torah scholars and became the spiritual-religious leader of the New Yishuv in Eretz Israel. In the 1889 Shemittah polemic, R. Mordechai Gimpel was amongst the leading opponents of the Heter Mechira (maintaining that since the Jewish people's exile from the Land was due to Shemittah desecration, the survival of the new settlement would depend on full observance of the commandment of Shemittah), and he supported the farmers in Ekron who steadfastly observed the Shemittah. He authored many books on Halacha, Talmud and Aggadah, some of which were published, yet most of his writings were lost in fires in Slonim, during WWI and the Holocaust.
R. Aryeh Leib Lipkin Rabbi of Kretinga (1840-Tishrei 1902), close disciple of his uncle R. Yisrael Lipkin of Salant (who was the brother of his father, R. Yedidia Lipman Lipkin, and brother of his father-in-law R. Yitzchak Lipkin of Žagarė). An outstanding Torah scholar, a foremost Lithuanian kabbalist. He authored many books, and published the books of the Gaon of Vilna (Imrei Noam) together with R. Shraga Meir Leizerowitz. He is also the anonymous author of Klalei Hatchalat HaChochma - study of Kabbalah through the writings of the Arizal, according to the Gaon of Vilna and the Ramchal. The title page of the book states that "for his great righteousness and modesty, he did not want his name to be mentioned". Of his fifteen compositions, only the following were published: Divrei Yedidia on Shir HaShirim and Bereshit, Or HaYom, Shevilei HaMeorot and Chiddushei R. Aryeh Leib, published in Jerusalem by R. Shraga Meir Leizerowitz.
R. Shraga Meir Leizerowitz (1840-1929), a native of Kelm. He was a Tzaddik and kabbalist, close to R. Leibly Chassid of Kelm, foremost Lithuanian kabbalists (the Leshem, R. Aryeh Leib of Kretinga, R. A.Sh. Maharil and others) and to leading disciples of R. Yisrael of Salant. He arrived in England in the early 1890s, and served for many years as rabbi of Chevrat Shas. In his later years, he immigrated to Jerusalem.
7 letters. Size and condition vary.
• Rabbinic ordination, handwritten and signed by R. Mordechai Gimpel Yoffe. Ruzhany, 1885.
• Letter of good year wishes, handwritten and signed by R. Aryeh Leib Lipkin (nephew of R. Yisrael of Salant). Kretinga, Elul 1900.
• Lengthy letter (7 pages of Torah thoughts) handwritten and signed by R. Shraga Meir Leizerowitz, addressed to R. Binyamin Eliyahu Kantor Rabbi of Działoszyn. [London], 1922.
At the end of the letter, R. Leizerowitz asks R. Kantor to relay the letter to his nephew R. Shmuel Yisrael HaKohen Kaplan Rabbi of Kolno, for him to study it.
On verso of the last leaf of this multi-page letter: Letter handwritten, signed and stamped by R. Binyamin Eliyahu Kantor Rabbi of Działoszyn, who sent this letter to R. Kaplan.
• Lengthy and interesting letter (2 pages), of Torah thoughts and worldly matters, handwritten and signed by R. Shmuel Yisrael HaKohen Kaplan. Kolno, Iyar 1924.
• Lengthy letter (3 pages), handwritten and signed by R. Menachem Manes Horowitz. Antwerp (Belgium), Kislev 1913.
• Letter (2 pages), halachic query pertaining to Hilchot Shechita, handwritten and signed by the shochet and bodek R. "Avraham son of R. Sh. Zeidel ---, cantor, shochet and bodek of the --- community".
• Interesting letter handwritten and signed by R. Eliyahu Eliezer Skolsky. London, Chanukah 1925.
R. Mordechai Gimpel Yoffe (1820-1892) was a leading Torah scholar in his generation - the times of the Netziv and R. Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor. He was a disciple of R. Yitzchak of Volozhin, who predicted that he would be amongst the foremost rabbis of the generation. He served as rabbi in Deretchin (Dziarečyn), and later in Ruzhany (Lithuania, presently Belarus), a position he held for some 36 years, until his immigration to Eretz Israel in 1888. Upon his arrival in Eretz Israel, he settled in the newly established moshava of Yehud, where he founded a yeshiva of outstanding Torah scholars and became the spiritual-religious leader of the New Yishuv in Eretz Israel. In the 1889 Shemittah polemic, R. Mordechai Gimpel was amongst the leading opponents of the Heter Mechira (maintaining that since the Jewish people's exile from the Land was due to Shemittah desecration, the survival of the new settlement would depend on full observance of the commandment of Shemittah), and he supported the farmers in Ekron who steadfastly observed the Shemittah. He authored many books on Halacha, Talmud and Aggadah, some of which were published, yet most of his writings were lost in fires in Slonim, during WWI and the Holocaust.
R. Aryeh Leib Lipkin Rabbi of Kretinga (1840-Tishrei 1902), close disciple of his uncle R. Yisrael Lipkin of Salant (who was the brother of his father, R. Yedidia Lipman Lipkin, and brother of his father-in-law R. Yitzchak Lipkin of Žagarė). An outstanding Torah scholar, a foremost Lithuanian kabbalist. He authored many books, and published the books of the Gaon of Vilna (Imrei Noam) together with R. Shraga Meir Leizerowitz. He is also the anonymous author of Klalei Hatchalat HaChochma - study of Kabbalah through the writings of the Arizal, according to the Gaon of Vilna and the Ramchal. The title page of the book states that "for his great righteousness and modesty, he did not want his name to be mentioned". Of his fifteen compositions, only the following were published: Divrei Yedidia on Shir HaShirim and Bereshit, Or HaYom, Shevilei HaMeorot and Chiddushei R. Aryeh Leib, published in Jerusalem by R. Shraga Meir Leizerowitz.
R. Shraga Meir Leizerowitz (1840-1929), a native of Kelm. He was a Tzaddik and kabbalist, close to R. Leibly Chassid of Kelm, foremost Lithuanian kabbalists (the Leshem, R. Aryeh Leib of Kretinga, R. A.Sh. Maharil and others) and to leading disciples of R. Yisrael of Salant. He arrived in England in the early 1890s, and served for many years as rabbi of Chevrat Shas. In his later years, he immigrated to Jerusalem.
7 letters. Size and condition vary.
Category
Letters - Lithuanian, Polish and Eretz Israeli Rabbis
Catalogue
Auction 67 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
September 18, 2019
Opening: $300
Unsold
Letter with a halachic essay, handwritten and signed by R. Ze'ev Wolf Turbowitz, signed: "ZiV ToV author of Rosh Pina, residing here Kroz". [Kražiai, Lithuania, 1889].
Addressed to R. Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, during his tenure as rabbi of Žeimelis, in response to the halachic article by the Netziv of Volozhin, which appeared in the Ittur Sofrim anthology (compiled by Rav Kook, 1888). The article offered a new halachic permit to read newspapers on Shabbat. R. Ze'ev Wolf responds sharply, enclosing an article with a halachic responsum challenging this permission, to be published in the Ittur Sofrim anthology. This article was not published at that time in Ittur Sofrim (whose publication ceased in 1889), but was published in R. Ze'ev Wolf's responsa book (Tiferet Ziv, section 13), and more recently, together with the accompanying letter, in Moriah (issue 255-256, Tevet 1999, pp. 54-60). R. Kook may have chosen not to publish this responsum in Ittur Sofrim, seeing it as an offense to his teacher, the Netziv, who actually read newspapers on Shabbat (see below).
"…I saw heading the articles… the ruling of the Netziv of Volozhin, and I was very surprised to see the publicizing of words which contradict the Shulchan Aruch and all Rishonim and Acharonim, based on weak arguments, and especially to be lenient regarding Shabbat prohibitions". R. Ze'ev Wolf expresses concern that publicizing this permission will cause laxity in Shabbat observance, especially amongst "the members of the new generation who will seize the opportunity and fulfill it wholeheartedly…". He writes that he therefore hurried to record his response to this ruling and requests to publicize it. He further writes that he was astonished to see this ruling - "If not for the name of the Netziv signed on this ruling, I would not have believed that a Torah Jew, let alone a foremost Torah scholar, could have penned such views…". He expresses his surprise at Rav Kook, editor of the Ittur Sofrim anthology, for publishing the words of the Netziv without countering them.
R. Ze'ev Wolf Turbowitz (1846-1921), leading Lithuanian rabbi of the later generations. Outstanding Torah scholar from a prominent family of Karlin Chassidim, he served as rabbi of Svislach, Kletsk and Wolpa (Voupa), and finally, Kražiai - a position he held for 36 years, between 1885-1921. He is renowned for his works in all realms of the Torah: Halacha, homily and Kabbalah. He authored: Rosh Pina on Shulchan Aruch Yoreh De'ah (Vilna 1879); Shir Yedidot on Eshet Chayil (Vilna 1878); Ziv Mishna on the Rambam (Warsaw 1904); Megillat Shabtai - chronicling the blood libel in Dubno, 1821; and dozens more, the majority of which remained in manuscript form and disappeared over the years.
The article of the Netziv which this letter is a response to, aroused great interest at that time. There is a famous report of R. Baruch HaLevi Epstein, author of Mekor Baruch, in his memoirs of his uncle the Netziv. He relates there that the Netziv would go through all the Hebrew newspapers of that time, and on Shabbat, he would read the HaMaggid, which was usually delivered on Friday: "And I remember that he would receive the HaMaggid on Friday afternoon, but he would not read it that evening, since Friday night was dedicated to reviewing the Mishnayot of Tractates Shabbat and Eruvin by heart... and he would read it during the day; and if it would happen that the HaMaggid was delayed, and he didn't receive it on Erev Shabbat, he would say that he felt something was lacking that Shabbat, just like one feels on the Shabbat preceding Tisha B'Av, when one doesn't go to the bathhouse like usual…" (Mekor Baruch, IV, p. 1794).
See series of articles by R. Eliezer Brodt: The Netziv, Reading Newspapers on Shabbos, in General & Censorship, published in The Seforim Blog, March 5, 2014, April 29, 2015 and July 16, 2015.
[4] leaves (8 written pages). 21 cm. Good condition.
Addressed to R. Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, during his tenure as rabbi of Žeimelis, in response to the halachic article by the Netziv of Volozhin, which appeared in the Ittur Sofrim anthology (compiled by Rav Kook, 1888). The article offered a new halachic permit to read newspapers on Shabbat. R. Ze'ev Wolf responds sharply, enclosing an article with a halachic responsum challenging this permission, to be published in the Ittur Sofrim anthology. This article was not published at that time in Ittur Sofrim (whose publication ceased in 1889), but was published in R. Ze'ev Wolf's responsa book (Tiferet Ziv, section 13), and more recently, together with the accompanying letter, in Moriah (issue 255-256, Tevet 1999, pp. 54-60). R. Kook may have chosen not to publish this responsum in Ittur Sofrim, seeing it as an offense to his teacher, the Netziv, who actually read newspapers on Shabbat (see below).
"…I saw heading the articles… the ruling of the Netziv of Volozhin, and I was very surprised to see the publicizing of words which contradict the Shulchan Aruch and all Rishonim and Acharonim, based on weak arguments, and especially to be lenient regarding Shabbat prohibitions". R. Ze'ev Wolf expresses concern that publicizing this permission will cause laxity in Shabbat observance, especially amongst "the members of the new generation who will seize the opportunity and fulfill it wholeheartedly…". He writes that he therefore hurried to record his response to this ruling and requests to publicize it. He further writes that he was astonished to see this ruling - "If not for the name of the Netziv signed on this ruling, I would not have believed that a Torah Jew, let alone a foremost Torah scholar, could have penned such views…". He expresses his surprise at Rav Kook, editor of the Ittur Sofrim anthology, for publishing the words of the Netziv without countering them.
R. Ze'ev Wolf Turbowitz (1846-1921), leading Lithuanian rabbi of the later generations. Outstanding Torah scholar from a prominent family of Karlin Chassidim, he served as rabbi of Svislach, Kletsk and Wolpa (Voupa), and finally, Kražiai - a position he held for 36 years, between 1885-1921. He is renowned for his works in all realms of the Torah: Halacha, homily and Kabbalah. He authored: Rosh Pina on Shulchan Aruch Yoreh De'ah (Vilna 1879); Shir Yedidot on Eshet Chayil (Vilna 1878); Ziv Mishna on the Rambam (Warsaw 1904); Megillat Shabtai - chronicling the blood libel in Dubno, 1821; and dozens more, the majority of which remained in manuscript form and disappeared over the years.
The article of the Netziv which this letter is a response to, aroused great interest at that time. There is a famous report of R. Baruch HaLevi Epstein, author of Mekor Baruch, in his memoirs of his uncle the Netziv. He relates there that the Netziv would go through all the Hebrew newspapers of that time, and on Shabbat, he would read the HaMaggid, which was usually delivered on Friday: "And I remember that he would receive the HaMaggid on Friday afternoon, but he would not read it that evening, since Friday night was dedicated to reviewing the Mishnayot of Tractates Shabbat and Eruvin by heart... and he would read it during the day; and if it would happen that the HaMaggid was delayed, and he didn't receive it on Erev Shabbat, he would say that he felt something was lacking that Shabbat, just like one feels on the Shabbat preceding Tisha B'Av, when one doesn't go to the bathhouse like usual…" (Mekor Baruch, IV, p. 1794).
See series of articles by R. Eliezer Brodt: The Netziv, Reading Newspapers on Shabbos, in General & Censorship, published in The Seforim Blog, March 5, 2014, April 29, 2015 and July 16, 2015.
[4] leaves (8 written pages). 21 cm. Good condition.
Category
Letters - Lithuanian, Polish and Eretz Israeli Rabbis
Catalogue
![Halachic responsum handwritten and signed by R. Yosef Rosen, the Rogatchover. Addressed to R. David [Potash, of Tel Aviv]. Dv](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale67-public/232.jpg "Letter from the Gaon of Rogatchov R. Yosef Rosen - Reference to the Op")
Auction 67 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
September 18, 2019
Opening: $1,000
Sold for: $5,250
Including buyer's premium
Halachic responsum handwritten and signed by R. Yosef Rosen, the Rogatchover. Addressed to R. David [Potash, of Tel Aviv]. Dvinsk (Daugavspils), Chanukah 1933.
The first part of the letter pertains to rejoicing on Chanukah: "And he shall rejoice on Chanukah, following the ruling of the Rambam in the laws of Chanukah that one must rejoice". The Rogatchover further offers a novel reason as to why there is an obligation to rejoice on Chanukah, and explains the concepts of praise and thanksgiving. This first part of the letter was presumably not published (though a similar idea was printed in Responsa Tzofnat Pane'ach HaChadashot, Modiin Illit, 2010, I, p. 115).
The second part of the letter discusses the laws of Orla as they apply to oranges, as well as the subject of observing Orla and Shemittah nowadays. The Rogatchover concludes the letter by thanking the recipient for money he had sent, and blesses him on this account: "Many thanks for the 3 U.S. dollars, and may he be blessed with the threefold Priestly blessing…".
Background to the letter: In late 1933, R. Yosef HaLevi Dinkeles sent a letter to R. David Potash of Tel Aviv, an associate of the Chazon Ish, requesting that he inquire as to the Chazon Ish's opinion on the laws of Orla in regard to oranges, and whether this fruit shares the status of the Etrog apropos Maaser Sheni and Maaser Ani. R. David Potash relayed the question to the Chazon Ish, who replied to R. Dinkeles with a detailed letter, the conclusion of which was that oranges share the same halachic status as the Etrog. R. David sent a copy of the question and answer to the Rogatchover, asking for his view on the matter, to which the Rogatchover responded with this letter. In his opinion, oranges "are not at all like Etrogim, rather like all other fruit" (the letters of the Rogatchover and the Chazon Ish regarding the laws of Pe'ah as applied to oranges were published in the Torat HaAretz anthology, published by the Beit Midrash for Torat Eretz Israel in Petach Tikva).
Most of the second part of this letter, together with an explanation of its background, was printed in Responsa Tzofnat Pane'ach HaChadashot, III, p. 298-303, based on a copying of this letter made by R. Yosef HaLevi Dinkeles.
[2] leaves. 21.5 cm. Good condition. Stains. Dampness damage, with ink smears to several words. Folding marks, with minor tears.
The first part of the letter pertains to rejoicing on Chanukah: "And he shall rejoice on Chanukah, following the ruling of the Rambam in the laws of Chanukah that one must rejoice". The Rogatchover further offers a novel reason as to why there is an obligation to rejoice on Chanukah, and explains the concepts of praise and thanksgiving. This first part of the letter was presumably not published (though a similar idea was printed in Responsa Tzofnat Pane'ach HaChadashot, Modiin Illit, 2010, I, p. 115).
The second part of the letter discusses the laws of Orla as they apply to oranges, as well as the subject of observing Orla and Shemittah nowadays. The Rogatchover concludes the letter by thanking the recipient for money he had sent, and blesses him on this account: "Many thanks for the 3 U.S. dollars, and may he be blessed with the threefold Priestly blessing…".
Background to the letter: In late 1933, R. Yosef HaLevi Dinkeles sent a letter to R. David Potash of Tel Aviv, an associate of the Chazon Ish, requesting that he inquire as to the Chazon Ish's opinion on the laws of Orla in regard to oranges, and whether this fruit shares the status of the Etrog apropos Maaser Sheni and Maaser Ani. R. David Potash relayed the question to the Chazon Ish, who replied to R. Dinkeles with a detailed letter, the conclusion of which was that oranges share the same halachic status as the Etrog. R. David sent a copy of the question and answer to the Rogatchover, asking for his view on the matter, to which the Rogatchover responded with this letter. In his opinion, oranges "are not at all like Etrogim, rather like all other fruit" (the letters of the Rogatchover and the Chazon Ish regarding the laws of Pe'ah as applied to oranges were published in the Torat HaAretz anthology, published by the Beit Midrash for Torat Eretz Israel in Petach Tikva).
Most of the second part of this letter, together with an explanation of its background, was printed in Responsa Tzofnat Pane'ach HaChadashot, III, p. 298-303, based on a copying of this letter made by R. Yosef HaLevi Dinkeles.
[2] leaves. 21.5 cm. Good condition. Stains. Dampness damage, with ink smears to several words. Folding marks, with minor tears.
Category
Letters - Lithuanian, Polish and Eretz Israeli Rabbis
Catalogue
Auction 67 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
September 18, 2019
Opening: $1,000
Sold for: $3,250
Including buyer's premium
Torah letter on a postcard (written on both sides), handwritten by R. Yosef Rosen of Rogatchov. Dvinsk (Daugavpils), Elul 1929.
The postcard was sent to R. Yitzchak Yaakov Wachtfogel, dean of the Me'ah She'arim yeshiva in Jerusalem.
The letter contains novellae on the commandments pertaining to the land - Terumah, Challah and Orlah, and more. The letter begins: "Sunday, 17th Elul 1929, Dvinsk, I received his letter today, in which he wrote…".
This letter was presumably never printed.
R. Yosef Rosen (1858-1936) - known as the Rogatchover (after his birthtown Rogatchov-Rahachow), was a Chabad-Kopust follower. In his youth, he was a disciple of R. Yosef Dov Ber Soloveitchik, author of Beit HaLevi, together with the latter's son R. Chaim of Brisk. From 1889, he served as rabbi of the Chabad Chassidic community in Dvinsk, Latvia alongside the rabbi of the city, the Or Same'ach, a position he held for 40 years. A remarkable figure renowned for his tremendous sharpness and genius, he was well-versed in all areas of the Torah, down to its finest details, producing profound definitions, hypotheses and original methods of Torah study. Tales of his genius and indescribable diligence abound. His legendary brilliance was also highly regarded by the secular world in his days and Bialik reputedly said that "two Einsteins could be carved out from the mind of the Rogatchover". The Rogatchover dealt extensively in explaining the teachings of the Rambam and wrote numerous halachic responsa. His responsa and novellae were published in his Tzofnat Pane'ach series. His printed books are a small part of the incessant flow of the inexhaustible fountain of his Torah. Due to the profundity of his teachings and his concise, cryptic style of writing, several projects have risen in recent generations to decipher and explain his teachings, resulting in the publishing of annotated editions of his works.
[1] leaf (2 written pages). Approx. 15 cm. Good condition. Stains. Folding mark to center of postcard. Postal stamp removed.
The postcard was sent to R. Yitzchak Yaakov Wachtfogel, dean of the Me'ah She'arim yeshiva in Jerusalem.
The letter contains novellae on the commandments pertaining to the land - Terumah, Challah and Orlah, and more. The letter begins: "Sunday, 17th Elul 1929, Dvinsk, I received his letter today, in which he wrote…".
This letter was presumably never printed.
R. Yosef Rosen (1858-1936) - known as the Rogatchover (after his birthtown Rogatchov-Rahachow), was a Chabad-Kopust follower. In his youth, he was a disciple of R. Yosef Dov Ber Soloveitchik, author of Beit HaLevi, together with the latter's son R. Chaim of Brisk. From 1889, he served as rabbi of the Chabad Chassidic community in Dvinsk, Latvia alongside the rabbi of the city, the Or Same'ach, a position he held for 40 years. A remarkable figure renowned for his tremendous sharpness and genius, he was well-versed in all areas of the Torah, down to its finest details, producing profound definitions, hypotheses and original methods of Torah study. Tales of his genius and indescribable diligence abound. His legendary brilliance was also highly regarded by the secular world in his days and Bialik reputedly said that "two Einsteins could be carved out from the mind of the Rogatchover". The Rogatchover dealt extensively in explaining the teachings of the Rambam and wrote numerous halachic responsa. His responsa and novellae were published in his Tzofnat Pane'ach series. His printed books are a small part of the incessant flow of the inexhaustible fountain of his Torah. Due to the profundity of his teachings and his concise, cryptic style of writing, several projects have risen in recent generations to decipher and explain his teachings, resulting in the publishing of annotated editions of his works.
[1] leaf (2 written pages). Approx. 15 cm. Good condition. Stains. Folding mark to center of postcard. Postal stamp removed.
Category
Letters - Lithuanian, Polish and Eretz Israeli Rabbis
Catalogue
Auction 67 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
September 18, 2019
Opening: $800
Sold for: $3,500
Including buyer's premium
Lengthy letter (2 pages), handwritten and signed by R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski. Vilna, Adar 1892.
Addressed to R. Shmuel Salant in Jerusalem. The letter relates of an interesting yet sorrowful case: A Jew named R. Mordechai of Minsk had passed away in Jerusalem, requesting in his will that ten men should study Torah in his memory, and pray in his home for the first year following his passing. He allocated 300 silver rubles to be distributed between them. Ten men were carefully chosen and began implementing his will (among these were R. Shimon Tzvi Horowitz, R. Yitzchak Eliezer Charlap, R. Avraham Abba Salant, and others). However, most of R. Mordechai's wealth was deposited in Europe, in the care of several men, who subsequently went bankrupt. The funds remaining in his estate did not suffice to fully carry out his will, nor to pay for his burial expenses. R. Chaim Ozer asks R. Shmuel Salant to instruct them apropos the division of the residual sum of money between the Burial Society and those who had studied and prayed for the elevation of R. Mordechai's soul.
R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski (1863-1940) was a foremost rabbi of his generation and leader of the entire European Jewry. He was the son of R. David Shlomo Grodzinski Rabbi of Iwye. He was renowned from his childhood for his exceptional brilliance. He entered the Volozhin yeshiva at the young age of 11, and became a disciple of R. Chaim of Brisk. At the age of 24, he was appointed rabbi and posek of Vilna, in place of his father-in-law R. Eliyahu Eliezer Grodnansky posek in Vilna, son-in-law of R. Yisrael Salanter. He assumed the yoke of public leadership from a young age, and for close to fifty years, his opinion was conclusive on all public matters which arose throughout the Diaspora. This letter discloses that already as a young rabbi (under the age of 30), R. Chaim Ozer, with his authority and broad viewpoint, governed communal affairs.
[1] leaf (written on both sides, approx. 32 lines). 20 cm. Good condition. Stains.
Addressed to R. Shmuel Salant in Jerusalem. The letter relates of an interesting yet sorrowful case: A Jew named R. Mordechai of Minsk had passed away in Jerusalem, requesting in his will that ten men should study Torah in his memory, and pray in his home for the first year following his passing. He allocated 300 silver rubles to be distributed between them. Ten men were carefully chosen and began implementing his will (among these were R. Shimon Tzvi Horowitz, R. Yitzchak Eliezer Charlap, R. Avraham Abba Salant, and others). However, most of R. Mordechai's wealth was deposited in Europe, in the care of several men, who subsequently went bankrupt. The funds remaining in his estate did not suffice to fully carry out his will, nor to pay for his burial expenses. R. Chaim Ozer asks R. Shmuel Salant to instruct them apropos the division of the residual sum of money between the Burial Society and those who had studied and prayed for the elevation of R. Mordechai's soul.
R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski (1863-1940) was a foremost rabbi of his generation and leader of the entire European Jewry. He was the son of R. David Shlomo Grodzinski Rabbi of Iwye. He was renowned from his childhood for his exceptional brilliance. He entered the Volozhin yeshiva at the young age of 11, and became a disciple of R. Chaim of Brisk. At the age of 24, he was appointed rabbi and posek of Vilna, in place of his father-in-law R. Eliyahu Eliezer Grodnansky posek in Vilna, son-in-law of R. Yisrael Salanter. He assumed the yoke of public leadership from a young age, and for close to fifty years, his opinion was conclusive on all public matters which arose throughout the Diaspora. This letter discloses that already as a young rabbi (under the age of 30), R. Chaim Ozer, with his authority and broad viewpoint, governed communal affairs.
[1] leaf (written on both sides, approx. 32 lines). 20 cm. Good condition. Stains.
Category
Letters - Lithuanian, Polish and Eretz Israeli Rabbis
Catalogue
Auction 67 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
September 18, 2019
Opening: $1,200
Sold for: $1,750
Including buyer's premium
Three letters handwritten and signed by R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski of Vilna. One from the 1890s, and two from 1924.
• The first letter is addressed to the administrators of the charity fund in Jerusalem, regarding 72 silver rubles he is sending them from the inheritance of R. Mordechai of Minsk (see previous item). He instructs them to distribute the money "following the directives of R. Shmuel Salant". [Vilna, ca. 1892].
• The other two letters are brief notes, written in Nisan 1924, addressed to the "Tzag office" (the Tzedaka Gedola fund), and contain instructions regarding the distribution of charity monies to various needy individuals. In the letter dated 10th Nisan, he instructs to give him "according to the protocol", and in the letter from 12th Nisan, he writes to give a Jew whose name was omitted from the list, the sum of "25 million mark" (the letter was written during the hyperinflation of 1923-1925, following WWI, whence the value of the German mark plummeted, to the point that a million mark sufficed only to buy two loaves of bread…).
R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski (1863-1940) was a foremost rabbi of his generation and leader of the entire European Jewry. He was the son of R. David Shlomo Grodzinski Rabbi of Iwye. He was renowned from his childhood for his exceptional brilliance. He entered the Volozhin yeshiva at the young age of 11, and became a disciple of R. Chaim of Brisk. At the age of 24, he was appointed rabbi and posek of Vilna, in place of his father-in-law R. Eliyahu Eliezer Grodnansky posek in Vilna, son-in-law of R. Yisrael Salanter. He assumed the yoke of public leadership from a young age, and for close to fifty years, his opinion was conclusive on all communal matters which arose throughout the Diaspora. The first letter discloses that even as a young rabbi (under the age of 30), R. Chaim Ozer already governed communal matters, with his broad viewpoint and authority. The other two letters provide an interesting documentation of his engagement in charity matters in his city, Vilna, down to the finest details, including providing instructions for distribution to needy individuals. It must be noted that at that time, R. Chaim Ozer already bore the burden of the entire Jewish nation - including Agudath Israel matters, the rabbinic positions in various communities worldwide, assisting Jews in Bolshevik Russia and Russian refugees, and the responsibility for the survival of the Lithuanian and Polish yeshivot and Jewish education.
Three letters, one of them on official stationery. 6.5-13 cm. Good condition. Stains and creases.
• The first letter is addressed to the administrators of the charity fund in Jerusalem, regarding 72 silver rubles he is sending them from the inheritance of R. Mordechai of Minsk (see previous item). He instructs them to distribute the money "following the directives of R. Shmuel Salant". [Vilna, ca. 1892].
• The other two letters are brief notes, written in Nisan 1924, addressed to the "Tzag office" (the Tzedaka Gedola fund), and contain instructions regarding the distribution of charity monies to various needy individuals. In the letter dated 10th Nisan, he instructs to give him "according to the protocol", and in the letter from 12th Nisan, he writes to give a Jew whose name was omitted from the list, the sum of "25 million mark" (the letter was written during the hyperinflation of 1923-1925, following WWI, whence the value of the German mark plummeted, to the point that a million mark sufficed only to buy two loaves of bread…).
R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski (1863-1940) was a foremost rabbi of his generation and leader of the entire European Jewry. He was the son of R. David Shlomo Grodzinski Rabbi of Iwye. He was renowned from his childhood for his exceptional brilliance. He entered the Volozhin yeshiva at the young age of 11, and became a disciple of R. Chaim of Brisk. At the age of 24, he was appointed rabbi and posek of Vilna, in place of his father-in-law R. Eliyahu Eliezer Grodnansky posek in Vilna, son-in-law of R. Yisrael Salanter. He assumed the yoke of public leadership from a young age, and for close to fifty years, his opinion was conclusive on all communal matters which arose throughout the Diaspora. The first letter discloses that even as a young rabbi (under the age of 30), R. Chaim Ozer already governed communal matters, with his broad viewpoint and authority. The other two letters provide an interesting documentation of his engagement in charity matters in his city, Vilna, down to the finest details, including providing instructions for distribution to needy individuals. It must be noted that at that time, R. Chaim Ozer already bore the burden of the entire Jewish nation - including Agudath Israel matters, the rabbinic positions in various communities worldwide, assisting Jews in Bolshevik Russia and Russian refugees, and the responsibility for the survival of the Lithuanian and Polish yeshivot and Jewish education.
Three letters, one of them on official stationery. 6.5-13 cm. Good condition. Stains and creases.
Category
Letters - Lithuanian, Polish and Eretz Israeli Rabbis
Catalogue
Auction 67 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
September 18, 2019
Opening: $800
Unsold
Lengthy letter (2 pages), signed by R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski. Vilna, Sivan 1927.
Sent to Rabbi Aharon Reuven Charney, rabbi of Bayonne, NJ. An appeal for assistance on behalf of the longstanding yeshiva in Vilna - the Ramailes yeshiva - "The yeshiva has been standing for over a century… and has continuously emitted light - the light of Torah… even during the war and German occupation, the eternal light did not cease, and after the war, it gained strength and benches were added to the study hall, and leading Torah scholars deliver regular lectures…". R. Chaim Ozer writes that the support received from the United States Central Relief Committee is not sufficient to sustain the yeshiva, and additional donations are required.
R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski (1863-1940) was a foremost rabbi of his generation and leader of the entire European Jewry. At the age of 11, he entered the Volozhin yeshiva and became a disciple of R. Chaim of Brisk. At the age of 24, he was appointed rabbi and posek of Vilna. He assumed the yoke of public leadership from a young age, and his opinion was conclusive on all communal matters which arose in the Diaspora for close to fifty years. Apart from his spiritual leadership and responding to halachic questions addressed to him from throughout the world, he worked ceaselessly and extensively to rehabilitate the yeshivot and improve the standing of the rabbis in Lithuania and the surroundings. His responsa were published in the four parts of his responsa series Achiezer.
The Ramailes yeshiva in Vilna was founded in 1815 by the rabbis of the city, and was named Ramailes after the plot which was donated for the purpose of building the yeshiva, which was known as "R. Maile's courtyard" (from the estate of R. Maile of Vilna). The yeshiva underwent many vicissitudes over the years, thought never did the sound of Torah cease. The yeshiva was led by R. Avraham Tzvi Grodzinski - brother of R. Chaim Ozer, between 1890 and 1938. R. Chaim Ozer himself was very dedicated to the yeshiva, especially after 1911 when he lost his only daughter (who passed away in her adolescence). He then initiated the construction of a new building for the yeshiva. After WWI, the yeshiva was directed by R. Shlomo Heiman, who had returned from exile in Belarus (where he had established the yeshiva in Smilavichy, together with R. Elchanan Wasserman). During that time, the standing of the yeshiva improved. A prominent student from that period was R. Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz, who studied there until 1935, and later arranged and published his teacher's novellae in the book Chiddushei R. Shlomo.
[1] leaf (written on both sides), official stationery. 20 cm. Letter written by a scribe, with the handwritten signature of R. Chaim Ozer and his ornate stamp. Good condition. Light wear. Folding marks.
Enclosed is part of the envelope, with the name and address of the recipient of the letter.
Sent to Rabbi Aharon Reuven Charney, rabbi of Bayonne, NJ. An appeal for assistance on behalf of the longstanding yeshiva in Vilna - the Ramailes yeshiva - "The yeshiva has been standing for over a century… and has continuously emitted light - the light of Torah… even during the war and German occupation, the eternal light did not cease, and after the war, it gained strength and benches were added to the study hall, and leading Torah scholars deliver regular lectures…". R. Chaim Ozer writes that the support received from the United States Central Relief Committee is not sufficient to sustain the yeshiva, and additional donations are required.
R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski (1863-1940) was a foremost rabbi of his generation and leader of the entire European Jewry. At the age of 11, he entered the Volozhin yeshiva and became a disciple of R. Chaim of Brisk. At the age of 24, he was appointed rabbi and posek of Vilna. He assumed the yoke of public leadership from a young age, and his opinion was conclusive on all communal matters which arose in the Diaspora for close to fifty years. Apart from his spiritual leadership and responding to halachic questions addressed to him from throughout the world, he worked ceaselessly and extensively to rehabilitate the yeshivot and improve the standing of the rabbis in Lithuania and the surroundings. His responsa were published in the four parts of his responsa series Achiezer.
The Ramailes yeshiva in Vilna was founded in 1815 by the rabbis of the city, and was named Ramailes after the plot which was donated for the purpose of building the yeshiva, which was known as "R. Maile's courtyard" (from the estate of R. Maile of Vilna). The yeshiva underwent many vicissitudes over the years, thought never did the sound of Torah cease. The yeshiva was led by R. Avraham Tzvi Grodzinski - brother of R. Chaim Ozer, between 1890 and 1938. R. Chaim Ozer himself was very dedicated to the yeshiva, especially after 1911 when he lost his only daughter (who passed away in her adolescence). He then initiated the construction of a new building for the yeshiva. After WWI, the yeshiva was directed by R. Shlomo Heiman, who had returned from exile in Belarus (where he had established the yeshiva in Smilavichy, together with R. Elchanan Wasserman). During that time, the standing of the yeshiva improved. A prominent student from that period was R. Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz, who studied there until 1935, and later arranged and published his teacher's novellae in the book Chiddushei R. Shlomo.
[1] leaf (written on both sides), official stationery. 20 cm. Letter written by a scribe, with the handwritten signature of R. Chaim Ozer and his ornate stamp. Good condition. Light wear. Folding marks.
Enclosed is part of the envelope, with the name and address of the recipient of the letter.
Category
Letters - Lithuanian, Polish and Eretz Israeli Rabbis
Catalogue
![Letter handwritten and signed by R. Baruch Ber Leibowitz, dean of the Kamenitz yeshiva. [Kamenitz (Kamyanyets)], "5th Tishrei](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale67-public/237.jpg "Letter from Rabbi Baruch Ber Leibowitz - Blessings for Rabbi Tzvi Yehu")
Auction 67 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
September 18, 2019
Opening: $1,000
Sold for: $1,625
Including buyer's premium
Letter handwritten and signed by R. Baruch Ber Leibowitz, dean of the Kamenitz yeshiva. [Kamenitz (Kamyanyets)], "5th Tishrei" [ca. 1937].
Addressed to R. Dov Kook (brother of R. Avraham Yitzchak Kook), director of the Harry Fischel institute in Jerusalem. The leaf begins with a letter from the gabbai of the Kamenitz yeshiva library, expressing their gratitude for the book he sent - teachings of the Rishonim on Tractate Moed Katan (published in Jerusalem by the Harry Fischel institute, 1937). Another letter follows (8 lines), handwritten and signed by the yeshiva dean R. Baruch Ber, thanking them for the book, and blessing R. Dov Kook and his "nephew, the eminent Torah scholar, R. Tzvi Yehuda - blessing you with great satisfaction for many years to come, and with all your hearts' wishes for the good…".
R. Baruch Dov (Ber) Leibowitz (1864-1939), author of Birkat Shmuel, was a leading disseminator of Torah in his generation. He was a disciple of R. Chaim of Brisk in the Volozhin yeshiva and son-in-law of R. Avraham Yitzchak Zimmerman Rabbi of Halusk. After the latter relocated to Kremenchug to serve as rabbi there, R. Baruch Ber succeeded him as rabbi of Halusk and established there a yeshiva. After 13 years, he was invited to serve as dean of the Knesset Beit Yitzchak yeshiva in Slabodka. During WWI, he wandered with the yeshiva to Minsk, Kremenchug and Vilna, finally establishing it in Kamenitz. He authored Birkat Shmuel on Talmudic topics. His orally transmitted and written teachings are the basis of in-depth yeshiva study.
[1] leaf, official stationery. 28 cm. Good-fair condition. Tears and damage to paper (not affecting text). Folding marks.
Addressed to R. Dov Kook (brother of R. Avraham Yitzchak Kook), director of the Harry Fischel institute in Jerusalem. The leaf begins with a letter from the gabbai of the Kamenitz yeshiva library, expressing their gratitude for the book he sent - teachings of the Rishonim on Tractate Moed Katan (published in Jerusalem by the Harry Fischel institute, 1937). Another letter follows (8 lines), handwritten and signed by the yeshiva dean R. Baruch Ber, thanking them for the book, and blessing R. Dov Kook and his "nephew, the eminent Torah scholar, R. Tzvi Yehuda - blessing you with great satisfaction for many years to come, and with all your hearts' wishes for the good…".
R. Baruch Dov (Ber) Leibowitz (1864-1939), author of Birkat Shmuel, was a leading disseminator of Torah in his generation. He was a disciple of R. Chaim of Brisk in the Volozhin yeshiva and son-in-law of R. Avraham Yitzchak Zimmerman Rabbi of Halusk. After the latter relocated to Kremenchug to serve as rabbi there, R. Baruch Ber succeeded him as rabbi of Halusk and established there a yeshiva. After 13 years, he was invited to serve as dean of the Knesset Beit Yitzchak yeshiva in Slabodka. During WWI, he wandered with the yeshiva to Minsk, Kremenchug and Vilna, finally establishing it in Kamenitz. He authored Birkat Shmuel on Talmudic topics. His orally transmitted and written teachings are the basis of in-depth yeshiva study.
[1] leaf, official stationery. 28 cm. Good-fair condition. Tears and damage to paper (not affecting text). Folding marks.
Category
Letters - Lithuanian, Polish and Eretz Israeli Rabbis
Catalogue