Three versions of a letter, including a draft handwritten by R. Samson Raphael Hirsch, with comments handwritten by R. Azriel Hildesheimer. Berlin, 1881. German, with some Hebrew.
Letter from German rabbis, addressed to the Prussian Minister of War Georg von Kameke, in which they ask him to act on behalf of the Jewish soldiers in the Prussian army, and grant them an exemption from military duties on Shabbat (just as soldiers are already exempted on festivals and fast days). The letter describes various aspects of the importance of the Shabbat in Judaism.
This is a draft of the letter, entirely handwritten by R. Samson Raphael Hirsch, with his marginal deletions, emendations and additions. There are also two lengthy notes in the margins, handwritten by R. Azriel Hildesheimer. In one of them, he writes in Hebrew (in praise of R. S. R. Hirsch): "And who do we have greater than him, who personifies 'my tongue is a pen of an expert scribe'". This draft is dated: "Berlin, 19th May 1881". The draft concludes with an undecipherable calligraphic inscription, possibly the signature of R. Samson Raphael Hirsch.
Enclosed with the draft are two neat copyings, handwritten by a scribe. The first is dated: "Berlin, 27th May 1881" (this date was deleted and replaced with "7th June"). This copying contains two particularly lengthy additions handwritten by R. Samson Raphael Hirsch. The second copying is dated: "Berlin, 7th June 1881", and incorporates R. Samson Raphael Hirsch's additions.
Both copyings feature the signatures (copied by the scribe) of eleven German rabbis: "Rabbi Dr. Hildesheimer, Berlin; R. Hirsch, Frankfurt; Dr. Löb, Altona; Dr. Auerbach, Halberstadt; Dr. Plato, Cologne; Dr. Ehrman, Trier; Dr. Kahn, Wiesbaden; Dr. S. Cohn, Berlin; Dr. Feilchenfeld, Posen; Ehrenfeld, Gnesen; Dr. Löb, Samter".
This letter provides an interesting documentation of the joint efforts of R. Samson Raphael Hirsch and R. Azriel Hildesheimer on behalf of the Jewish soldiers in Germany. These leaves disclose the various steps in the process of producing the final letter, beginning with the draft handwritten by R. Samson Raphael Hirsch, the editing it underwent by R. Hirsch and R. Hildesheimer, copying it into a well-presented letter, a second editing, and the final copying.
R. Shimshon son of R. Refael Hirsch (1808-1888) was the legendary leader of German Orthodox Jewry and founder of the association of independent communities. He was a disciple of Chacham Bernays of Hamburg, and of R. Yaakov Ettlinger of Altona – the Aruch LaNer. At the age of 22, he began serving as rabbi of Oldenburg, Emden and later Nikolsburg. In 1850, he was summoned by eleven Orthodox families in Frankfurt am Main to stand at the helm of the new Adath Yeshurun Orthodox community. R. Samson Raphael Hirsch was the first to attempt to stem the rapid spiritual decline of German Jewry, painstakingly rebuilding Orthodox Jewry in Germany. He invested great effort in establishing independent communities in various German cities, and educated an entire generation to Torah and observance, through his discourses, books and essays (the Nineteen Letters, Horeb and others), which were originally delivered and written in German, and have since been translated and published in many editions, in Hebrew and other languages.
R. Azriel Hildesheimer (1820-1899), rabbi, posek and leader. A foremost rabbi in his times, he stood at the helm of Orthodox Jewry in Germany. He was a close disciple of R. Yaakov Ettlinger – the Aruch LaNer in Altona (who refers to him in Responsa Binyan Tzion as "my son"), and studied under Chacham Bernays (R. Yitzchak Bernays) of Hamburg. In 1848, he founded a yeshiva in Halberstadt, and in 1851, he was appointed rabbi of Eisenstadt, where he also served as yeshiva dean and established a unique educational system. In 1869, he began serving as rabbi of the Adath Israel Orthodox community in Berlin, where he founded a yeshiva. In 1874, he opened the Rabbinical seminary, which edified generations of rabbis, educators and community leaders. Just like his teacher the Aruch LaNer, he was titled "Nesi Eretz Israel". He was renowned for his wide-ranging efforts on behalf of German Jewry, and for his extensive activities on behalf of Russian Jewry. He authored many novellae and halachic responsa, which were published in the books Responsa of R. Azriel (2 volumes), Chiddushei R. Azriel – on the Talmud (3 volumes) and others.
[1] leaf (2 pages) handwritten by R. Hirsch + [2] double leaves (8 written pages) of copyings of the letter. Size varies. Good-fair condition. Stains, tears, fold lines.
Enclosed: A handwritten leaf from the same period, in German (copy of an army regulation?); English translation (recent) of the letter.

Letter from R. Yisrael Meir HaKohen of Radin, the Chafetz Chaim. Radin (Radun), Kislev 1926.
Written by a scribe on the official stationery of the Chafetz Chaim, with the latter's handwritten signature ("Yisrael Meir HaKohen") and stamp.
Letter of acknowledgement, in Yiddish, for a donation made to the Radin yeshiva, addressed to Mrs. Chana Slew of Chicago. The letter concludes with the Chafetz Chaim's heartfelt blessings: " In the merit of the holy mitzva of supporting Torah study, may G-d help you in all matters, and fulfill all your wishes for the good, as is her wish and that of the one who blesses her, Yisrael Meir HaKohen".
R. Yisrael Meir HaKohen of Radin (1837-1933; Otzar HaRabbanim 12262), leader of the Jewish people, was widely known by the name of his first book, the Chafetz Chaim. He founded the Radin yeshiva and authored many halachic and ethical works: Mishna Berura, Shemirat HaLashon, Ahavat Chessed and dozens more. This letter was written in his later years, at the age of about 90 (his advanced age is noticeable in the tremulous signature).
[1] leaf. 27.5 cm. Fair-good condition. Stains. Fold lines. Tears to fold lines, slightly affecting several letters, repaired.

Marriage certificate issued by the Beit Din of the Eida HaChareidit, signed by the Brisker Rav, R. Yitzchak Ze'ev HaLevi Soloveitchik. Jerusalem, 1946.
Marriage certificate. Official printed certificate of the "Council of the Ashkenazic Jewish Community in Jerusalem", filled-in by hand to record the marriage of R. Nachman Feldman to Tzirel Barbash. The certificate is signed by R. " Yitzchak Ze'ev HaLevi Soloveitchik", who served as mesader kiddushin. The wedding took place in Jerusalem, in the Tzion hotel, on 11th Adar I 1946 (see HaRav MiBrisk, I, p. 21 – picture of the Brisker Rav officiating at that wedding).
The signature of the Brisker Rav in the capacity of mesader kiddushin is very rare, since the latter did not generally agree to officiate at weddings in Jerusalem.
R. Yitzchak Ze'ev Soloveitchik – the Brisker Rav (1887-1959), son of R. Chaim HaLevi of Brisk, and grandson of the Beit HaLevi. Already in his father's lifetime, at a young age, he was considered one of the prominent leaders of the generation. In 1920 (at the age of 32), he succeeded his forefathers as rabbi of Brisk, and with his Torah authority he directed all Jewish matters in Brisk and the surroundings. He survived the Holocaust together with some of his children and immigrated to Jerusalem, where he reestablished his yeshiva. His authority was recognized throughout the Torah world, whether in Eretz Israel or abroad. He authored Chiddushei Maran R. Y.Z. HaLevi on the Rambam and the Torah. His orally transmitted novellae were published in the Chiddushei HaGriz series, and until this day, his teachings serve as the basis of profound Torah study in yeshivot, and his views direct the Torah outlook and leadership within Orthodox Jewry.
[1] leaf. 25 cm. Good condition. Stains, ink stains. Filing holes. Fold lines.

Mishneh Torah by the Rambam, with Hasagot HaRaavad and Maggid Mishneh, and the Kesef Mishneh commentary by R. Yosef Karo. Venice: Bragadin, 1574-1575. Complete set, four parts in four volumes, each with its own title page.
First edition of the Kesef Mishneh commentary, mostly printed in the lifetime of the author. On the title pages of parts I, II and III, R. Yosef Karo is mentioned as amongst the living; whilst on the title page of part IV, he is already mentioned as deceased ("zatzal"). At the end of part IV, there is a postface from the proofreader, R. Chizkiyah Fano, informing of the passing of the author R. Yosef Karo during the course of the printing (on 13th Nisan 1575). A poem composed by R. Avraham Hayun disciple of the author, in praise of the Kesef Mishneh composition, is printed following R. Chizkiyah Fano's postface.
The third volume is replete with many dozens of glosses handwritten by the aforementioned R. Avraham Hayun, a Torah scholar and kabbalist of Safed in the times of the Arizal and the Beit Yosef. Most of the glosses are lengthy, and some begin with his initials "A. Ch." [=Avraham Hayun]. On p. 87a, for instance: " So says A. Ch., until this day in Safed it is called Somech and it is half an hour distance from Pekiin, and there the son of R. Moshe Segrin was murdered"; and on p. 167a: " So says A. Ch., one can also smooth them… and so it is practiced until this day in Damascus and Aleppo".
In most glosses, R. Avraham relates to the words of his teacher in Kesef Mishneh, and discusses his teachings. In several instances however, he deletes or corrects the words of the Rambam, and in a few places he even corrects the text of the Kesef Mishneh.
An interesting gloss was recorded on p. 87b, relating to the famous polemic surrounding the laws of Terumot and Maaserot on produce grown by non-Jews, which erupted in Safed at the end of the Beit Yosef's life. The Kesef Mishneh wrote there: "And now, a certain scholar arose, and it appears that he is acting virtuously by going against the accepted custom, separating Terumot and Maaserot from produce which grew on land belonging to a non-Jew…", to which R. Avraham adds in his handwriting: "So says A. Ch. …I was also in Safed when this rabbi arose, and since the rabbi did not reveal his name, I too will not identify him". It has already been revealed that the scholar in question was R. Yehosef Ashkenazi – a Safed Torah scholar in those times. One of the supporters of R. Yehosef Ashkenazi was the Mabit, who was R. Yosef Karo's opponent in several affairs. At the height of the polemic, the Safed Torah scholars issued a ban forbidding the separating of Terumot and Maaserot from non-Jewish produce (see: Benayahu, The Schools of Thought of the Mabit and of Rabbi Yosef Karo and the Clashes Between Them, Asufot III, Jerusalem 1989).
R. Avraham Hayun, Torah scholar and kabbalist in Safed during the times of the Arizal and the Beit Yosef. At the end of vol. IV of this edition of Mishneh Torah with Kesef Mishneh, there is a poem composed by R. Avraham Hayun in praise of the Kesef Mishneh. The poem forms an acrostic of his name: "Avraham Hayun". The introduction to the poem states that its author was a disciple of R. Yosef Karo. He was also a disciple of R. Moshe Alshech. Meir Benayahu published glosses by R. Avraham Hayun on the Zohar (Benayahu, Toldot HaAri, pp. 344-354), consisting of kabbalistic teachings, practices of the Arizal, and important testimonies on the Arizal and Safed kabbalists of his generation. In his glosses, R. Avraham Hayun relates that he was young at the time the Arizal perished in a plague, and that he himself was also struck by that plague, yet recovered from it. A different gloss discloses that he was also a disciple of R. Moshe Alshech.
At the time of publishing the glosses, Benayahu had not yet identified their author, who signed his glosses "A. Ch.", but in his book Yosef Bechiri (p. 319), Benayahu surmises that it was R. Avraham Hayun, and even refers there to this volume containing R. Avraham Hayun's handwritten glosses: "…I saw in the possession of Mr. Chaim Schneebalg in Jerusalem a Kesef Mishneh filled with his glosses, but due to its high price, I was unable to purchase it…".
Ownership inscriptions and signatures on the title page of vol. III: "My acquisition, which I purchased from the wise and exalted R. Moshe Egozi, through the elevated Torah scholar R. Yitzchak HaLevi Ashkenazi, today, 28th Shevat 1725, I, Moshe Algranati" (presumably R. Moshe Algranati the second, a Torah scholar of Izmir, whom R. Chaim Benveniste addresses in Responsa Ba'ei Chayei, Choshen Mishpat, section 74); "This Rambam part III is mine, therefore I inscribed my name in it, Emanuel son of Shlomo Shalem".
The first volume contains a few glosses from several writers. A gloss in early Ashkenazic script on p. 311b, signed: "Feiss Katz". Two glosses in Sephardic script on p. 314b. Additional glosses in late Ashkenazic script. Signatures and ownership inscriptions in the first volume: "Avraham Ashkenazi", "Shlomo", "Belongs to… R. Yechiel [--]", and others.
Glosses in the fourth volume in neat, semi-cursive Sephardic script, corrections to the text of the Rambam, brief commentaries and sources.
Vol. I: [22], 316 leaves. Vol. II: [10], 219 [i.e. 218] leaves. Vol. III: [20], 451, [1] leaves. Vol. IV: [10], 297, [9] leaves. 27.5-29 cm. Most volumes with light-colored, high-quality paper. Overall good to good-fair condition. Stains, dampstains. Worming, tears and minor damage to three title pages and to several other leaves, primarily at end of volumes (slightly affecting text in a few places), professionally repaired with paper. Severe dampstains to some leaves of vol. II, traces of past dampness and mold (to lower part of leaves). Stamps. New, matching leather bindings.

Title page of Bechinat Olam, by R. Yedaiah Bedersi, Venice, 1546. On the verso of the title page, calligraphic signature of the kabbalist R. Moshe Yonah, rabbi of Safed, a disciple of the Arizal.
A lengthy dedication was added beneath the signature, handwritten by R. Mordechai HaLevi – HaRav HaMelitz of Jerusalem, with his calligraphic signature, attesting that he gave this book, together with another two, to R. Reuven Bachar Yaakov. The dedication is followed by a line handwritten by the recipient of the book, R. Reuven Bachar Yaakov, rabbi of Sofia, and later yeshiva dean in Safed: " I gave him in exchange of the above, a Chumash with Targum and the Rashi commentary, in small format".
The kabbalist R. Moshe Yonah was one of the first disciples of the Arizal. R. Chaim Vital lists him in Sefer HaChezyonot amongst the "second group" or "senior group" of the disciples of the Arizal, together with R. Moshe Alshech, R. Moshe Najara, R. Yitzchak Archa, R. Avraham Guakil and others. R. Moshe Yonah was one of the first to record teachings heard directly from the Arizal. He compiled the teachings of the Arizal in the book Kanfei Yonah, which was widespread amongst kabbalists, mainly in Italy, but over the years, his authorship of the composition was forgotten, and it was instead attributed to the Rema of Fano, and even printed under the latter's name (see: M. Benayahu, R. Moshe Yonah Disciple of the Arizal and First to Record His Teachings, Memorial Book for R. Yitzchak Nissim, IV, p. 7 onwards). R. Moshe Yonah was a leader of the Safed community, and the rabbi of the city. R. Yosef Yuspa Hahn quotes in his book Yosef Ometz (in the chapter on the order of priority in Torah study) methods of studying Kabbalah which he heard from R. Yaakov Schweinfurt, emissary of the Safed Torah scholars, "in the name of the kabbalist R. Yonah Rabbi of Safed". R. Yosef Yuspa adds that he saw the signature of R. Moshe Yonah several times on writings sent to his father from Safed, and that he thinks that he is the author of Kanfei Yonah. With the decline of Safed and the scattering of the disciples of the Arizal, R. Moshe Yonah emigrated to Egypt around 1582-1585, residing there until his passing. Several manuscripts in his handwriting and with his signatures were preserved, including sermons he delivered in Egypt in 1585 (see: R. Moshe Hillel, Min HaGenazim, II, p. 45 onwards).
R. Mordechai HaLevi, known as "HaMelitz" (d. 1807), a leading Jerusalem Torah scholar, Rishon LeTzion and rabbi of the city. He was the son-in-law of R. Mordechai Yosef Meyuchas author of Shaar HaMayim, and his successor as rabbi of Jerusalem. His responsa were published in the books of Torah scholars of his times, such as Simchat Yom Tov by R. Yom Tov Algazi, Chikrei Lev by R. Refael Yosef Chazan, and others. In 1793, he left for Europe as emissary of Jerusalem. During the course of his mission, he published several books of Rishonim in Livorno, including Ishei HaShem (Livorno 1795) – laws of the Ramban and novellae of the Ritva on Tractate Nedarim; Nimukei Yosef on Tractates Ketubot and Nedarim, with the addition of his glosses to Nimukei Yosef, named Maamar Mordechai; Beit HaBechira (Livorno 1795) – novellae of the Me'iri to Tractates Nedarim, Nazir and Sotah, with novellae of the Nimukei Yosef to Tractate Shevuot. With the completion of his mission, he returned to Jerusalem. In 1806, he was appointed Rishon LeTzion of Jerusalem in place of his father-in-law, but that same year, he travelled as emissary to Constantinople, and passed away there in 1807. R. Chananel Neppi, who met R. Mordechai HaLevi during the course of his journeys, describes him: "…I had the merit of meeting him when he came to Italy as emissary of Jerusalem, and I found him to be very well-versed in Talmud and halachic literature, by heart as if they lie in his pocket, and he brought to print the works of the Rishonim… he also authored a large composition named Maamar Mordechai, but due to the troubles which befell Jerusalem, he was compelled to travel to Constantinople, where he was summoned to the Heavenly yeshiva in 1807" (Toldot Gedolei Yisrael UGeonei Italia, pp. 243 and 245).
R. Reuven Bachar Yaakov (1729-1806), Torah scholar and kabbalist, rabbi of Sofia, and later of Safed. Born in Sofia, he studied there under R. Shlomo Shalem. He married the daughter of R. David son of R. Shmuel Majar. R. Reuven was the uncle of R. Avraham Alkalai, author of Zechor LeAvraham (who mentions his uncle in his book, with the acronym: R.B.Y. = Reuven Bachar Yaakov). R. Reuven was an expert scribe and copied kabbalistic manuscripts, including the composition of his father-in-law, Chasdei David (later published by R. Yaakov Shealtiel Ninio, in Emet LeYaakov, Livorno 1843-1844), and other kabbalistic compositions (see: R. Moshe Hillel, Identity of the Copyist of the Book Etz Chaim with a Colophon from 1579, Chitzei Giborim, X, Nisan 2017, p. 883). In 1768, he wished to immigrate to Eretz Israel, but was held up in Salonika and Constantinople, never reaching Eretz Israel. He instead returned to Sofia and resumed his position as rabbi of the city. In the 1790s, he finally fulfilled his dreams and immigrated to Eretz Israel, settling in Safed, where he was appointed rabbi of the city (see: Rosanes, Korot HaYehudim BeTurkia VeArtzot HaKedem, V, chapter II, Sofia 1937-1938, pp. 106-109).
[2] leaves (title page with additional leaf joined to it – leaf 69 of Bechinat Olam). 19.5 cm. Fair condition. Stains, tears and wear (not affecting text).