Two books, with signatures and ownership inscriptions of R. Moshe Betzalel Alter of Ger.
• Shev Shemateta, by R. Aryeh Leib HaKohen, author of Ketzot HaChoshen. Warsaw, 1875. At the top of the title page, ownership inscription handwritten by R. Moshe Betzalel Alter: "The Shev Shemateta belongs to me since G-d granted it to me, Moshe Betzalel Alter residing in Ger [Góra Kalwaria], son of the rebbe of this community". His stamp appears on p. 90b: "Moshe Betzalel Alter – of Ger".
[2], 3-91 leaves. 20.5 cm. Dry paper. Good condition. Wear and minor tears. Without binding.
• Ara DeRabbanan, Talmudic and halachic methodology, by R. Yisrael Yaakov Algazi. Kraków, 1885. Many signatures and ownership inscriptions at the top of the title page: "This Ara DeRabbanan is mine, M.B. Alter of Ger, son of the rabbi of this community", "G-d granted me, Moshe Betzalel Alter", and other signatures and inscriptions. On the final page, a deleted inscription, ending with the word: "…I erased".
[3], 77 leaves. 20 cm. Dry paper. Good-fair condition. Tears and wear. Detached leaf. Without binding.
R. Moshe Betzalel Alter (1869-1943; perished in the Holocaust), second son of the Sefat Emet, rebbe of Ger, and son-in-law of his uncle R. Shimon Chaim Alter brother of the Sefat Emet. He was renowned as a holy, ascetic and G-d fearing man, who worshipped G-d with exceptional devotion. He only slept for two hours every night, and would rise at two o'clock in the morning, delving into Torah study and worship of G-d with great diligence throughout the day and evening, until midnight. He was amongst the foremost leaders of the Ger dynasty. He completely accepted the authority of his brother, the Imrei Emet, and led the Chassidim on his behalf. He was involved in communal matters, and letters he wrote against reading secular newspapers and literature are well known. His brother the rebbe relied on him and wished to appoint him as his successor, as he wrote in his will: "…and behold, the community needs a leader, and I have decided to hand over the leadership to my brother R. Moshe Betzalel, he is attached to me wholeheartedly, and he will draw your hearts to our Father in Heaven… and he will bring down kindness, blessing and success from Heaven, to do good for you always" (ultimately, R. Moshe Betzalel perished in the Holocaust, and his brother changed his will to appoint his son R. Yisrael, the Beit Yisrael as his successor). With the outbreak of WWII, he was exiled together with his brother to Warsaw, where his son R. Yitzchak Meir (son-in-law of the Imrei Emet) was killed in bombardments. In the Warsaw ghetto, R. Moshe Betzalel survived thanks to his enrollment in a workshop. Most of the time, he sat in a corner of the shoe factory, while the Chassidim concealed his engagement in Torah and worship of G-d from the supervisors. Eventually, he was taken to the Treblinka extermination camp. Most of his descendants, including his sons, daughters and their numerous family members, perished in the Holocaust (apart from several descendants who survived and immigrated to Eretz Israel, including his son R. Avraham Mordechai Alter, father-in-law of the Penei Menachem, rebbe of Ger).