Large handwritten certificate – ordination for a shohet, signed by the Sephardic rabbis of Jerusalem: R. Ovadia Hedaya, R. Salman Hugi Aboudi and R. Ovadia Yosef. Jerusalem, 1968.
Scribal script on a large sheet of paper. Ordination as shochet for R. Moshe son of R. Refael Shraga (descendant of the Or Shraga of Yazd). The ordination is signed by R. Ezra Yair, head of the shochatim in Jerusalem, followed by the signatures of the rabbis of Jerusalem.
[1] double leaf. 41.5 cm. Fair condition. Large, dark dampstains. Folding marks, wear and tears (repaired with tape in several places).

Letter addressed to R. Pinchas HaLevi Ish-Horowitz Rabbi of Frankfurt am Main. [Ca. 1772-1805].
Letter handwritten and signed by "[Meir M---?] son of the late R. Wolf", addressed to "…the crown of wisdom, crown of Torah… a man in whom the spirit of G-d rests… R. Pinchas…" (address inscription on verso of the leaf). The letter mentions Frankfurt am Main as the community of the rabbi to whom the letter is addressed – R. Pinchas HaLevi Horowitz, the Haflaa.
The writer of the letter was presumably a disciple or follower of the Haflaa, since he begins his request "as a disciple asks his teacher", and addresses the Haflaa as "…the crown of our head… our master and teacher…".
The writer requests that he lend assistance to his son, "Zalman", a yeshiva student who has been residing for the last few months in Frankfurt am Main, and has been suffering from hunger. The father describes how his sons chose to leave home, where they were provided for, and travel from one town to another to study Torah, "to find for themselves… a place of serenity to study assiduously", he stresses the qualities of his son, who is diligent in his Torah study, "…filled with fear of G-d… from his youth, his only goal was to serve G-d… with great diligence… following the path… of our holy ancestors".
The writer then praises the rabbi, recipient of the letter, as one who is "kind and giving to close ones and distant ones… and serves as father, patron and refuge to those who come to shelter under the wings of the yeshiva".
The recipient of the letter, R. Pinchas HaLevi Ish-Horowitz, author of the Haflaa (1731-1805), was a close disciple of R. Dov Ber Maggid of Mezeritch (under whom he studied together with his brother R. Shmelke of Nikolsburg). For over thirty years, he served as rabbi of Frankfurt am Main, then the largest Torah center in Germany. It was during his tenure in Frankfurt am Main that his disciple the Chatam Sofer studied under him.
[1] leaf. 25 cm. Good-fair condition. Folding marks (the letter was folded for post). Ink fading and wear to folds, slightly affecting text.

Four letters from German rabbis, addressed to R. Michael Cahn Rabbi of Fulda. From R. Azriel Hildesheimer Rabbi of Berlin, R. Aviezri Zelig Auerbach Rabbi of Halberstadt, R. Dov Aryeh Ritter Rabbi of Rotterdam and R. Moshe Rothenberg a rabbi in Nuremberg. [Germany and Holland], 1883-1903.
• Responsum regarding laws of Shabbat in a partnership with a non-Jew, and about donations for the Rabbinical seminary in Berlin, by R. Azriel Hildesheimer, rabbi of Berlin. [Berlin], 1883.
The letter was published in Moriah, 101-102, Adar 1980, pp. 41-42.
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.
• Letter concerning metzitzah during Brit Milah, by R. Aviezri Zelig Auerbach Rabbi of Halberstadt. [Halberstadt, 1887]. German and Hebrew.
Both R. Zelig Auerbach and the recipient of the letter, R. Michael Cahn, were very involved in the metzitzah polemic. In this letter, R. Zelig transcribes briefly (in Hebrew) his response to "the question which was presented to me from a G-d fearing rabbi and outstanding Torah scholar, several weeks ago… regarding a G-d fearing mohel who wishes to perform metzitzah at every Brit Milah… if the father of the baby prevents him from doing so… should this mohel perform the circumcision and priah according to Halacha, without metzitzah, or should one tell him not to perform this circumcision at all". The responsum in question was printed based on a manuscript in Shomrei Mishmeret HaKodesh, Jerusalem 2009, part II, pp. 450-453. The question is dated there Sunday, Parashat Mishpatim 1887, "several weeks" before the date of the present letter – Wednesday Parashat Tetzaveh. The rabbi who sent this question was R. Moshe Yonah Königshöfer, rabbi of the Orthodox community and orphanage in Fürth (see enclosed material).
R. Aviezri Zelig Auerbach (1840-1901), son and disciple of R. Tzvi Binyamin Auerbach author of Nachal Eshkol. Following his father's passing in 1872, he succeeded him as rabbi of Halberstadt. He was a prominent German rabbi in his times, and leader of Orthodox Jewry.
• Letter (postcard) regarding scribal writing (Stam), the Heter Iska contract, and more, by R. Dov Aryeh Ritter Rabbi of Rotterdam. Rotterdam, 1892.
R. Dov Aryeh (Bernhard Löbel) Ritter Rabbi of Rotterdam (1855-1935), a prominent Torah leader in Holland. He exchanged correspondence on halachic and communal matters with Torah leaders in many countries. His exceptional erudition led him to expose the forgery of the Jerusalem Talmud Kodashim, and he was the first to publicize essays and letters to this effect.
• Letter with a question regarding the quantity of water in a mikveh (ritual bath), with Torah novellae on the verse "Repent, Israel", by R. Moshe Rothenberg, rabbi in Nuremberg. Nuremberg, [Tishrei 1903].
The recipient of these letters, R. Michael Cahn (1849-1920), rabbi of Fulda from 1878. A disciple of R. Shimshon Refael Hirsch and R. Azriel Hildesheimer, he was a prominent German Orthodox rabbi in his times. He was renowned for his halachic invention – a suction tube for Brit Milah, which received the approbations of his above-mentioned teachers, R. Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor Rabbi of Kovno, R. Yechiel Michel Epstein author of Aruch HaShulchan, and many others.
4 letters. Size varies. Overall good condition. Letter of R. Auerbach trimmed at bottom, with loss of several lines.

Letter with a halachic query sent to the Shoel UMeshiv. On verso, a short responsum (about four lines) handwritten and signed by R. Yosef Shaul Nathansohn Rabbi of Lviv. 1873.
Halachic query pertaining to a flock of sheep, one of which was found injured by a wild animal. The letter is torn, lacking the bottom half of the query and the signature. The responsum on verso reveals that the query was written by R. Baruch Sperber (a Torah scholar in Zablotov and Maramureș; father of the renowned R. David Sperber, Rabbi of Braşov, author of Afarkasta D'Anya).
The responsum was apparently never printed.
R. Yosef Shaul Nathansohn (1808-1875), author of Shoel UMeshiv, was a leading Torah scholar in Galicia. Already in his youth, he composed together with his brother-in-law R. Mordechai Zev Ettinger the books Mefarshei HaYam on Bava Kama and Magen Giborim on Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim. He sent responses to thousands of queries, and authored many books: Responsa Shoel UMeshiv – 15 parts; Divrei Shaul on the Torah, Rambam and Shulchan Aruch; Yadot Nedarim and others. From 1857, he served as Chief Rabbi of Lviv, which was the largest and primary Galician community. After his passing, he was eulogized by R. Shlomo Zalman Spitzer (son-in-law of the Chatam Sofer): "A leader of outstanding Torah scholars, master of the entire Jewish people… whom all the leading Torah scholars of our times addressed their questions to on difficult matters… he was holy from birth and was raised in holiness to Torah and worship of G-d… already 40 years ago, my father-in-law the Chatam Sofer praised him effusively and termed him a Gaon…".
[1] leaf, written on both sides. 20X16.5 cm. Fair-poor condition. Open tears to margins and folds. Lacking bottom half of the letter of query.