Auction 97 Part 2 Rare and Important Items
Manuscript booklet (15 pages), halachic responsum by R. Shmuel Avigdor Tosfaah, Rabbi of Nyasvizh and Karlin, sent to R. Yaakov Moshe, "the Rabbi of Stalovichy". Nyasvizh, [ca. 1854].
Lengthy halachic responsum on the division of an estate by a Beit Din without all heirs present. The case involved an estate with three heirs, one of whom was not present due to being conscripted to the army in an unknown location. The house was in need of expensive repairs, and the question was whether the two brothers were permitted to sell the third brother's share in order to repair theirs. Another responsum on the issue was sent to the same querent by R. Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor who was serving at the time as Rabbi of Novardok (see next lot). The present responsum was also sent to R. Yaakov Moshe and comes from his family's archive (the neat, even writing appears to indicate that R. Shmuel Avigdor sent the responsum to the querent in a copy made by his scribe, and the signature at the end is also presumably in the copyist's handwriting).
The present responsum has apparently never been printed, and it appears to be the only responsum to survive from R. Shmuel Avigdor's responsa on Choshen Mishpat, which was prepared for printing but was lost in a fire. This event is recorded in the introduction of the author's grandson to his She'erit HaPletah (Warsaw, 1888), who recounts that an immense amount of R. Shmuel Avigdor's manuscripts "were consumed by a profane fire". He goes on to detail the contents of the burned works, including Part II of Responsa She'elat Shlomo: "…the two parts of the Responsa on Choshen Mishpat and Even HaEzer were also food for the jaws of the great flame…".
R. Shmuel Avigdor Tosfaah (1806-1866), Rabbi of Karlin, prominent Lithuanian Torah scholar. Recognized for his brilliance from his youth, at age 18 he was appointed Rabbi of Achorei Nahar (Vorstadt, a suburb across the river of Grodno), succeeding his brother-in-law R. Binyamin Diskin (father of Maharil Diskin) when the latter relocated to another city. At that time, he began to author his magnum opus Tana Tosfaah on the Tosefta (he later changed his surname to Tosfaah after this work). In 1839 he relocated to serve as Rabbi of Svislach and subsequently of Augustów (Poland). In 1853 he again moved in order to serve as Rabbi of Nyasvizh, and in 1856 he moved to Karlin to serve as Rabbi, succeeding the Keren Orah. He held this position for the rest of his life, and today he is known as Rabbi of Karlin.
The recipient of the letter, R. Yaakov Moshe Direktor (1809-1879), Rabbi of Mush, a Lithuanian Torah scholar, famous as a holy man and wonderworker. A disciple of R. Itzele of Volozhin, he served as Rabbi of Stalovichy (a town near Novardok). He engaged in halachic discussions with leading rabbis of his generation, including the Nachalat David; R. Eizel Charif, Rabbi of Slonim; and R. Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor. In 1857 he relocated to serve as Rabbi of Mush (Novaya Mysh). He was the father of R. Yisrael Yehonatan Yerushalimsky (1860-1917), Rabbi of Orlya and Ihumen (Chervyen), father-in-law of R. Yechezkel Abramsky, Head of the London Beit Din, author of Chazon Yechezkel.
The present responsum was written and sent ca. 1853-1856, since R. Shmuel Avigdor served as Rabbi of Nyasvizh from 1853 until Pesach 1856.
8 leaves (containing 15 closely written pages, in neat writing). 22 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains. Wear and small open tears to corners of leaves. Detached leaves. Worming, slightly affecting text.
Lengthy letter (2 pages), handwritten and signed by R. Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor, Rabbi of Novardok, to R. Yaakov Moshe, Rabbi of Stalovichy. Novardok, [ca. 1854].
Halachic responsum on the division of an estate by Beit Din without all heirs present. The case involved an estate with three heirs, one of whom was not present due to being conscripted to the army in an unknown location. The house was dilapidated, and the two brothers who were present turned to the Beit Din. Towards the end of the letter, R. Yitzchak Elchanan commends the querent for his opinion: "You wrote well in all your pilpul, based on well-founded and straightforward reasoning…".
The present responsum has apparently never been printed (although a partial facsimile of it appears in: A. Sorasky, Melech BeYofyo, I, p. 37).
R. Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor (1817-1896), Rabbi of Kovno, prominent rabbi in his generation, known for his brilliance, diligence and righteousness. Considered the highest halachic authority of his times, he led Lithuanian and Russian Jewry for years with wisdom and consideration. He served as Rabbi from a young age, ca. 1837, in Izabelin, Byaroza, Nyasvizh and Novardok (Novogrudok). In 1864 he was appointed Rabbi of Kovno, and he became known worldwide as one of the leading poskim. His responsa and novellae are published in the series Be'er Yitzchak, Nachal Yitzchak and Ein Yitzchak.
The recipient of the letter, R. Yaakov Moshe Direktor (1809-1879), Rabbi of Mush, a Lithuanian Torah scholar, famous as a holy man and wonderworker. A disciple of R. Itzele of Volozhin, he served as Rabbi of Stalovichy (a town near Novardok). He engaged in halachic discussions with leading rabbis of his generation, including the Nachalat David; R. Eizel Charif, Rabbi of Slonim; and R. Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor, who served as Rabbi of Novardok from 1852-1864 (a responsum of R. Yitzchak Elchanan addressed to him is printed in Responsa Be'er Yitzchak, Königsberg, 1858). In 1857 he relocated to serve as Rabbi of Mush (Novaya Mysh), at the advice of R. Yitzchak Elchanan and R. Eizel Charif. He was the father of R. Yisrael Yehonatan Yerushalimsky (1860-1917), Rabbi of Orlya and Ihumen (Chervyen), father-in-law of R. Yechezkel Abramsky, Head of the London Beit Din, author of Chazon Yechezkel.
The present responsum was sent ca. 1853-1856. R. Yitzchak Elchanan served as Rabbi of Novardok between 1852-1864, while the recipient of the letter served as Rabbi of Stalovichy until 1857, before relocating to serve as Rabbi of Mush. Additionally, there is another responsum to R. Yaakov Moshe on the same issue, from R. Shmuel Avigdor Tosfaah (see previous lot), who served as Rabbi of Nyasvizh from 1853-1856.
[1] leaf. 22.5 cm. Fair condition. Dark stains. Tears and folding marks, slightly affecting text.
Letter handwritten and signed by R. Eliyahu Chaim Meisel, Rabbi of Łódź. Łódź, Sivan 1894.
Written on official stationery, with a decorated emblem containing the words: "Eliyahu Chaim son of R. Moshe – Meisel – Rabbi of Łódź". Sent to his grandnephew R. Yisrael Yehonatan Yerushalimsky, who then served as Rabbi of Orlya. R. Eliyahu Chaim Meisel apologizes for his infrequent correspondence, since writing is difficult for him due to "my exhaustion at my old age". He adds that "Thank G-d, I, my exceptional son and my great son-in-law and all that is ours are doing well…". After the signature, he adds a short Torah responsum regarding the explanation of a passage by the Ran. This letter has been printed with a facsimile in Sorasky, Melech BeYofyo (I, p. 46).
R. Eliyahu Chaim Meisel (1821-1912), Rabbi of Łódź, was celebrated from his youth for his brilliance, and at the young age of 8 he joined the Volozhin yeshiva to study under R. Yitzchak of Volozhin. At the age of 19, he was appointed Rabbi of Horodok (Gródek), his native city, and in 1851, of Dereczyn. He later served as Rabbi of Pruzhany and of Łomża, and from 1873, as Rabbi of Łódź, a position he held for 40 years. He was renowned as one of the most prominent Torah leaders of his times in Lithuania and Poland and was famous for his exceptional acts of kindness in redeeming captives and saving needy families from starvation. His gravesite in Łódź was popular as a prayer-site for requesting salvation for the Jewish people and for individuals and was perpetually covered with kvittels.
The recipient of the letter, R. Yisrael Yehonatan Yerushalimsky (1860-1917), Rabbi of Orlya and Ihumen, son of R. Yaakov Moshe Direktor (1809-1879), Rabbi of Mush (Novaya Mysh; a student of the Volozhin yeshiva and a famous wonderworker). His mother Rebbetzin Sarah Perle was the daughter of R. Moshe Meisel (Zibertinsky), brother of R. Eliyahu Chaim Meisel, Rabbi of Łódź. In 1872, his father sent him off to celebrate his bar mitzvah in Jerusalem, to absorb its holiness and receive blessings from Jerusalem rabbis (whereupon he changed his surname to Yerushalimsky or Ish-Yerushalayim). He studied in the Volozhin yeshiva, and later married the daughter of R. Yaakov David Wilovsky (Ridvaz), Rabbi of Slutsk. In 1892 he was appointed Rabbi of Orlya (near Grodno), and in 1902 he was appointed Rabbi of Ihumen (Chervyen, Minsk region). After his untimely passing, his teacher R. Chaim Soloveitchik, Rabbi of Brisk, declared, "I do not know two other rabbis of his stature in this generation in all of Russia and Poland" (Sorasky, Melech BeYofyo, p. 49). He was the father-in-law of R. Yechezkel Abramsky, Head of the London Beit Din, author of Chazon Yechezkel.
[1] leaf, official stationery. 28 cm. Good condition. Stains. Creases and folding marks.
Lengthy letter (2 pages) handwritten and signed by the Rogatchover Gaon, R. "Yosef Rosen, Rabbi of Dvinsk". Elul 1920.
Sent to R. Yitzchak Ginsburg, who had sent him financial assistance. He begins with thanks and a blessing for a "Ketivah VaChatimah Tovah and a Shanah Tovah", continuing with Torah thoughts, an ingenious pilpul characteristically weaving together different topics: Moses, receiving the Torah and the service of the Levites, as well as other topics.
The present letter was printed with notes and explanations in Responsa Tzafnat Paneach HaChadashot (Modiin Illit, 2012, Part II, letters section, letter 10, pp. 439-441).
R. Yosef Rosen (1858-1936), Rabbi of Dvinsk, author of Tzafnat Paneach, known as the Rogatchover (after his birth town Rogatchov-Rahachow), a Chabad-Kopust follower. His father took him as a child to the Tzemach Tzedek, who blessed him with exceptional scholarliness and instructed him to study Tractate Nazir (some say this was the reason the Rogatchover did not cut his hair). In his youth, he studied under R. Yosef Dov Ber Soloveitchik, the Beit HaLevi, alongside the latter's son R. Chaim of Brisk.
From 1889, he served as Rabbi of the Chabad Chassidic community in Dvinsk (Daugavpils, Latvia), alongside the city's Rabbi, the Or Sameach, a position he held for 40 years. A remarkable figure, he was renowned for his tremendous sharpness and genius, his comprehensive knowledge of all areas of the Torah, down to its finest details, and for producing profound definitions, hypotheses and original methods of Torah study. Tales of his genius and 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 the Tzafnat Paneach 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 publication of annotated editions of his works.
[1] leaf. 21 cm. Closely written on both sides. Good condition. Slight marginal open tear.
![Letter from R. Baruch Ber Leibowitz, dean of the Knesset Beit Yitzchak yeshiva in Kamenets. [Kamenets], 25 Tishrei, 1932.Lett](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale97/98.jpg "Letter of Blessings and Thanks from Rabbi Baruch Ber Leibowitz – Kamen")
Letter from R. Baruch Ber Leibowitz, dean of the Knesset Beit Yitzchak yeshiva in Kamenets. [Kamenets], 25 Tishrei, 1932.
Letter in Yiddish addressed to the Feigin family of Philadelphia, United States. R. Baruch Ber showers them with blessings, thanking them for their generous support of the yeshiva, and mentions that on the first day of Sukkot, the yeshiva commemorated the yahrzeit of Devorah daughter of R. Moshe, as per the yeshiva regulations.
The letter, which is typewritten for the most part, concludes with six lines of warm, heartfelt blessings, handwritten and signed by the yeshiva dean, R. Baruch Ber Leibowitz: "…I wish to bless you along with your wife, the righteous woman; may she live for many good, long years. May God grant you long life full of satisfaction and bless your business with all blessings and success.… and may you merit to soon see the salvation of Israel and hear the footsteps of Mashiach. Blessing and honoring him, Baruch Dov Leibovitz, dean of the Beit Yitzchak yeshiva".
R. Baruch Dov (Ber) Leibowitz (1864-1939), author of Birkat Shmuel, leading Torah disseminator in his times. He was a disciple of R. Chaim of Brisk in the Volozhin yeshiva, and the son-in-law of R. Avraham Yitzchak Zimmerman, Rabbi of Hlusk. After his father-in-law went to serve as rabbi of Kremenchuk, he succeeded him in Hlusk and established a yeshiva. After a 13-year tenure, he was asked to head the Knesset Beit Yitzchak yeshiva in Slabodka. During World War I, he wandered with the yeshiva to Minsk, Kremenchuk and Vilna, finally settling in Kamenets. He authored Birkat Shmuel on Talmudic topics. His teachings and writings are classics of in-depth yeshiva Torah study.
[2] leaves, official stationery. 29 cm. Good condition. Stains and folds.
Lot 99 Receipt from Rabbi Baruch Ber Leibowitz's Trip to the United States – Brooklyn, Cheshvan 1928
Printed receipt for the Kamenets yeshiva in Poland, filled in by hand and signed by the yeshiva dean R. Baruch Dov (Ber) Leibowitz. Brooklyn, [Cheshvan] 1928.
Receipt written for the donor R. Refael Horowitz of Brooklyn for his contribution of three dollars. Written by R. Baruch Ber on his well-known journey to the United States in 1928-1929.
In the late 1920s, the financial state of Polish yeshivas badly deteriorated, and the yeshiva dean R. Baruch Ber was compelled to leave his students in the Kamenets yeshiva and travel overseas for a long fundraising expedition in the United States, along with his son-in-law R. Reuven Grozovsky. During that period, he stayed in the house of R. Yaakov Yosef Herman in the United States (see: All for the Boss, pp. 59-67, Feldheim Publishers, 1984).
R. Baruch Dov (Ber) Leibowitz (1864-1939), author of Birkat Shmuel, leading Torah disseminator in his times. He was a disciple of R. Chaim of Brisk in the Volozhin yeshiva, and the son-in-law of R. Avraham Yitzchak Zimmerman, Rabbi of Hlusk. After his father-in-law went to serve as rabbi of Kremenchuk, he succeeded him in Hlusk and established a yeshiva. After a 13-year tenure, he was asked to head the Knesset Beit Yitzchak yeshiva in Slabodka. During World War I, he wandered with the yeshiva to Minsk, Kremenchuk and Vilna, finally settling in Kamenets. He authored Birkat Shmuel on Talmudic topics. His teachings and writings are classics of in-depth yeshiva Torah study.
[1] leaf. 13.5X11 cm. Good condition. Stains.
Two letters of guidance for studying Torah and strengthening in fear of G-d, by R. Shmuel David HaLevi Ungar, Rabbi of Trnava and Nitra:
· Letter handwritten and signed by R. Ungar, with blessings and guidance. [Trnava, ca. 1930].
Sent to one of the Trnava yeshiva students who was to travel with his family on vacation in Elul, writing to him with encouragement and guidance:
"Greetings and blessing to my beloved student. I received your message; and if you believe it is necessary to breathe fresh air in order to strengthen your body to serve G-d and study diligently, go to your dear parents' home for a few weeks. And I would be delighted if you would return to Trnava for the upcoming holy days… And even in the spas, study Torah regularly, especially books of ethics and fear of G-d, since the holy days are coming soon, and we must search and delve after every defect and pray with more concentration and intensity than all the rest of the year. Also study the timely issues in Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim: the laws of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. Also study Gemara regularly. Peace and blessing to you, my beloved, and also to my dear friend your father… Your faithful teacher, Shmuel David HaLevi Ungar".
[1] leaf. 21.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Creases and folding marks. Open tear and filing holes (not affecting text).
· Letter on postcard, typewritten with handwritten signature "Shmuel David HaLevi Ungar", with three additional handwritten lines after the signature. Nitra, 1937.
Sent to one of his students in the Nitra yeshiva who immigrated to Eretz Israel and settled in the Chafetz Chaim kibbutz, writing to him with encouragement and guidance:
"…Do valiant deeds with the strength of the Torah with wisdom, for the air of Eretz Israel makes one wise. And this is the wisdom of those living in the Land: trying to comprehend how a person's domain on the ground and G-d's domain in the study hall are one and the same, indivisible and inseparable". He writes to his student regarding his involvement in public affairs: "And now, my beloved, that you have merited to bring merit to others along with you and accept communal responsibility, be careful not to cool off the extreme heat that you heated up in the Beit Midrash with the candle of the mitzvot and the light of the Torah – and 'cooling off' [poshrin] means nothing but compromise [pesharot]… And this is an important principle in all communal work, and especially in Eretz Israel, where there are now, due to our many sins, so many confused opinions… And there is no end to the reward of one standing at the breach with wisdom, knowledge and intelligence. I would greatly desire to know even the most minute details of what you are doing there all day, and especially of your service, my beloved…".
On the verso of the postcard is a short letter of greetings, handwritten and signed by the son of the Rabbi of Nitra, "Chaim Yedidyah HaLevi".
[1] postcard. 14.5 cm. Good condition. Filing holes, slightly affecting printed text.
R. Shmuel David HaLevi Ungar (1886-1945), Rabbi of Trnava and Nitra and Chief Rabbi of Slovakia. Righteous Torah scholar who taught thousands of disciples for 40 years, and had fatherly dedication in teaching his students Torah and fear of G-d. In 1918 he was appointed Rabbi of Trnava, establishing an important yeshiva. When the small Trnava community could no longer support the many students flocking to his yeshiva, he relocated in 1931 to serve as Rabbi of Nitra, whose community accepted the responsibility to provide for the yeshiva. During the Holocaust, the Nitra yeshiva was the last one in occupied Europe to close its doors. After the yeshiva was abandoned, he escaped to the forests and mountains where he perished in 1945. During the Holocaust he acted with dedication to rescue and smuggle Jews out of the camps, along with his son-in-law R. Michael Dov Weissmandl, a dean of the Nitra yeshiva and founder of the Nitra yeshiva in the United States.
His daughter Rebbetzin Chayah Nechamah married Rebbe Yekutiel Yehudah Halberstam of Klausenburg after the Holocaust, and she is the forebear of the current Sanz-Klausenburg rebbes and rabbis. His son R. Chaim Yedidyah HaLevi Ungar (disciple of R. Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky) perished in Auschwitz. His son R. Shalom Moshe HaLevi Ungar survived the Holocaust and established the Nitra yeshiva in the United States along with his brother-in-law R. Weissmandl.
Collection of letters written by R. Michael Dov Weissmandl to a student of his yeshiva and his parents. Trnava, Nitra, Vienna and various places, ca. 1930-1934.
Eighteen letters written by the young R. Michael Dov Weismandl to one of his disciples (a young member of the yeshiva), to persuade and encourage him to continue studying Torah in the Trnava and Nitra yeshivas (it appears from the letters that the student was unable to do so for various reasons). The letters are written in a poetic, pleasant and heartfelt tone. In some of them he asks the parents to grant their son permission to visit his teachers for the festival, and in other letters he persuades them that their son should continue to study in the yeshiva. In a letter from Tishrei 1931, he writes to them: "To what can the matter be compared, in my view? To a sapling planted in good soil with good rainfall and a gentle breeze. Then one person came along reasoning to uproot it in order to plant it in a place that was better for it in his opinion. This person is nothing if not astonishing, since there are several uncertainties involved: the good soil is uncertain, the good rainfall is uncertain, the gentle breeze is uncertain; and even if these are not uncertain, perhaps uprooting the trunk would damage the feeble roots that need to be strengthened and absorb nutrients, such that its loss negates its gain… So too we say to him: Here was his place and here he was, do not seek better than good…". In one letter he writes to his disciple: "I received your pleasant words and I delighted because of them… because I confirmed that you are a faithful man. Only be strong and persevere, do not fear and be broken, and may G-d be with you, and may you succeed wherever you turn. And I was most delighted to hear that your parents agreed to permit you to come here for the first days of the upcoming festival of Pesach, and I am confident that these few days will benefit you greatly, days of true happiness that you will never forget…".
In another letter he sends an affectionate rebuke: "The Sages say that a thousand enter the study hall and one of them leaves as he should. When I found you, I thought to myself that you would be this one out of a thousand. I saw you had skills and tools capable of making you such. But in this unbridled and corrupt generation… Lust, insolence, schism and heresy strain, as it were, the Divine Presence… and cause the special Jewish quality to be forgotten from the vast majority of our people. In this leaderless generation, every person with a good heart expects at a moment's notice to see soldiers dedicate their lives, strength and honor to G-d and the Torah. And such a soldier needs one thing, indeed only one thing, namely a 'pure soul'. And a pure soul is attained through fear of heaven and the very utmost fear of heaven, for there is no end. And if there is no fear, there is no soul and there is no spirit, and no power, mind, wisdom or sharpness will be of any use… I have always thought, my dear beloved, that you would grow in age and have peace of mind, and you would fill your soul to the brim with love of Torah and fear of heaven, and you would have endless desire and unbounded longing to recognize the truth, to learn, understand and comprehend and be a hero in the Torah's war to the point that no wind in the world could move you from your place…".
R. Michael Dov Weissmandl (1904-1958), tremendous Torah scholar, prominent rescue activist during the Holocaust, dean of the Nitra yeshiva and its founder in the United States. Known from his youth as a brilliant genius and very erudite, he would study Torah with incredible diligence and concentration. When his great teacher R. Shmuel David Ungar came to serve as Rabbi of Trnava in 1918, the young Michael Dov (who lived in the city) became attached to him as his close disciple. When his teacher relocated to serve as Rabbi of Nitra in 1931, his young disciple R. Michael Dov relocated along with him to assist his teacher in establishing the great yeshiva in Nitra. As a young man R. Michael Dov became one of the most influential individuals in his teacher's yeshiva (as can be discerned from the present letters, written to one of the young yeshiva students who was over 10 years younger than him). In 1937 he married Brachah Rachel, daughter of his teacher R. Shmuel David Ungar, Rabbi of Nitra and dean of the yeshiva.
While still young, R. Michael Dov aspired to meet the leading Torah scholars all over the world. To that end he purchased a travel pass for all European trains and traveled from city to city to meet and stay with Torah leaders all over Europe. He also printed and edited books, going so far as to travel to the Oxford Bodleian Library in order to copy ancient manuscripts. During the Holocaust he devised various daring methods to save Jews from the Nazis, including the "Europa Plan" he conceived together with the underground Working Group in Slovakia. He described his actions during the Holocaust in his book Min HaMetzar. Miraculously, he managed to escape from a train on its way to Auschwitz and reached Switzerland through the Kastner train. In 1946 he reached the United States, where he reestablished the Nitra yeshiva. His Torat Chemed, published posthumously in 1958, presents examples of his famous discovery of Torah codes (for his biography see at length: Avraham Chaim Eliyahu Weissmandl, Ish Chamudot, New York, 2008).
18 letters, some very lengthy, six of them on postcards (one postcard damaged, with ending and signature torn off). Size and condition vary. Overall good condition. Filing holes.