Lengthy letter (two leaves with 35 lines) handwritten, signed and stamped by R. Baruch Ber Leibowitz, dean of the Kamenets yeshiva. 15th Elul, 1933.

Addressed to his relative R. Yechezkel Abramsky, rabbi of the Machazikei HaDat community in London (their wives were cousins – Rebbetzin Beila Zimmerman of Kremenchuk, mother-in-law of R. Baruch Ber, was the sister of R. Yisrael Yaakov Yerushalimsky, father-in-law of R. Abramsky].

The letter begins with warm, heartfelt Shanah Tovah wishes: "May a pleasant Ketivah VaChatimah Tovah in the book of the completely righteous, immediately for good and sweet life, be given to my distinguished relative… R. Yechezkel, rabbi in London of the Machazikei HaDat community… along with the family of my sister-in-law the righteous Rebbetzin and all your descendants. May they all be written and signed in the book of the completely righteous immediately, for good and blessed life with all the blessings and successes, a year of peace, satiety, satisfaction, happiness, peace and quiet, a year of redemption and salvation and the coming of our Messiah, amen".

R. Baruch Ber goes on to write of the great difficulties in supporting the yeshiva and assisting the emissary tasked with collecting donations for the yeshiva, his son-in-law R. Yitzchak Turetz, who traveled to London to that end:

"Regarding the rescue of our holy yeshiva, which is a foundation and pillar to the holy Torah with G-d's great kindness, please be of assistance to my son-in-law R. Yitzchak Turetz who is working with all his might in your country for the sake of the Torah which is in need of aid, to establish and encourage it… This requires the service of one wise of heart, like the building of the Tabernacle which was built all by the labor of those of wise heart. Therefore I beseech you in all ways to remember our early friendship and also that we are kin, to save the Torah of our holy yeshiva. And may the merit of… R. Yitzchak Elchanan, whom it is named for, always stand steadfastly for you…".

On the second leaf, R. Baruch Ber requests assistance for R. Gershon Henich (the brother-in-law of their relative R. Moshe Schneider, dean of the Frankfurt yeshiva), who had fled Germany for England, and wished to establish a yeshiva school in London: "I ask on his behalf that you embrace him and assist by publicly declaring his greatness in Torah, which will enable him to do this holy thing, and it will be a great merit for you to thereby elevate the righteous and establish a yeshiva in a new place, which is a fulfillment of the verse 'If you extract the precious from the vile'. And trusting in your righteousness and in your desire which adheres to the Torah I will not speak about this at length".

At the end of the letter he concludes again with many blessings and a Shanah Tovah: "I give the blessing that you be written in the book of the completely righteous with all of your family and descendants, and that you may spread the holy Torah by the blessing of G-d… in comfort, and may we all see the salvation of Israel and the raising of their pride, the pride of the Torah and the pride of our Messiah, amen. Seeking his welfare, respecting him and blessing him, his relative, Baruch Dov Leibowitz, 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 (son-in-law of R. Yaakov Moshe Direktor, Rabbi of Mush). 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, before finally settling in Kamenets. He authored Birkat Shmuel on Talmudic topics. His teachings and writings are classics of in-depth yeshiva study.

Lengthy letter handwritten and signed by R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski. Druskininkai [a spa city near Vilna], 20th Elul 1932.

Addressed to R. Yechezkel Abramsky, a rabbi in London and an intimate associate of his. Most of the letter relates to the initiative to send food packages to the Jews in the Soviet Union who were left behind the Iron Curtain.

R. Chaim Ozer writes of the request of the English activist R. A. M. Keiser "who asks me to send an announcement to our brethren in England to encourage them to send aid to our brethren in Russia through them". R. Chaim Ozer shares his ambivalence with R. Abramsky: "Since there is much surveillance I am conflicted about this; however, I promised to provide him with an announcement since before Passover… He also asks me to ask the Chafetz Chaim to sign it, but I am concerned that this letter not be used in other faraway countries. Please inform me of your opinion on this as soon as possible…".

In the years following his departure from Russia, the Rebbe Rayatz initiated a complex international operation to raise funds and attain permits to send packages of shmura flour and matzot to the Jews of Soviet Russia. He was assisted by several leaders of the generation, including the Chafetz Chaim and R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski in Poland, R. Yechezkel Abramsky in England, R. Meir Hildesheimer in Berlin, R. Kook and R. Sonnenfeld in Eretz Israel, and others. Letters were dispatched to rabbis worldwide, and various announcements were made and fundraisers were held. The food packages were brought into Russia by calling for individuals worldwide to send flour and matzah packages addressed to their relatives and to particular addresses sent to them by the committee.

The present letter discusses the commission of the Jews of England to the project, and the signing of a special announcement for English Jews about the issue. It is unclear which activity attracted the surveillance R. Chaim Ozer mentions, and why he was concerned that the letter not be used in faraway countries. Notably, in the winter of that year an announcement dated 22nd Shevat 1932 was printed, calling for individuals to send flour to Russian Jews, signed by the Chafetz Chaim, R. Chaim Ozer and the Rebbe Rayatz of Lubavitch (see: Yahadut HaDemamah, I, pp. 317-319). Moreover, two days before the date of the present letter, a call for help was already printed in Vilna, dated 18th Elul 1932 [Kedem catalogue, Auction 054, Lot 602], containing a letter of the Chafetz Chaim and R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski of Vilna calling for all the Jews of England, Vienna and all the free countries to assist in sending food packages to the Jews of Russia: "…to send food to individuals… and for every individual to send to his relative or friend", especially on the eves of festivals when the need to send food and the merit of so doing is great, due to "the terrible condition of our poor brethren in Russia, whose basic finances are totally out of their hand, and hundreds of thousands of Jews, whoever are called Deklassierter [disenfranchised], are without bread and food, and especially the rabbis, the Torah scholars, who have no rights at all, and are suffering from literal famine…".

Apparently, the present letter, as well as the letter dated 3rd Tishrei 1933 (appearing in the next lot), relate to another initiative to have rabbis sign another announcement assigning each individual a duty to join the program for assistance [perhaps this was to be a wide-reaching program like the Global Central Relief Committee of the Rebbe Rayatz of Lubavitch, requiring rabbis and community leaders in every country to commit to take action. See R. Chaim Ozer's letter to R. Abramsky in the next lot dated 3rd Tishrei 1933 (and his letter to R. Yaakov Rosenheim dated 29th Elul 1932 – printed in Igrot R. Chaim Ozer, II, letter 709), on the Rebbe Rayatz's initiative to establish and expand the fundraisers].

At the beginning of the letter R. Chaim Ozer writes that he agrees to R. Abramsky's suggestion to send R. Yisrael Soloveitchik to South Africa [R. Yisrael Soloveitchik, a rabbi of South Africa (d. 1951), son of R. Avraham Baruch Rabbi of Smolensk and cousin of R. Yitzchak Ze'ev Soloveitchik, the Brisker Rav].

At the beginning of the letter R. Chaim Ozer concludes with a Shanah Tovah blessing: "Peace and blessing, may you and all your friends be blessed with a new year blessing of a Ketivah VaChatimah Tovah for a good, lengthy and fit life, as is the desire of your dear soul and that of your faithful friend seeking your welfare, Chaim Ozer Grodzinski".

On the margins of the letter, R. Chaim Ozer adds (as an update to his place of residence) his plan to return to Vilna from the spa town Druskininkai: "Tomorrow I will return with G-d's help to my home".

R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski (1863-1940) was a foremost rabbi of his generation and leader of 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, succeeding his father-in-law R. Eliyahu Eliezer Grodnansky, a posek in Vilna (son-in-law of R. Yisrael Salanter). He assumed the yoke of public leadership from a young age, and his opinion was conclusive on all public issues which arose throughout the Jewish world for close to fifty years.

The recipient of the letter, R. Yechezkel Abramsky (1886-1976), was a confidant and agent of R. Chaim Ozer of Vilna ever since developing close ties with him in his youth while studying under his influence in Vilna. In winter of 1806, the "prodigy of Masty" Yechezkel Abramsky was forced to leave the Telshe yeshiva and flee to Vilna [which was then under Polish control] to avoid conscription to the Russian army. In Vilna he was accepted into the Ramailes yeshiva and joined the elite class of students who listened to the advanced lectures of R. Chaim Ozer (based on Melech BeYofyo, pp. 29-33). While subsequently serving as Rabbi of Smilavichy and Slutsk, he served often as R. Chaim Ozer's agent in various communal affairs. R. Abramsky smuggled the manuscript of Part I of his Chazon Yechezkel from Slutsk to his teacher R. Chaim Ozer in Vilna, who was involved in its publication in Vilna, 1925, through his confidant R. Aharon Dov Alter Voronovsky (R. Abramsky's wife's cousin). When R. Abramsky was arrested by the Soviets and sent to Siberia in 1930, R. Chaim Ozer made every possible effort to release him. After his release in 1931, R. Chaim Ozer and the Rebbe Rayatz of Lubavitch joined with R. Abramsky to initiate the project of sending Pesach flour and food packages to Jews under the Bolshevik regime in Russia (see lot No. 224). Likewise, R. Abramsky was active on missions for R. Chaim Ozer for yeshivas in Poland and Lithuania and for rabbis of Europe. They also cooperated on many public issues, including the struggles for Jewish marriage and against the anti-Semitic laws in Germany and Europe forbidding Jewish shechitah (requiring stunning animals before slaughtering, which renders the meat non-kosher), and on rescue activity for rabbis and yeshivas who fled as refugees to Vilna at the start of the Holocaust. The present letter reflects some of their cooperation on wide-ranging public activities.

Letter handwritten and signed by R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski. Vilna, 9th Tevet [December 21] 1939.

The beginning of the letter appears to be written in scribal writing, but the last five lines are handwritten and signed by R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski.

Addressed to R. Yechezkel Abramsky, a rabbi in London and his close associate. The letter addresses the rescue of the yeshivas that were exiled to Vilna and Lithuania at the outbreak of World War II. R. Chaim Ozer tells him of the activities of Mr. A. M. Keiser of England, R. Abramsky's emissary to save the rabbis and yeshivas:

"Mr. Keiser visited me twice the day before yesterday, and he joined a meeting in my house with the leading yeshiva deans to confer about the situation. Almost all the yeshivas are here with their deans and directors; the number of students is about 1500. There is also a class of students who are great in Torah who organized themselves into a special kollel, and there are also several important rabbis, headed by R. Yitzchak Ze'ev Soloveitchik, the head rabbi of the Brisk Beit Din, and including the families, the total number is about 2000 people. Among the yeshivas, the Mir yeshiva received an authorization from the government to relocate to Kėdainiai. R. A. Kotler of Kletsk also received a permit to travel to Jonava, but they are still here. My brother-in-law R. E. Wasserman established his Torah yeshiva in Trakai, as the committee for support of refugees wishes to take as many refugees out of the city as possible. You will surely hear the details from Mr. Keiser".

R. Chaim Ozer recounts in detail what is going on with R. Yitzchak Ze'ev, the Brisker Rav – R. Abramsky's close friend. "The Rabbi of Brisk is faring well, and a special group was organized for him to lecture to". In the margins of the letter after the signature, R. Chaim Ozer goes on to clarify the use of the funds R. Abramsky had sent for the Brisker Rav: "The sum of 1250 from the list of Mr. Keiser is next to the Rabbi of Brisk. I am unsure whether it is for him or for the yeshiva, since the yeshiva students are very few, from a few individuals. Please inform me".

At the conclusion of the letter, R. Chaim Ozer tells of his personal health situation and intense occupation: "My health situation is, thank G-d, unchanged. The increasing concerns are certainly beyond my capacity; I was also sick for a few days with a light flu, and I hope to Him Who gives strength to the weary. I would very much like to know how you and your friends are doing. His friend, esteeming and respecting him, seeking the welfare of his Torah, Chaim Ozer Grodzinski".

R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski (1863-1940) was a foremost rabbi of his generation and leader of 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, succeeding his father-in-law R. Eliyahu Eliezer Grodnansky, a posek in Vilna (son-in-law of R. Yisrael Salanter). He assumed the yoke of public leadership from a young age, and his opinion was conclusive on all public issues which arose in the Diaspora for close to fifty years. He was involved in communal matters locally and in other countries.

At the beginning of the Holocaust, at R. Chaim Ozer's instruction, many yeshivas fled Poland, which had been conquered by the Germans and Russians, to Vilna and other cities in independent Lithuania. At the time R. Chaim Ozer assisted the leaders of the wandering yeshivas while taking care of their sustenance, doing everything to provide for their needs. The exiles to Vilna included R. Yitzchak Ze'ev Soloveitchik, the Brisker Rav (mentioned in the present letter), who reached Vilna with some of his family members and students, who escaped and immigrated with him to Jerusalem in 1941.

The recipient of this letter, R. Yechezkel Abramsky (1886-1976), was a confidant and agent of R. Chaim Ozer of Vilna ever since developing close ties with him in his youth while studying under his influence in Vilna. In winter of 1806, the "prodigy of Masty" Yechezkel Abramsky was forced to leave the Telshe yeshiva and flee to Vilna (which was then under Polish control) to avoid conscription to the Russian army. In Vilna he was accepted into the Ramailes yeshiva and joined the elite class of students who listened to the advanced lectures of R. Chaim Ozer (based on Melech BeYofyo, pp. 29-33). While subsequently serving as Rabbi of Smilavichy and Slutsk, he served often as R. Chaim Ozer's agent in various communal affairs. R. Abramsky smuggled the manuscript of Part I of his Chazon Yechezkel from Slutsk to his teacher R. Chaim Ozer in Vilna, who was involved in its publication in Vilna, 1925, through his confidant R. Aharon Dov Alter Voronovsky (R. Abramsky's wife's cousin). When R. Abramsky was arrested by the Soviets and sent to Siberia in 1930, R. Chaim Ozer made every possible effort to release him. After his release in 1931, R. Chaim Ozer and the Rebbe Rayatz of Lubavitch joined with R. Abramsky to initiate the project of sending Pesach flour and food packages to Jews under the Bolshevik regime in Russia (see Lot 224). Likewise, R. Abramsky was active on missions for R. Chaim Ozer for yeshivas in Poland and Lithuania and for rabbis of Europe. They also cooperated on many public issues, including the struggles for Jewish marriage and against the anti-Semitic laws in Germany and Europe forbidding Jewish shechitah (requiring stunning animals before slaughtering, which renders the meat non-kosher), and on rescue activity for rabbis and yeshivas who fled as refugees to Vilna at the start of the Holocaust. The present letter reflects some of their cooperation to rescue and provide for rabbis and yeshiva students in exile, who continued to study Torah even under those harsh conditions.

[1] leaf. Official stationery. 29 cm. Good condition. Light stains and folding marks.

A facsimile of the present letter is printed in Melech BeYofyo, p. 427, based on which it was printed in Igrot R. Chaim Ozer, III, pp. 168-169, letter 108.

Lengthy letter (3 pages, comprising some 68 lines), handwritten and signed by R. Yitzchak Ze'ev Soloveitchik, Rabbi of Brisk (the Brisker Rav). Brisk "on the Bug river", 19th Sivan 1933.

Addressed to his friend R. Yechezkel Abramsky, a rabbi in London. Most of the letter relates to Torah topics in the Order of Kodashim, in response to R. Abramsky's letter discussing those topics.

At the beginning of the letter, the Brisker Rav apologizes for the delay in his response, as he was extraordinarily busy with city affairs. The Brisker Rav addresses R. Abramsky's great involvement in public affairs; before requesting a favor "for a very urgent matter" for a certain individual, he writes, "I have no doubt that despite all your occupation with public issues, and especially for our oppressed brethren in Germany, you will graciously direct your attention to this as well".

The Brisker Rav answers R. Abramsky's analytical questions, thanking him for his words of Torah "which are very precious and dear to me". He goes on to give his tentative thoughts on the issue raised.

The first part of the Torah letter has been printed, with a few additions and changes, at the end of the Brisker Rav's novellae on the Rambam, which he edited for publication in his later years (Chidushei Maran Riz HaLevi, Jerusalem 1963, pp. 162-163). However, at one point, an entire sentence in the present manuscript is omitted from the printed version, apparently by homeoteleuton. The printed book also omits the rest of the letter, beginning at the passage on p. 3 addressing a passage in Tractate Temurah. The Brisker Rav humbly writes that he would be overjoyed if R. Abramsky finds his thoughts relevant to what he is studying.

The Brisker Rav goes on to write of the printing of his father's book, Chidushei R. Chaim HaLevi [R. Abramsky, a disciple of his, was famously one of the driving forces motivating R. Chaim's family members to publish the book]. The Brisker Rav says that the printing was delayed for various reasons, but adds that the paper had already been purchased and was expected to arrive the next week, at which point "the printing will begin, G-d willing…" [the book was eventually printed only in 1936, in Brisk].

The letter contains matters related to individuals who sought favors through the friendship of the two rabbis. At both the beginning and end of the letter, the Brisker Rav asks for financial assistance to marry off the daughters of R. Leib Eisen, posek of Brisk. The Brisker Rav asks R. Abramsky for his assistance, "as it is impossible for me to watch the great pain affecting him and his family; perhaps you will grant some of your time and attention to this matter as well… I trust your goodheartedness not to be annoyed at me and to make an effort to fulfill my request as far as possible…". The letter also responds to an inquiry about a man from Brisk named Moshe Halperin [apparently seeking to marry into a family from London who were acquainted with R. Abramsky], reporting that those who knew him praised him and the family, and that he traveled away to provide for his family after his father's passing.

At the end of the letter he signs: "…His friend, esteeming and respecting him with loving heart and soul, Yitzchak Ze'ev son of… R. Chaim HaLevi Soloveitchik".

R. Yitzchak Ze'ev Soloveitchik, the Brisker Rav (1886-1959), son of R. Chaim HaLevi of Brisk, and grandson of the Beit HaLevi. Already at a young age, still in his father's lifetime, he was considered one of the prominent Torah leaders of the generation. In 1919 (about the age of 32), he succeeded his forefathers as Rabbi of Brisk, and with his Torah authority, he governed all religious matters in his city and the entire region. He managed to escape the Holocaust together with some of his children who fled from Brisk to Vilna, from which they immigrated to Jerusalem in 1941. His authority was recognized by the entire Torah world in Eretz Israel and abroad. His books: Chidushei Maran Riz HaLevi on the Rambam and the Torah. His oral teachings were published as Chidushei HaGriz. His teachings serve to this day as a cornerstone of in-depth yeshiva learning and form the basis for the thought of large portions of Orthodox Jewry. He was famous for his searing fear of heaven and zeal for pure truth.

The recipient, R. Yechezkel Abramsky (1886-1976), close disciple of R. Chaim of Brisk and close friend of his son R. Yitzchak Ze'ev. Shortly after his marriage, he traveled to Brisk to study under R. Chaim ca. 1910 (at the advice of his father-in-law R. Yisrael Yehonatan Yerushalimsky, a disciple of R. Chaim during his Volozhin period), where he stayed for some four months, after which point he became devoted to his Torah teachings for the rest of his life. While serving as Rabbi of Smilavichy, he visited his teacher R. Chaim, then staying in Minsk, for long periods, during which time he would clarify Torah topics with him. R. Yechezkel would say of his teacher R. Chaim's method of learning: "R. Chaim goes at once to the heart of the issue". R. Chaim greatly appreciated his disciple's wisdom, and in one letter he calls him a friend (Melech BeYofyo, p. 95). During those periods R. Abramsky became a close friend of his teacher's son, R. Yitzchak Ze'ev (R. Velvele), which led to some fifty years of friendship and a close correspondence. Some of their Torah discussions and correspondence are printed in Chidushei Maran Riz HaLevi. When R. Abramsky was living in Jerusalem (after he immigrated to Israel in 1951), they met often and dealt with Torah issues and public affairs together.

[2] leaves (containing 3 written pages). Official stationery. 27.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Folding marks and tears.

Lengthy letter (2 pages, 33 lines) handwritten and signed by R. Yitzchak Ze'ev Soloveitchik. Jerusalem, 3rd Tevet [16th December] 1947.

Addressed to his friend R. Yechezkel Abramsky, head rabbi of the London Beit Din. The letter addresses the difficult situation of Orthodox Jewry in Eretz Israel at the end of the British Mandate, and the need to preserve its independence from the Zionist organizations, during the establishment of the Statute for Jerusalem, following the United Nations resolution on November 29th, 1947 [about two weeks before this letter was written] to empower a Trusteeship Council to establish Jerusalem as an international city.

He tells R. Abramsky of the efforts thirty years earlier, headed by R. Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, to preserve Torah law in Eretz Israel. The British authorities at the time allowed Orthodox communities to separate from the secular-dominated Jewish National Council. With the change of regime, he predicts that the situation would fall apart, with the Zionists taking full control and the Orthodox communities losing their independent status in Jerusalem.

The Brisker Rav writes of expected dangers to the educational and yeshiva system, which was already facing difficulty due to lack of financial support for Orthodox education. He writes that perhaps Jerusalem would also face mandatory education under the new regime, "and for all this we must be vigilant… regarding things which are the very souls and lives of our children, as is understood to all…".

The Brisker Rav asks R. Abramsky to lobby the authorities in London, due to a newspaper report that the vice-chairman of the Trusteeship Council was an Englishman by the name of Sir Alan Burns [1887-1980, a senior British diplomat, a governor of several British colonies worldwide from 1924, and a representative of the Britain in the United Nations Trusteeship Council]. He asks him to lobby for the status quo to remain as is, noting that it would be easier for the English to retain the status quo on internal affairs.

He concludes with a blessing: "With a blessing of all good, I am his friend, esteeming and respecting him and seeking his welfare from heart and soul, Yitzchak Ze'ev son of… R. Chaim HaLevi Soloveitchik".

R. Yitzchak Ze'ev Soloveitchik, the Brisker Rav (1886-1959), son of R. Chaim HaLevi of Brisk, and grandson of the Beit HaLevi. Already at a young age, still in his father's lifetime, he was considered one of the prominent Torah leaders of the generation. In 1919 (about the age of 32), he succeeded his forefathers as Rabbi of Brisk, and with his Torah authority, he governed all religious matters in his city and the entire region. He managed to escape the Holocaust together with some of his children who fled from Brisk to Vilna, from which they immigrated to Jerusalem in 1941. His authority was recognized by the entire Torah world in Eretz Israel and abroad. His books: Chidushei Maran Riz HaLevi on the Rambam and the Torah. His oral teachings were published as Chidushei HaGriz. His teachings serve to this day as a cornerstone of in-depth yeshiva learning and form the basis for the thought of large portions of Orthodox Jewry. He was famous for his searing fear of heaven and zeal for pure truth.

The recipient, R. Yechezkel Abramsky (1886-1976), close disciple of R. Chaim of Brisk and close friend of his son R. Yitzchak Ze'ev. Shortly after his marriage, he traveled to Brisk to study under R. Chaim ca. 1910 (at the advice of his father-in-law R. Yisrael Yehonatan Yerushalimsky, a disciple of R. Chaim during his Volozhin period), where he stayed for some four months, after which point he became devoted to his Torah teachings for the rest of his life. While serving as Rabbi of Smilavichy, he visited his teacher R. Chaim, then staying in Minsk, for long periods, during which time he would clarify Torah topics with him. R. Yechezkel would say of his teacher R. Chaim's method of learning: "R. Chaim goes at once to the heart of the issue". R. Chaim greatly appreciated his disciple's wisdom, and in one letter he calls him a friend (Melech BeYofyo, p. 95). During those periods R. Abramsky became a close friend of his teacher's son, R. Yitzchak Ze'ev (R. Velvele), which led to some fifty years of friendship and a close correspondence. Some of their Torah discussions and correspondence are printed in Chidushei Maran Riz HaLevi. When R. Abramsky was living in Jerusalem (after he immigrated to Israel in 1951), they met often and dealt with Torah issues and public affairs together.

[1] leaf. Official stationery. 28 cm. Written on both sides. Good-fair condition. Stains. Folding marks and tears.

This letter, dated 3rd Tevet, is mentioned in the Brisker Rav's letter to R. Abramsky dated 23rd Tevet (printed in Igrot Maran Riz HaLevi, Jerusalem 2008, letter 132, where he writes: "…You have surely received my letter of 3rd Tever regarding the Statute for Jerusalem, and I await your response, although now the physical danger is capturing my full attention and does not leave room for thoughts on other matters…").