Letter of blessings by Rebbe Chaim Halberstam, Rabbi of Sanz (Nowy Sącz), author of Divrei Chaim, with three lines in his handwriting and his signature. Sanz, Cheshvan 1872.

Addressed to his close friend Rebbe Menachem Mendel Panet, author of Maaglei Tzedek, Rabbi of Deyzh (Dej) and Chief Rabbi of Transylvania. The letter begins in scribal writing, and contains three lines at the end handwritten and signed by the Divrei Chaim. Letters from his later years with added words in his handwriting are rare; in this case, apparently out of respect for the recipient, the Divrei Chaim went out of his way to add a few handwritten lines.

This letter was sent in reply to the Maaglei Tzedek of Deyzh, who addressed the Divrei Chaim on behalf of Jews living in the Deyzh region. The response indicates that these Jews feared a plot such as expulsion from the estates and inns where they made a living.

"Monday, Toldot 1872, Sanz.

Abundant peace and salvation to my friend, the great luminary, the Gaon… R. Menachem Mendel Paneth, Rabbi of Deyzh.

The kvittels with the pidyon of twenty silver coins reached me as intended, and I prayed for the people specified regarding the above kvittels, that no man be able to touch them for evil, G-d forbid, and that they remain in their place in accordance with their wish and desire, and that they have grace in the eyes of all who see them, and that they succeed in all their pursuits, and enjoy satisfaction from all their offspring, and that G-d fulfill all their wishes for the good, and may all those who sent their request through you be saved with all good amongst all of Israel".

To the above letter, written by his scribe, the Divrei Chaim added in his own handwriting:

"I received your letter, and may the good G-d grant good to the dwellers of the region, and may no oppressor be able to disturb them, and may they dwell securely with no fear. And have peace and blessing and all good[?], seeking your welfare with love, Chaim Halbers[tam]".

Rebbe Chaim Halberstam, Rabbi of Sanz and author of Divrei Chaim (1797-1876) was the founder of the Sanz Chassidic dynasty and a leading Chassidic master of Galicia and Hungary. He was the son-in-law of R. Baruch Frankel-Teomim, author of Baruch Taam, and a disciple of Rebbe Naftali Tzvi of Ropshitz, Rebbe Tzvi Hirsch of Zidichov and the Sar Shalom of Belz. He was a noted halachic authority as well as possessing a sharp mind and expertise in all areas of the Torah, both revealed and hidden. A holy man, he was divinely inspired and was renowned as a wonderworker. Known as a prolific author of responsa, he corresponded on halachic issues with leading rabbis. He was one of the most influential leaders in Galician and Eastern European Jewry. His court attracted tens of thousands of followers, and his close disciples included R. Tzvi Hirsh of Liska, the Tiferet Shlomo of Radomsk, the Yitav Lev of Sighet and others. His descendants followed in his footsteps, combining Chassidic leadership with halachic erudition, and dozens of them served simulaneously as Chassidic rebbes and as rabbis of cities in Galicia, Hungary and Romania, most famously his son R. Yechezkel Halberstam, Rabbi of Shinova (Sieniawa). The Sanz dynasty is continued today through the Chassidic courts of Sanz-Klausenberg, Bobov, Stropkov, Czchów, Zhmigrod, Gorlitz, and others.

R. Menachem Mendel Panet (1818-1885), Rabbi of Deyzh (Dej) and Chief Rabbi of Transylvania, son of the Mareh Yechezkel of Deyzh (a disciple of R. Menachem Mendel of Rimanov, served as Rabbi of Karlsburg and Transylvania). In 1832-1837, he studied under the Chatam Sofer in the Pressburg yeshiva, where he was the only student to don a Chassidic silk robe on Shabbat. The Chatam Sofer was very fond of him and used to stroll while conversing with him every Friday. While studying in the yeshiva of the Chatam Sofer, he merited a revelation and greeting from Eliyahu HaNavi in the guise of a pauper. In 1839, after his marriage, he lived in Ujhel, where he became intimate with the Yismach Moshe. In 1842, he was appointed Rabbi of Urișor, and in ca. 1855, of Deyzh (Dej), where he established a large yeshiva, edifying numerous disciples, many of whom later served as rabbis in Transylvania. Starting ca. 1842, he began serving as Chief Rabbi of Transylvania. During those years, he would frequent the courts of leading rebbes, R. Yisrael of Ruzhin and the Divrei Chaim of Sanz. From the beginning of his tenure in Deyzh, entire areas of Transylvania were captivated by his charm, and many Jews, who until then had no connection to Chassidut, became chassidim. R. Menachem Mendel was a prominent halachic authority in Transylvania, and corresponded with the leading rabbis of Hungary and Galicia. His responsa are published in the series Responsa Avnei Tzedek, Shaarei Tzedek and Mishpat Tzedek. He is renowned in the Chassidic world for his book Maaglei Tzedek on the Torah, published in the last year of his life. In this book, he quotes extensively from his three prime teachers, his father the Mareh Yechezkel, the Chatam Sofer and the Yismach Moshe. Special significance is ascribed to this book as a segulah for livelihood (see: Maaglei Tzedek HaMevoar, Bnei Brak, 2007, p. 22).

[1] leaf. 21 cm. Fair condition. Stains and dampstains. Wear and folding marks. Open tears to margins and folds, with loss to the last three letters of his signature: "Halbers[tam]".

We were unable to locate an earlier printing of the present letter. It does not appear among the letters by Sanz rebbes printed in Ateret Chaim – Yalkut Igrot Kodesh (Brooklyn, 1980).