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.