Letter of rabbinical semicha, handwritten and signed by Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook, to Rabbi Avraham Elyashiv. Bauska, Chanuka 1903. "I find it my obligation to to announce the greatness of… the Rabbi, excellent in his sharpness and proficiency and full of fear of G-d… overflowing with knowledge of Torah, Talmud and Poskim Rishonim and Achronim… ". This copy of the letter has corrections in the handwriting of Rabbi Kook who added the fictitious name of Rabbi Avraham Elyashiv. The Rabbi of Gomel, Rabbi Avraham [father of Rabbi Y.S. Elyashiv] was the son of Rabbi Moshe Levinson from the city of Varėna. At one point, he was forced to change his family name to Popka (Popkin), [apparently he needed to use a fictitious passport of a Jew by the name of David ben Yehuda Simcha Popkin] and as the matter became complex with the authorities, he was forced to change his first name also to "Avraham David ben Rabbi Yehuda Simcha". After he immigrated to Eretz Israel, he changed his family name to Elyashiv like the name of his Kabbalist father-in-law, author of the Leshem, Rabbi Shlomo Elyashiv [see Item 291]. In this letter, Rabbi Kook evidently first wrote the real name of Rabbi Avraham: "My Teacher, Rabbi Avraham son of R' Moshe" and then on second thought changed the name to his official name "David Avraham son of R' Yehuda Simcha" erasing the words "My Teacher Rabbi" and the word "Moshe". Leaf, 20.5 cm. Approximately 18 handwritten lines. Fair condition, wear damages to paper folds, restored with paper filling.