Letter of blessings from Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneersohn of Lubavitch. Addressed to R. Moshe Irenstein, mayor of Bnei Brak. Brooklyn, NY, Nissan 1988.
Typewritten on the official letterhead stationery of the rebbe, with his signature and the addition of one word in his handwriting.
In his letter, the rebbe blesses: "With the approach of the festival of Matzot… I wish to express my blessings for a kosher and joyous holiday, and for true freedom". At the end of the letter, the rebbe writes to the mayor: "With respect, with blessings for the festival and for great success in his most responsible position".
The following line was added after the signature: "The letter of condolences was received on time, many thanks – many thanks" (the last word was handwritten by the rebbe). The rebbe is thanking here for the letter of condolences which the mayor sent him after the passing of his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneersohn, on 22nd Shevat 1988.
[1] leaf. 21.5 cm. Good condition. Folding marks. Tear to upper margin, not affecting text.

Siddur Torah Or, prayers for the year-round, Shabbat and festivals, following the rite of Rebbe Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the Baal HaTanya, compiled by R. Avraham David Lawat Rabbi of Nikolayev; proofread and corrected by Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Brooklyn, NY, 1941.
On the second front flyleaf, a dedication signed by Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneersohn – the Lubavitcher Rebbe: "As a sign of friendship and with good year blessings, M. Schneersohn, Erev Rosh Hashanah 1941".
Signature on the first front flyleaf: "Nissan Mindel".
This siddur was proofread and prepared for print by the Lubavitcher Rebbe. When the rebbe arrived in the United States from France on 28th Sivan 1941, his father-in-law, Rebbe Rayatz, asked him to proofread, correct and prepare for print the Torah Or siddur (first printed in 1887, see adjoining article). During Av and Elul 1941, the rebbe was busy proofreading and correcting this siddur. It was published several days before Rosh Hashanah 1941.
The wording of the dedication inscribed in this siddur is unique. In all the letters printed in Igrot Kodesh, written during the rebbe's leadership, the word "Yedidut" (friendship; or "BiYedidut" – in friendship) is never used in the letter endings. Even in the years preceding the rebbe's leadership, this word was only used once (Igrot Kodesh, I, p. 35). The rebbe's usage of the expression "LeOt Yedidut" ("as a sign of friendship") in this dedication appears to be unprecedented.
The recipient of the siddur, R. Nissan Mindel (1912-1999), director of Chabad institutions in the United States, was the close confidant of Rebbe Rayatz and his son-in-law the Lubavitcher Rebbe. From 1932, he served as personal secretary of Rebbe Rayatz of Lubavitch, and from 1950, of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. In winter 1940, he was one of the few who joined the Rayatz in his flight from occupied Poland to the United States. His exceptional friendship with the Rebbe, and the gift of this siddur, is reported in Sipurim MiCheder HaRabbi (Bnei Brak, 2009, p. 323): "Over the years, intense feelings of friendship towards the rebbe developed in his heart… he stated… the rebbe was 'my best friend'. One of the expressions of this friendship was on Rosh Hashanah 1941, when the rebbe gave a Torah Or siddur to R. Mindel, with a personal dedication 'As a sign of friendship'" (see ibid. for a picture of the rebbe's dedication in this siddur). He typed all the rebbe’s English letters, and even published some of them in several volumes. R. Mindel was a prolific author on Jewish thought and Chassidut. His books were reviewed by the rebbe before being published, and were later translated into many languages. He served as editor of the Chabad periodical for youths – Talks and Tales, for over forty years. His magnum opus was his translation of the Tanya to English, which earned him a doctorate degree from the Columbia University in New York.
233, [1]; 37, 39-41 leaves + 2 leaves of errata (not bound with book). 22 cm. Good condition. Stains. Minor wear. Minor marginal tears to several leaves. Inner margins of endpapers and binding reinforced. Original binding, damaged (spine partially detached).
------------------
Siddur Torah Or
The siddur compiled by R. Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the Baal HaTanya, was printed already in his lifetime in several editions, in Shklow and Kopust (see Kedem Catalog 63, p. 277). From the passing of the Baal HaTanya until 1887, the siddur was reprinted in dozens of editions. In many of the editions, the printers were not particular to preserve the accurate text of the prayers and laws, and in some editions the printers combined the text of Siddur HaRav with the texts of other prevalent siddurim. In the 1880s, R. Avraham David Lawat, Rabbi of Nikolayev (Mykolaiv; maternal grandfather of the Lubavitcher Rebbe), began studying and researching the original text of Siddur HaRav. To that end, he searched for editions of the siddur published in the lifetime of the Baal HaTanya. Upon finding such a siddur, he set to work proofreading and correcting the text of Siddur HaRav, according to the siddur he found, and in 1887, he printed the Siddur HaRav in Vilna under a new title – Siddur Torah Or. He appended to it his own composition, Shaarei Tefillah – sources of the prayer texts and rulings of the Baal HaTanya.
However, immediately after the siddur was published, R. Lawat obtained another edition of Siddur HaRav published in the lifetime of the Baal HaTanya. In light of this, R. Lawat produced a new, corrected edition of Siddur Torah Or – the Vilna 1889 edition. Yet the same occurred once again. As soon as the 1889 edition was published, R. Lawat obtained a third siddur edition published in the lifetime of the Baal HaTanya, and he began preparing a third, updated edition of Siddur Torah Or. This third edition was only published after the passing of R. Lawat (Adar 1890), in Vilna 1896, and it includes the latter's illustrious work – Shaar HaKollel (see Beit Aharon VeYisrael, 186, pp. 136-137).
The 1941 Edition
The 1941 edition, which is mostly a photocopy of one of R. Lawat's editions, was edited by the Rebbe, based on the instructions and rulings of his father-in-law, Rebbe Rayatz. Any doubt which arose, particularly pertaining to the vocalization, was resolved by Rebbe Rayatz. This edition contains several additions and changes (described in great detail in the booklet Hagahot LeSiddur Rabbenu HaZaken, Brooklyn 2007, by R. Shalom Dov Ber Levin). Approximately a month after the siddur was printed, Rebbe Rayatz wrote an open letter to Chabad Chassidim, in which he asks them "to pray from this siddur, and to educate their sons to pray from this siddur".
This edition was printed in only two thousand copies (Hagahot LeSiddur Rabbenu HaZaken, Brooklyn 2007, p. 36).
The Rebbe's Siddur
This edition of the siddur was constantly used by the rebbe, from the day it was published
until his final day. Every prayer, every Birkat HaMazon and blessing after eating, every blessing at weddings he officiated, were recited all from this siddur edition. "The rebbe would keep it with him at all times, and it almost never left his hands. He would take it with him to the synagogue and Beit Midrash, into the Hitvaadut, to recite the blessings over the moon and sun, into the Sukkah and to Tashlich. He used it to pray and recite blessings. During his entire tenure, the rebbe used the same siddur, never exchanging it for a different one… as is well-known, preparing this siddur for print was the first project undertaken by the rebbe upon his arrival in the United States… and from that moment, he prayed with it for the rest of his life, without fail" (Introduction to Siddur HaRav, Chazak edition, 2015, pp. 11-12, note 14).

Knesset HaGedolah, on the Tur and Beit Yosef to Even HaEzer, by R. Chaim Benveniste. Lviv, "1681" [1861].
This copy belonged to R. Yeshaya Schorr Rabbi of Iași, author of Kelil Tiferet. Ownership inscription on title page: "This Knesset HaGedolah belongs to R. Yeshaya Schorr, the rabbi here".
R. Yeshaya Schorr, Rabbi of Iași (1780-1879, Encyclopedia L'Chassidut, II, p. 496), author of Kelil Tiferet. Elder Rebbe of his generation, he was a brilliant scholar, kabbalist and a renowned miracle-worker. He was a disciple of great Chassidic masters: R. Mordechai of Kremenets, disciple of the Baal Shem Tov; R. Avraham Yehoshua Heshel, the Ohev Yisrael of Apta; R. Tzvi Hirsh of Zhydachiv; and R. Menachem Mendel of Kosov. He passed away in 1879, close to one hundred years old.
[1], 106, 106-107 leaves. 41 cm. Thin, high-quality paper. Good-fair condition. Stains. Minor wear and tears. Wear and tears to title page (a piece of paper glued to verso for reinforcement). Minor worming. New binding.

Or Kadmon, supplications and ethics, by R. Moshe Chagiz. Venice, [1703]. Only edition.
This book of supplications was published by the famous emissary R. Moshe Chagiz, while he sojourned in Italy. It constitutes the first printing of some prayers and supplications by great rabbis. The book opens with the Keter Malchut prayer for Yom Kippur, by R. David son of Shlomo ibn Zimra (the Radbaz), followed by various prayers by Rabbenu Bachya, R. Yehuda HeChassid, R. Zerachia the Greek, and more. The prayers are followed by an essay regarding repentance by the editor, R. Moshe Chagiz. The kabbalist R. Eliyahu HaKohen HaItmari of Izmir copied these prayers in his famous book Shevet Mussar, referring to this book as their source.
This copy belonged to R. Nachum Dov Ber of Sadigura. Two of his stamps appear on the title page: "Nachum Dov Ber Friedman" and "Kinyan Kaspi". A bookplate of his library appears on the front endpaper.
R. Nachum Dov Ber Friedman of Sadigura (1843/1844-1883), grandson of Rebbe Yisrael of Ruzhin. He was the son of Rebbe Shalom Yosef and son-in-law of his uncle Rebbe Avraham Yaakov of Sadigura. R. Nachum Dov Ber was known as a prominent collector of ancient books and manuscripts (see: David Assaf, Derech HaMalchut, p. 454, note 34). R. Yehuda Leibush Landau Rabbi of Sadigura describes him and his notable library in the preface to his book Yad Yehuda on Yoreh De'ah: "When I came to Sadigura, I found what I love in the home of my relative, of distinguished lineage, R. Nachum Dov, who owns a collection of valuable books from early authors, which is unrivaled in glory and splendor". R. Nachum Dov used several types of stamps in his library. Books inherited from his father were stamped "Nachalat Avotai" (family inheritance), books he purchased were stamped "Kinyan Kaspi" (my acquisition), and books he received as a gift were stamped "Minchat Shai" (a gift).
Inscription (trimmed) on title page: "Given as a gift… Emmanuel Katzigin". Stamps on endpapers and last page: "Matityahu Eckstein – Czernowitz".
[2], 30 leaves. 13.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains. Uneven edges (not affecting text). Fine binding (of the library of R. Nachum Dov Ber), with a bound bookmark. Damage to binding.

Siftei Yeshenim, by R. Shabtai Meshorer Bass, bibliography of Hebrew books. Amsterdam, [1680]. First edition. Bound with: Part II of Siftei Yeshenim, additions to Part I, by R. Uri Tzvi Rabinstein. [Zhovkva], 1806.
This copy belonged to the tzaddik of Shtefanesht, Rebbe Avraham Matityahu Friedman. His stamp (with an illustration of a lion in the center) appears on leaf [2] of Part I.
Kvittel inscribed on leaf [3] of Part I, presumably by a Chassid who gave the book to the rebbe, and wrote his name and that of his mother for prayer: "Yaakov Dov son of Dina".
The Rebbe of Shtefanesht, Rebbe Avraham Matityahu Friedman (1848-1933, Encyclopedia L'Chassidut, I, pp. 131-132), famous tzaddik and wonder-worker. Son of Rebbe Nachum of Shtefanesht – son of Rebbe Yisrael of Ruzhin. At the age of 21, he succeeded his father. Under Rebbe Avraham Matityahu's leadership, Shtefanesht grew to be an important Chassidic center. He served as Rebbe for over 60 years. He was re-interred in Israel in the Nachalat Yitzchak cemetery which is known until today as a site for deliverance, visited by many who pray at his gravesite.
Two books in one volume. Siftei Yeshenim (incomplete copy): [3], 7-20 leaves, 92 pages, [93]-108 leaves. Lacking first three leaves (including title page). Misfoliation. Siftei Yeshenim Part II: 3 leaves, 4-23 columns, 24-39 pages, [2] leaves. 20.5 cm. Fair-good condition. Stains, including several dark stains. Wear. Marginal tears to some leaves, repaired. Minor worming. Leaves trimmed, slightly affecting text on several leaves. Old binding.