Lengthy letter (four pages) handwritten and signed by Rebbe Shlomo Halberstam (the first) Rabbi of Bobov, addressed to his uncle Rebbe Yechezkel Shraga Halberstam Rabbi of Shinova, author of Divrei Yechezkel. Bobov (Bobowa), Erev Shabbat Shelach [Sivan] 1895.
Sharp polemic letter regarding chalitzah, with harsh criticism of a posek in Dzikov (Tarnobrzeg).
In the letter, Rebbe Shlomo Halberstam describes to his uncle, the Divrei Yechezkel, the case of a woman in Vishnitza (Wisznice) who married a young man from Dzikov, and was widowed during her first pregnancy. The baby, who was born several months after the passing of his father, died 21 days later. The rebbe relates that the father of the widow contacted him, and he ruled that chalitzah is required. The Beit Din in Dzikov however, headed by the posek R. Menashe Eichenstein (later rabbi of Veretski, son-in-law of Rebbe Yehoshua Horowitz Rabbi of Dzikov, he authored Torat HaAsham, Alfei Menashe and Mateh Menashe; see: Encyclopedia L'Chassidut, III, p. 187), maintained that the widow was exempt from chalitzah, since there were testimonies to the fact that she was visibly pregnant before her husband's passing. They based their ruling on their understanding of a responsum of R. Akiva Eger (section 89), yet Rebbe Shlomo Halberstam argued that the cases were not comparable. Additionally, he contends that the ruling of the posek of Dzikov is in contradiction with an explicit ruling of the Rambam, Tur and Shulchan Aruch, and contradicts the decisions of R. Yom Tov Algazi and the Beit Efraim. The rebbe adds that the question was sent to Maharsham of Berezhan, and he concurred with him that the woman requires chalitzah.
Further in the letter, the rebbe sharply attacks the posek and witness, and accuses them of receiving bribes, which influenced their ruling: " …and I cannot do anything about it, since the people of Dzikov mock my words… and I hereby enclose the letters which I received from Vishnitza, so that my honored uncle should see that they are shamelessly and openly doing everything for money, and it is disgraceful that such a person should serve as a posek in a Galician city…".
He then asks his uncle to intervene to prevent the situation of a woman requiring chalitzah being presented as able to remarry, and to warn the family not to rely on this groundless ruling. He concludes: " May G-d help that we should merit that he lead us towards Mashiach speedily, as are the wishes of his nephew, servant and disciple, who prostrates himself from afar, Shlomo Halberstam".
Next to his signature, the rebbe added his name and the name of his mother, as a chassid writing a kvittel: "Shlomo son of Beila".
To the best of our knowledge, this letter was never published.
It turns out that the Divrei Yechezkel indeed intervened, and following this letter, sent a letter to R. Aryeh Leibush Horowitz Rabbi of Stryi, author of Harei Besamim, requesting that he get involved (Divrei Yechezkel HeChadash, section 44; also printed in Michtevei Kodesh – Bobov, section 54). The letter of the Divrei Yechezkel, dated Parashat Chukat 1895 (some two weeks after the present letter was written) contains a clear mention of this letter: "My nephew R. Shlomo Rabbi of Vishnitza, presently residing in Bobov, sent to me, writing that in Vishnitza there is a woman whose husband passed away…". The Divrei Yechezkel further writes in his letter that he sent a letter to the father of the late husband and instructed him not to rely on the lenient ruling, and instead, one of the brothers should perform chalitzah.
R. Shlomo Halberstam, first Rebbe of Bobov (1847-1905) was the grandson of the Divrei Chaim, Rebbe of Sanz and of Rebbe Eliezer Horowitz of Dzikov-Ropshitz. He was orphaned in his childhood of his father, R. Meir Natan Halberstam, and was raised and educated by his two illustrious grandfathers. He was appointed in ca. 1865 as rabbi of Bukowsko (at the young age of 18), and later (ca. 1876) of Ushpitzin (Oświęcim). In 1875, he was one of the grandchildren selected by R. Chaim of Sanz to edit and publish his prominent book Responsa Divrei Chaim in Lviv. In ca. 1880, he went to serve as rabbi of Vishnitza, where he established the first yeshiva in Galicia, and would deliver daily lectures in the yeshiva before hundreds of students. This yeshiva produced hundreds of Galician rabbis and dayanim. In Cheshvan 1892, he was appointed rabbi of Bobov, which he became renowned for. He served as rebbe to thousands of Chassidim, particularly working on drawing youths to Chassidut, developing Bobov into a large center of thousands of young Chassidim, who transformed Galician Jewry by disseminating Torah and Chassidut. R. Shlomo was a leader of Orthodox Jewry in Galicia and joined the Machzikei HaDat organization (in contrast to the other rebbes of the Sanz dynasty who did not endorse this organization). He wrote numerous halachic responsa. His son Rebbe Ben Tzion prepared his writings for print before WWI, but the composition was lost during the war. The present letter is one of his rare extant letters on Halachic matters. His son Rebbe Ben Tzion Halberstam, the Kedushat Tzion, was the father of Rebbe Shlomo Halberstam (the second), Rebbe of Bobov-USA – who established the large center of Bobov Chassidut in the United States. His grandfather the Divrei Chaim cherished and revered him greatly, and even taught him Kabbalah. In a halachic responsum from 1871, he addresses him in terms of great honor (Responsa Divrei Chaim, Yoreh De'ah, section 32). In that responsum, his grandfather requests: "Please pray for me since I am very weak, may G-d help him with a long life… seeking the wellbeing of your Torah and awaiting to see you in peace".
[1] leaf, [4] written pages. Large sheet of paper (34X41.5 cm), folded into four pages (each page: 21 cm). Fair condition. Stains, dampstains. Many tears and wear to margins and folding marks. Tears to folding marks, reinforced with tape on verso.

Letter handwritten and signed by Rebbe Avraham Weinberg of Slonim (the first), author of Yesod HaAvodah, including a section of a Chassidic essay which he sent his Chassidim. [Slonim, Elul 1871].
First leaf of a double leaf. Part of a lengthy letter (presumably several pages long) which the rebbe sent to his Chassidim in Tiberias, comprising a personal letter, with regards and blessings, and a lengthy and profound Chassidic essay on Kabbalah and worship of G-d. The first page contains the personal letter which preceded the Chassidic essay, with two signatures of the rebbe, once his full signature (with the name of his father), and once "Avraham" alone.
The letter with the essay was sent to Slonim Chassidim in Tiberias, and to the three heads of Kollel Reisin in Tiberias: R. Mordechai of Vileyka, R. Menachem Mendel Epstein of Minsk and R. Shmuel Shemaya HaKohen Katz of Slonim.
In the personal letter on the first page, the rebbe extends blessings and regards to his relatives and friends in Tiberias: to his brother-in-law R. Elchanan Isser; to his sister Esther Shprintza; to his sister's son-in-law "beloved man of desirable qualities" – R. Mordechai Lieder – "R. Motke"; to R. Yitzchak (presumably referring to the son of R. Elchanan from his first marriage); to R. Aharon Shmuel of Vileyka (brother of R. Mordechai of Vileyka), and to the "brilliant son-in-law" of R. Aharon Shmuel – R. Todros; to his grandson "the young, talented and outstanding Torah scholar" – R. Noach Weinberg (son of his son R. Michel Aharon, father of the Birkat Avraham).
In his letter, the rebbe blesses his sister Esther Shprintza and her husband (from her second marriage) – his brother-in-law R. Elchanan Isser "may G-d remember them in this coming year with offspring… and may He bless them once again with an abundant measure of good" (regarding the background of this blessing, see enclosed material).
The rebbe adds further blessings: "A good inscription and sealing in the book of Tzaddikim, and wellbeing of all his family members"; " May G-d bless you and guard you from any harm, and grant you a good inscription and sealing, and may you succeed wherever you turn".
At the end of the page, the rebbe writes words of ethics and encouragement to his grandson R. Noach: "Fear G-d, my son, and subjugate the bad inclination to the good inclination, and be watchful of the purity of thought and character, and remember the saying of the sages, that one who comes to purify himself receives Heavenly assistance, and one who sanctifies himself below, is sanctified from above. An eye sees and an ear hears one who strives with all his might to grow in fear of G-d and service of the heart. Your grandfather, Avraham".
On verso of the letter is a section of a profound essay on Kabbalah and Chassidut (this page comprises the lower half of the large first page of a multi-page essay). In this essay, the rebbe explains the Chassidic approach to worship of G-d through the kabbalistic concept of Taamim, Nekudot, Tagim and Otiyot. This essay was published in the letters section of Yesod HaAvodah, letter 68.
The personal letter was not printed there, and it was presumably never published.
(In the printed essay, the publisher was unsure of how to decipher one word, and he suggested various possibilities in a marginal note. In this original letter, the correct word is easily identifiable – and it is not one of the options suggested by the publisher).
Rebbe Avraham Weinberg, first rebbe of Slonim, author of Yesod HaAvodah (1803-1883), a brilliant and holy kabbalist, and an original and innovative scholar. He was a close disciple of his teachers, Rebbe Noach of Lechovitz and R. Moshe of Kobryn. In the 1830s, he headed the Anaf Etz Chaim yeshiva in his hometown of Slonim, a branch of the renowned Etz Chaim yeshiva in Volozhin (Moshe Tzinovitz, Etz Chaim, p. 433; Aharon Surasky, Marbitzei Torah MeOlam HaChassidut, I, pp. 177, 183-186). He would devote all his strength to Torah study, studying for eighteen hours a day until absolute exhaustion. In his youth, he studied Torah under extreme deprivation. In his old age, when one of his disciples remarked that one can discern on him revelations of Divine Inspiration, he replied: "I don't know about Divine Inspiration, but I did study Torah under deprivation, and the sages state that whoever studies Torah under deprivation will be satiated from the splendor of the Divine presence". After the passing of his teacher, R. Moshe of Kobryn, in Nissan 1858, he established his court in Slonim, and most of the Kobryn Chassidim accepted his authority and began frequenting his court. He would conduct Tish not only on Shabbat and festivals, but also on weekdays. Like an ever-flowing wellspring, he delivered many extremely profound Chassidic discourses, and produced many compositions on all parts of the Torah (most were lost during the Holocaust). Some of his writings were published after his passing. His renowned books are Chessed LeAvraham, a profound, very abstract and impenetrable book on Kabbalah and philosophy; Yesod HaAvodah – on the topic of studying Torah for the sake of Heaven and Chassidic principles on the worship of G-d (in this book, he sharply criticizes the book Nefesh HaChaim by R. Chaim of Volozhin, primarily on his views on the study of Torah for the sake of Heaven; the original manuscript of this work reputedly states several times "contrary to the Nefesh HaChaim"); Be'er Avraham on Mechilta. After the Holocaust, his writings were published in additional volumes of Chessed LeAvraham and Be'er Avraham.
In 1870-1874, the Yesod HaAvodah sent an elite group of young, select disciples, including several grandsons and relatives, to Tiberias. This group was named Kollel Reisin, and the rebbe arranged fixed annual fundraising and trips of emissaries so that the members of the Kollel be free to fulfill their mission of studying Torah and worshipping G-d in peace and serenity. The rebbe corresponded continuously with this group on profound topics of Chassidut and worship of G-d. Some of these letters (such as the present letter) were printed after his passing in his book Yesod HaAvodah (in the letters section), as well as at the end of the book Be'er Avraham on the Torah.
[1] leaf. 20.5 cm. Fair condition. Stains and wear. Marginal tears and folding marks, affecting text, professionally restored with paper. Ink faded. Some words illegible.

Interesting historic letter, handwritten and signed by Rebbe Shalom Noach Berezovsky, author of Netivot Shalom. Addressed to his future brother-in-law, R. Zelig Weinberg. Baranovich (Baranavichy), Chanukah 1933.
The letter was written by the Netivot Shalom in Baranovich, during his engagement period, and is addressed to his future brother-in-law, R. Zelig Weinberg in Tiberias. In his letter, the Netivot Shalom discusses the dispute which arose over the position of his close friend, the young rebbe of Slonim, R. Shlomo David Yehoshua Weinberg ("The Young Rebbe"), following the passing of the Beit Avraham (see below).
To the best of our knowledge, this letter was never published.
At the beginning of the letter, the Netivot Shalom reports that the Chassidim were satisfied with the Chanukah candle lighting ceremonies of Rebbe Shlomo David Yehoshua, the new rebbe; that a date has not yet been set for the rebbe's wedding, and that they don't know yet how long Rebbe Shlomo David Yehoshua will live near his father-in-law in Alexander. Further in the letter, the Netivot Shalom praises the leaders of the Slonim community in Tiberias, who widely distributed the letter of R. Moshe Kliers Rabbi of Tiberias, in which he expresses his support for the appointment of R. Shlomo David Yehoshua as rebbe. The Netivot Shalom stresses that R. Moshe Kliers is highly regarded by the Chassidim in Europe. The letter then describes how the Chassidim's concerns that R. Avraham Yehoshua Heshel ("Avreimel of Warsaw") would take over the leadership of Slonim Chassidut were in vain.
Rebbe Shalom Noach Berezovsky, author of Netivot Shalom (1911-2000), a leading rebbe in our times, head of the Chinuch HaAtzmai and Vaad HaYeshivot, member of the Moetzet Gedolei HaTorah of Agudath Yisrael. He was a close disciple of the Beit Avraham, rebbe of Slonim, and of R. Moshe Minder; and was the son-in-law of the Birkat Avraham, rebbe of Slonim. He immigrated from Baranovich to Jerusalem in Adar 1935, and settled in Tiberias. In 1940, he moved to Tel Aviv, where he lectured in the Achei Temimim Chabad yeshiva. In 1942, he established the Beit Avraham – Slonim yeshiva in Jerusalem, which he headed for forty years. In 1981, he was appointed rebbe of Slonim. He was famous for his clear, well-organized teachings on Chassidut and current matters, and was renowned for his exceptional wisdom, his pure character traits and primarily as a master educator who made a personal impact on each of his disciples. His lectures on the tractates of Orders Nashim and Nezikin were published in the Netivot Shalom and Shiurei Netivot Shalom series. He is most widely recognized for the Netivot Shalom series, 7 parts, on Chassidic thought and worship of G-d – clear, easy to understand books which were distributed in hundreds of thousands of copies and quickly became Chassidic best-sellers.
[2] leaves. 19.5 cm. Good condition. Stains. Folding marks.

The Dispute in the Slonim Chassidut, Following the Passing of the Beit Avraham
The two sons of the second rebbe of Slonim, R. Shmuel Weinberg (author of Divrei Shmuel, 1850-1916, see item 113), were R. Yissachar Leib (Encyclopedia L'Chassidut, II, pp. 466-467), and R. Avraham (the Beit Avraham, 1884-1933). After the passing of their father, both sons were appointed rebbe. The older son, R. Yissachar Leib, conducted his court in Slonim, while the younger son, the Beit Avraham, held his court first in Białystok, and later in Baranovich (Baranavichy). The vast majority of Chassidim followed the Beit Avraham. The brothers shared a close friendship, and sometimes even led the Tish together, side by side.
Rebbe Yissachar Leib passed away on 28th Nissan 1928, leaving behind a son, R. Avraham Yehoshua Heshel (later rebbe of Slonim-Tel Aviv; 1898-1978, Encyclopedia L'Chassidut, I, pp. 95-96). His brother, the Beit Avraham passed away suddenly, at the age of 49, on Rosh Chodesh Iyar 1933, leaving behind his only son R. Shlomo David Yehoshua (1913-1944). When R. Yissachar Leib passed away, his son refused to take his place as rebbe of Slonim, and only in 1933, after the passing of his uncle the Beit Avraham, did he agree to serve as rebbe. His followers did not suffice with this, and wished to "annex" the Baranovich court – the Chassidim of the Beit Avraham. However, most of the Chassidim of the Beit Avraham categorically refused to accept R. Avraham Yehoshua Heshel as their rebbe, and wished the son of their teacher the Beit Avraham, R. Shlomo David Yehoshua, to succeed him. The latter, being only 20 years of age and unmarried, refused to succeed his father. Thus the Baranovich court was left torn and divided, without a unanimous candidate to lead the Chassidut.
The leaders of Slonim Chassidut in Eretz Israel – R. Moshe Kliers Rabbi of Tiberias, author of Torat HaAretz; R. Mordechai Chaim Slonim (R. Mottel) and the Birkat Avraham came to the rescue of the Slonim Chassidim in Baranovich with firm, decisive letters. In these letters, they command and entreat R. Shlomo David Yehoshua to take the leadership of the dynasty into his hands, despite his young age. Likewise, they sent letters to the Chassidim in Europe in which they publicized their opinion – that they accept only the young R. Shlomo David Yehoshua as rebbe. The Birkat Avraham (then a leader of the Slonim Chassidut in Tiberias) was sent to Baranovich, to try and organize the transfer of the leadership to R. Shlomo David Yehoshua and to settle the dispute.
On 12th Sivan 1933, R. Shlomo David Yehoshua was appointed rebbe of Slonim. On 9th Tammuz 1933, a match was arranged between him and Rebbetzin Sima, daughter of Rebbe Yitzchak Menachem Mendel Danziger – the Akedat Yitzchak of Alexander, and on 6th Adar 1934, the wedding was held. For two years, Rebbe Shlomo David Yehoshua lived in Alexander (Aleksandrów Łódzki), and he then returned to Baranovich, where he led his Chassidim until he was murdered by the Nazis (on 6th Cheshvan 1943 in the Koldichevo camp).
The present letter was written by the Netivot Shalom, close friend and study partner of Rebbe Shlomo David Yehoshua, during the time of his engagement with Rebbetzin Chava Miriam, daughter of the Birkat Avraham. The match was arranged by his prime teacher, the Beit Avraham, during his visit to Eretz Israel in winter 1933. The Netivot Shalom himself immigrated to Eretz Israel in 1935, and his wedding took place on 17th Adar 1935. This letter was written by the Netivot Shalom on Zot Chanukah 1933, in Baranovich.
(Sources: Nachalei Emunah, I, p. 21; 19, pp. 41-61; Otzar Erchei HaTorah – BeOhalei Yissachar, I, foreword, pp. 7-10; the present letter).

Three letters from Rebbe Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn – the Rayatz of Lubavitch. Brooklyn NY, 1942-1949.
The letters are typewritten on the official stationery of Rebbe Rayatz, with his handwritten signature: "Yosef Yitzchak", and are addressed to his secretary, R. Nissan Mindel.
1. Letter of good year wishes, dated 21st Elul 1942: "With the approach of the new year… I wish to bless him and his family… with a blessing for a good inscription and sealing, for a good and sweet year, in material and spiritual matters".
At the beginning of the letter, the rebbe discusses the translation to English of his letter to R.N. Kohen (Refael Nachman Kohen?).
2. Letter discussing R. Nissan Mindel's journey (presumably to Paris) on behalf of the Rayatz, to offer assistance to Holocaust survivors. 24th Iyar 1948.
"I request that he meet my relative, who supervises the production, to tell him about R. Binyamin Gorodetzki, my agent for arranging livelihood for the refugees and for obtaining quality products at low prices". At the end of the letter, after the words "His friend, who seeks his wellbeing", the rebbe added the following blessing in his handwriting: " With a safe journey and pleasant and good life, in material and spiritual matters".
3. Letter of blessings for health and livelihood. 23rd Menachem Av 1949.
In his letter, the rebbe blesses: "…act according to the doctor's instructions, and G-d will send him a cure and strengthen the health of his honored wife, and grant them success in their most great and lofty work, and give them good livelihood in abundance". At the end of the letter, the rebbe added in his handwriting: " His friend, who seeks his wellbeing, honors him and blesses him in material and spiritual matters", and signed "Yosef Yitzchak" with the letter Yud of his second name in Ashuri script – the rebbe's distinctive signature in the final year of his life.
[3] leaves, official stationery. Approx. 21.5 cm. Good condition. Creases and folding marks. One letter on thin paper.