Letter of blessings and inspiration about the spiritual duties during the upcoming festival of Sukkot, handwritten and signed by Rebbe Avraham Weinberg of Slonim (the second), author of Beit Avraham. Baranovitch (Baranavichy), Erev Sukkot 1932.
Written on the official stationery of the rebbe, with the letterhead: "Avraham Weinberg son of the late Rebbe Sh. of Slonim, Baranovitch". This letter was presumably sent to one of his sons-in-law, brothers-in-law or nephews.
The rebbe opens the letter with blessings for "Good life, blessed with livelihood and abundance, physical health… may you be blessed with all goodness forever, you, your family and offspring and all that is yours… life and blessing for eternity… Blessing them with a joyful, kosher and good festival, always".
Further in the letter, the rebbe extends his blessings for the upcoming festival of Sukkot, that G-d should spread over them His canopy of peace, and that they merit to find refuge under His wings, and benefit from an outpouring of pure faith. He continues to wish them that during this festival of joy, they should merit to accept upon themselves the yoke of Heaven with joy, and that the Sukkah and four species will unify their hearts with love and fear of His name.
At the end of the letter, the rebbe discusses matters pertaining to the management of the Or Torah boys' school in Tiberias, and familial matters.
To the best of our knowledge, this letter was never published.
Rebbe Avraham Weinberg of Slonim (the second), author of Beit Avraham (1884-1933), was the son of the Divrei Shmuel. He began leading the Slonim Chassidut in 1916, expending great effort to rebuild the Chassidut after WWI. In 1918, he founded the Torat Chessed yeshiva in Baranovich together with his close friend R. Moshe Midner. The yeshiva was a unique combination of the Lithuanian style of learning together with Chassidic fervor in worship of G-d. He lived in Bialystok until 1929, and then in Baranovich. He is particularly famous for the intense excitement and exalted devotion which characterized his prayers and Tish. His prayers and discourses made an impact on his listeners for the rest of their life. "Any discourse uttered by his holy mouth in holiness and purity was like an assault on the inner enemy... He would rock the entire inner soul of a person... cause an emotional turnaround, lighting up the eyes of those who go in the darkness... with the light of a life of holiness, the light of the holy Shabbat, the light of Torah and faith" (from the foreword of his close disciple, the Netivot Shalom, to his book Beit Avraham). Likewise, he was renowned for his holiness, purity and absolute abstinence from any worldly matters. "In regard to his holiness and asceticism, he belonged to previous generations, and great things are retold about him in these matters, beyond the scope of human understanding" (ibid.). R. M. of Slonim wrote about him after his passing: "He overcame his evil inclination more than Yosef HaTzaddik" (based on Gittin 57a). His lectures were recorded and published in his famous book Beit Avraham, by his close disciple the Netivot Shalom. Just like his father the Divrei Shmuel, the Beit Avraham was devoted with his heart and soul to the support and maintenance of the institutions of the Or Torah yeshiva in Tiberias, to its Torah scholars and students. To that end, he wandered from city to city to raise funds, enabling them to sit studying Torah and worshipping G-d with peace of mind. He visited Eretz Israel twice, in 1929 and in 1933. During the course of these visits, the Chassidim grew exceptionally attached to him, and until the end of their lives they would tearfully speak of these visits with great longing and yearning.
[1] leaf. 21.5 cm. Good condition. Minor tears to folds and upper and lower margins, slightly affecting a few letters.