All six parts of Mishnah Berurah, commentary to Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim, by R. Yisrael Meir HaKohen of Radin, author of Chafetz Chaim. [Warsaw-Piotrkow, 1884-1907. Vols. I, III, IV and V are presumably first editions. Vols. II and VI are stereotype editions].
Some of the volumes bear penciled "Mugeh" ("inspected") inscriptions, handwritten by the Chafetz Chaim. The flyleaf of the Hilchot Shabbat volume bears an ownership inscription attesting that the book belongs to R. Baruch Ber Leibowitz: "Belongs to… R. Baruch Dov Ber Leibowitz, dean of the Knesset Beit Yitzchak yeshiva". The other five volumes bear ownership inscriptions and signatures of R. Moshe Finkel, a dean of the Knesset Yisrael yeshiva in Slabodka and Hebron. Handwritten gloss on p. 42 of vol. III.
R. Baruch Dov (Ber) Leibowitz (1864-1940), author of Birkat Shmuel, taught many disciples. He was a disciple of R. Chaim of Brisk in the Volozhin yeshiva, and the son-in-law of R. Avraham Yitzchak Zimmerman Rabbi of Hlusk. After his father-in-law went to serve as rabbi of Kremenchuk, he succeeded him in Hlusk and established a yeshiva. After a 13-year tenure, he was asked to head the Knesset Beit Yitzchak yeshiva in Slabodka. During WWI, he wandered with the yeshiva to Minsk, Kremenchuk and Vilna, finally settling in Kamenitz. He authored Birkat Shmuel on Talmudic topics. His writings are classic works of in-depth yeshiva Torah study.
R. Moshe Finkel (1884-1925), son of R. Natan Tzvi Finkel, Alter of Slabodka and son-in-law of the Slabodka yeshiva dean R. Moshe Mordechai Epstein. He was renowned as one of the most outstanding and brilliant students in Lithuanian yeshivot, and R. Chaim Brisk and R. Meir Simcha of Dvinsk, who were amazed by his Torah knowledge and depth of understanding, foresaw that he would be a future Torah luminary. In 1913, he began lecturing in the Slabodka yeshiva. In Adar 1925, he immigrated to Eretz Israel, and was appointed one of the deans of the Knesset Yisrael – Slabodka yeshiva in Hebron. He passed away on Chol HaMoed Sukkot 1925, at the young age of 42, during the lifetime of his illustrious father.
6 volumes. Vol. I: 151, [1] leaves. Vol. II: 155 leaves. Vol. III: [1], 2-195 leaves (lacking leaf 1 with introduction to laws of Shabbat). Vol. IV: [1], 196-290 leaves. Vol. V: 153, [1] leaves. Vol. VI: 164 leaves. Approx. 23 cm. Dry paper. Condition varies, fair to good-fair. Stains and wear. Worming. Detached leaves and few tears. Original bindings, mostly detached. Damage and worming to bindings.
The Mishnah Berurah series on Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim was composed and published by the author of the Chafetz Chaim over the course of 27 years. He toiled greatly in studying the halachot and labored to reach true halachic conclusions (sometimes studying the same topic more than 36 times). These books were accepted by the entire Jewish world and reprinted in many editions. The Chafetz Chaim was accustomed to examine each and every book for defective printing or exchanged leaves, and would personally write "Mugeh" ("inspected") on each book which passed his inspection.