Leaf Handwritten by the Chatam Sofer – Torah Novellae – Dresnitz, 1797

Leaf Handwritten by the Chatam Sofer – Torah Novellae – Dresnitz, 1797

Leaf (two pages, approx. 50 lines) handwritten by R. Moshe Sofer, the Chatam Sofer, Torah novellae on Parashiot Vayigash, Vayechi and Shemot. [Dresnitz? 1797?].
The present leaf comprises three passages. The first page contains half of a passage on Parashat Vayigash (printed in Chatam Sofer on the Torah, Bereshit, Jerusalem, 1958, p. 226). This is followed by a passage from Parashat Vayechi, on the verse "Your father commanded before his passing". This passage appears in its entirety on the present leaf, and is dated in the heading 1797 (published in Chatam Sofer on the Torah, ibid., pp. 244-245). The second page contains the first half of a passage on Parashat Shemot (printed in Chatam Sofer on the Torah, Shemot, pp. 15-16).
These novellae were composed by the Chatam Sofer at an early stage in his life. The two passages which were not dated by the Chatam Sofer in the present leaf, were also written (or taught) by the Chatam Sofer in 1797 (see Chatam Sofer on the Torah, ibid; alongside the third passage on the present leaf, there is an inscription in a later hand: "For Parashat Shemot 1797"). That year, the Chatam Sofer was still serving as rabbi of Dresnitz (present day Strážnice, Czech Republic; a year later, in 1798, he was appointed rabbi of Mattersdorf, and in 1807 rabbi of Pressburg).

Out of love and reverence for his teachings, descendants and disciples of the Chatam Sofer customarily preserve his manuscripts, as a segulah for fear of G-d and salvation.

[1] leaf. 24 cm. Fair condition. Stains. Open tears, affecting text. Tape repair at top of leaf. Inscriptions.

The Handwriting of the Chatam Sofer – Segulah for Fear of G-d
R. Mordechai Banet reputedly stated that just seeing the handwriting of the Chatam Sofer is a segulah for acquiring fear of G-d. R. Yosef Naftali Stern cited the following story in the name of his father-in-law R. Shmuel Alexandri Sofer, who heard it from his father, the Ktav Sofer:
As an elderly man, the Maharam Banet dealt with a complex halachic issue concerning an agunah. The members of the Nikolsburg Beit Din wrote a long discourse on the matter and sent it to the Chatam Sofer, requesting his opinion. Upon receiving the it, the Chatam Sofer studied the matter for a short while and responded that same day. The dayanim of the Nikolsburg Beit Din were amazed at the speed of his response and began to peruse his answer. Maharam Banet took the letter from them, and upon seeing the Chatam Sofer's conclusion permitting the agunah to remarry, immediately instructed the Beit Din to issue the ruling permitting her remarriage, and then resumed studying the Chatam Sofer's responsum. The members of the Beit Din thought that R. Banet had lingering doubts about the ruling, however, the Maharam Banet told them to continue with the proceedings to release the agunah and explained that he was looking at the responsum because just seeing the handwriting of the Chatam Sofer is a segulah for acquiring fear of G-d.
R. Aharon Kotler, who particularly cherished the teachings of the Chatam Sofer, often repeated the story.
This story is cited with minor variations in the name of the Satmar Rebbe, in Chaim Sheyesh Bahem (Mahadura Kama, Parshat Shemini, pp. 200-201): A Satmar Chassid presented his rebbe with a gift of a handwritten letter by the Chatam Sofer. At first, the rebbe refused to accept the gift due to its great monetary value. He said that had the Chassid given the rebbe its worth in money, the rebbe would never have accepted the gift, and therefore refused the valuable manuscript. However, after the Chassid persisted, the Satmar Rebbe finally agreed to accept the letter. The letter by the Chatam Sofer gave him excessive pleasure and he read it over and over. On that occasion, the Rebbe recounted the story about the Maharam Banet, who while holding a handwritten responsum of the Chatam Sofer stated that although he understood its content immediately upon the first reading, "I read the words repeatedly because reading the handwriting of the Chatam Sofer is a segulah for fear of G-d".
R. Shach, dean of the Ponovezh Yeshiva, paid a condolence visit to an important rabbi in Bnei Brak who was a descendent of the Chatam Sofer. The rabbi's sons told Rav Shach that they possess an autograph leaf of the Chatam Sofer and he asked to see it, requesting that it be removed from its protective cover since actually touching the handwriting of the Chatam Sofer leads to fear of Heaven.
The manuscripts of the Chatam Sofer are also regarded as a segulah for protection and for deliverance from various difficulties. Whenever he travelled, R. Shimon Sofer, rabbi of Krakow, would take manuscripts written by his father, the Chatam Sofer, as a segulah for protection. Many Holocaust survivors attribute the miracle of their survival to the holy writings of the Chatam Sofer which they carried with them. R. Yitzchak Zilberstein of Bnei Brak often mentions in his sermons that possessing writings of the Chatam Sofer is a segulah for healing and deliverance.