Letter from Rabbi Simcha Bunim Güns-Eiger, Av Beit Din of Mattersdorf (Brother of Rabbi Akiva Eiger), and Letter ...

Letter from Rabbi Simcha Bunim Güns-Eiger, Av Beit Din of Mattersdorf (Brother of Rabbi Akiva Eiger), and Letter from His Son Rabbi Yosef Güns-Schlesinger, Son-in-Law and Disciple of the Chatam Sofer

Long autograph letter signed by R. Simcha Bunim Güns-Eiger, who signed: "Bunim Güns of Eisenstadt". Mattersdorf (Mattersburg), Shevat 1819.
Family letter sent to Wieluń, addressed to his son R. Moshe Güns and his daughter-in-law Ms. Ritcha. The letter is mainly composed of a Torah discourse delivered in his lecture to the Yeshiva students learning Tractate Ketubot. The beginning and end of the letter deal with family issues and include greetings to various people.
On the reverse side, letters from additional family members, in Hebrew and Yiddish, including a letter from R. Simcha Bunim's son – Yosef Güns-Schlesinger, telling his older brother about his dedicated Torah study: "…Now since I am occupied today reviewing the lectures that we learned this winter… and because I am learning with diligence and constancy, may the good G-d also grant me bounty from His holy abode, a spirit of wisdom and understanding to rise higher in G-d's Torah. The desire of the soul of your brother… the young Yosef son of my father and master R. Bunim Güns". Apparently, this letter of R. Yosef was also written by his father, R. Simcha Bunim.

R. Simcha Bunim Güns-Eiger, Av Beit Din of Mattersdorf (Mattersburg; 1770-1829), younger brother and Torah companion of R. Akiva Eiger. He received rabbinical ordination already at the age of 13, was an outstanding Torah genius of his times, and served as rabbi of Rogoźno (Posen region). In 1810 he succeeded the Chatam Sofer in the Mattersdorf rabbinate. The Chatam Sofer sent him many responsa, and his high regard for R. Simcha Bunim is obvious from the titles used in these responsa. Dozens of responsa written to R. Simcha Bunim appear in the responsa of his brother R. Akiva Eiger, and he refers to him with high esteem: "so it appears in my humble opinion, if my brother the Torah genius agrees with this…"; "I was very happy to see that you approved of my thoughts" (at the end of the book Drush V'Chiddush); "…And if this does not seem acceptable to my brother, my words shall be void" (ibid.); "…All these are hidden from my blind eyes; perhaps you have ways to allow me to understand how to explain our rabbis' words properly" (ibid.); "My lowly opinion is nullified before your great opinion" (Ginzei Rabbi Akiva Eiger, 13); "Inform me of your lofty thoughts about this… Your loving brother, who is bonded to you with love in heart and soul" (a compilation with a collection of about 40 letters of correspondence between the great brothers named Alei Esev was published in London in 1995). Among his famous sons and sons-in-law are R. Moshe Güns-Schlesinger, the recipient of this letter; R. Yosef Güns-Schlesinger (son-in-law of the wife of his uncle, the Chatam Sofer), author of the letter on the reverse side of the page; R. Shmuel, Av Beit Din of Felsőábrány (Bükkábrány); and his renowned son-in-law R. Shlomo Zalman Ulman, Av Beit Din of Makova and author of Yeri'ot Shlomo.

R. Simcha Bunim Güns-Eiger's son, the recipient of this letter: R. Moshe Güns-Schlesinger (died 1857), was a beloved disciple of his uncle R. Akiva Eiger, who served as rabbi in Wieluń (near Posen). In 1830, he was accepted to the Hamburg Kloiz in the Beit Midrash of R. Leib son of R. Shaul (in Igrot Sofrim, Letters of Rabbi Akiva Eiger, 22, R. Akiva Eiger writes to his brother R. Bunim: "…to give good tidings that your son, my friend, the clever R. Moshe, became a resident of the Beit Midrash in Hamburg…"). He helped bring to press many of the teachings of his uncle R. Akiva Eiger, as cited in the introduction of Drush V'Chidush. His name is repeatedly mentioned in the writings of R. Akiva Eiger and the Chatam Sofer. See: Chachmei Altona, Hamburg and Wandsbek, Hamburg, 1908, p. 119.

His son (whose letter is featured in the present lot): R. Yosef Güns-Schlesinger, married the stepdaughter of the Chatam Sofer and granddaughter of his uncle R. Akiva Eiger (daughter of R. Avraham Moshe Kalischer, Av Beit Din of Piła, son-in-law of R. Akiva Eiger, whose widow married the Chatam Sofer). He was a member of the Chatam Sofer's household in Pressburg and "did not budge from our Beit Midrash since his wedding day". The Chatam Sofer held him very dear and mentions him in his will, calling him "my son-in-law the excellent R. Yosef". He printed the six volumes of Responsa Chatam Sofer, and later established the Schlesinger publishing house in his city, Vienna, which remains in existence today in Tel Aviv (Sinai Publishing).

Double leaf (two written pages + recipient's address on the third page). Approx. 24 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains, tears and folds.

This letter was not printed in Chiddushei Rabbi Bunim Eiger, but the discussions on the same Talmudic subject appear in his novellae on Tractate Ketubot (Machon Yerushalayim, 1997, p. 78; R. S.D. Friedman edition, 2010, p. 127).