Interesting Letter from the Rogatchover, Rabbi Yosef Rosen – Russia, Tamuz 1920

Interesting Letter from the Rogatchover, Rabbi Yosef Rosen – Russia, Tamuz 1920

Letter handwritten and signed by the Rogatchover Gaon, R. Yosef Rosen, Rabbi of Dvinsk. Russia, Tamuz 1920.

Torah letter sent to his friend R. Yitzchak Ginsburg (who was sending him financial assistance at the time during his wanderings after World War I, before his return to Dvinsk). He signs: "His loyal friend, Yosef, Rabbi of Dvinsk". He continues with an ingenious pilpul characteristically weaving together different topics: the giving of the Torah and the two tablets, the breaking of the first tablets and the burning of R. Chanina son of Teradion, the virtue of tzedakah, and other topics.

The present letter was printed with notes and explanations in Responsa Tzafnat Paneach HaChadashot (Modiin Illit, 2012, Part II, letters section, letter 9, pp. 435-438).

R. Yosef Rosen (1858-1936), Rabbi of Dvinsk, author of Tzafnat Paneach, known as the Rogatchover (after his birth town Rogatchov-Rahachow), a Chabad-Kopust follower. His father took him as a child to the Tzemach Tzedek, who blessed him with exceptional scholarliness and instructed him to study Tractate Nazir (some say this was the reason the Rogatchover did not cut his hair). In his youth, he studied under R. Yosef Dov Ber Soloveitchik, the Beit HaLevi, alongside the latter's son R. Chaim of Brisk.

From 1889, he served as Rabbi of the Chabad Chassidic community in Dvinsk (Daugavpils, Latvia), alongside the city's Rabbi, the Or Sameach, a position he held for 40 years. A remarkable figure, he was renowned for his tremendous sharpness and genius, his comprehensive knowledge of all areas of the Torah, down to its finest details, and for producing profound definitions, hypotheses and original methods of Torah study.

His legendary brilliance was also highly regarded by the secular world in his days and Bialik reputedly said that "two Einsteins could be carved out from the mind of the Rogatchover". The Rogatchover dealt extensively in explaining the teachings of the Rambam and wrote numerous halachic responsa. His responsa and novellae were published in the Tzafnat Paneach series. His printed books are a small part of his ever-flowing stream of Torah. Due to the profundity of his teachings and his concise, cryptic style of writing, several projects have risen in recent generations to decipher and explain his teachings, resulting in the publication of annotated editions of his works.

[1] double leaf. 11 cm, containing two closely-written pages over about 48 lines. Good-fair condition. Stains, folding marks and wear. Open tears at end of responsum, with loss of several words.