Handwritten Responsum from Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin to Rabbi Zundel of Salant

Handwritten Responsum from Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin to Rabbi Zundel of Salant

Unique book of responsa consisting of fascinating questions on mussar topics asked of the gaon Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, and the latter's responsa. The booklet is entirely handwritten by Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin's primary disciple, the gaon Rabbi Yosef Zundel Salant - patriarch of the mussar movement and Rabbi Yisrael Salanter's teacher. 

The compilation consists of many dozens of questions asked by the gaon Rabbi Zundel of Salant of his teacher, the gaon Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, and Rabbi Chaim's responses (in some of them, the gaon Rabbi Chaim explicitly indicates that he heard the content from his teacher, the Gr"a of Vilna). Most of the responsa deal with the doctrine of mussar and character traits, and constitute an important supplement and addition to Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin's mussar method as it appears in his monumental work, Nefesh HaChaim (Torah thoughts are poor in one place and rich in another). Indeed, it can certainly be said that in this kuntress, seeds were planted for the 'mussar movement' founded by the compilation's author, Rabbi Yosef Zundel Salant, several years later, who was eventually known as 'Father of the Mussar Movement."

In the booklet, there are interesting mussar instructions as well as various segulahs, all from the gaon Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, for example: "My teacher said that he heard from a rabbinic leader one thing that is tried-and-true: When a person has enemies, if he behaves within himself as if they are righteous and correct, their hearts will turn around and they will come to love him." Likewise, there is practical advice to be saved from forbidden sights, flattery, useless talk and other bad character traits. Later on in the kuntress, there is a lengthy responsum with respect to a sin done for the sake of Heaven ["גדולה עברה לשמה"], the famous dispute between Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin and the Chassidim, and many more huge discoveries in Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin's doctrine through his disciple, Rabbi Zundel of Salant. In one of the responsa, Rabbi Zundel describes, from the gaon Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin - leading disciple of the Vilna gaon - his fascinating first meeting with the Gr"a.

Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of the gaon Rabbi Yosef Zundel of Salant.

[14] pp, approximately 11x17 cm. High-quality paper. Clear, legible script.

Fine-very fine condition: Aging stains. Detached leaves. Not bound.

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