Halachic Response by Rabbi Akiva Eiger, Handwritten and Signed by Him - Has Never been Seen in Auctions - Extremely ...

Halachic Response by Rabbi Akiva Eiger, Handwritten and Signed by Him - Has Never been Seen in Auctions - Extremely Rare! - Includes the News about the Birth of His Grandson Rabbi Yehuda Leib Eiger, the Future First Rebbe of Lublin - Posna [1815]
A letter handwritten and signed by Rabbi Akiva Eiger to "my dear friend my brother's son rabbi … Moshe Eiger".
Letters by Rabbi Akiva Eiger are extremely rare, especially halachic responses that he had sent to others, almost all of which have been lost. It should be noted that the item is an actual letter , not a draft or a later copying. This is indicated by the fact that on the reverse side of the leaf, Rabbi Akiva Eiger wrote that address and it is folded like a letter.

The news about the birth of his grandson Rabbi Leib Eiger
The content of the response before us was printed in the book "Teshuvot Rabbi Akiva Eiger" (1965). However, according to the editor of the book , he had not seen the letter before us but had copied the response from "a manuscript by the addressee Rabbi Moshe, who had copied the responses he had received from his uncle word for word, and from responses that appear in a notebook of responses which was handwritten by Rabbi Akiva Eiger".
Therefore, the printed version contains slight textual variation and omissions. Thus, for example, Rabbi Akiva Eigher responds to his nephew's comment regarding the book "Adnei Paz" with the following: "I have never seen the aforementioned book" and in parentheses he added: "and maybe I can borrow the book from you". The words in the parentheses do not appear in the printed version.
The most interesting difference between the printed version and the letter before us is its end. The letter before us contains an important, interesting end that has never been printed. At the end of the letter, Rabbi Akiva Eiger informs his nephew that a son, Rabbi Yehuda Leib Eiger - the future founder and first Rebbe of the Lublin Hassidism - was born to his son Rabbi Shlomo Eiger. Rabbi Akiva Eiger notes that "he has been circumcised last Sunday".
The letter before us indicates the well-known modesty of Rabbi Akiva Eiger, who was one of the most prominent rabbis of the time, and yet responds with respect to the young Torah scholar's question.

Rabbi Akiva Eiger
Rabbi Akiva Eiger (Eisenstadt, 1761 - Poznań, 1837) was an outstanding Talmudic scholar, an influential Posek and a foremost leader of European Jewry during the early 19th century.
The most prominent rabbis and Torah scholars of recent generations greatly appreciated Rabbi Akiva Eiger's rare genius. Rabbi Chaim Ha'levi Soloveitschik of Brisk considered his sayings as sayings of one of the Rishonim. The Chazon Ish said of him that "Rabbi Akiva Eiger could have lived in the generation of the Rashba, yet God pitied us and gave us Rabbi Akiva to live in our generation".
Rabbi Akiva Eiger served as the rabbi of Märkisch Friedland, West Prussia for twenty four years. He started his public activity after being chosen as the rabbi of Posna, a position which he held for twenty three years, until his death in 1837. Many miraculous stories are told of his great modesty, which is indicated also by what he requested to be written on his grave: "Here lies Rabbi Akiva Eiger, a slave of God's slaves in the holy community of Friedland and Posna".
Rabbi Yehuda leib Eiger (1815-1888), whose birth is mentioned in the letter before us, the grandson of Rabbi Akica Eiger and the disciple of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kock and Rabbi Mordechai Yosef leiner of Izbica, the author of "Mei Ha'Shiloach". The founder of the Lublin Hassidism, who became in 1857 the Rebbe of Lublin.
Condition: Good. Tears and omissions of several words. The letter has gone through professional restoration. Rabbi Akiva Eiger's signature is missing; only its edge appears on the letter. Several words are missing at the beginning of the letter too.