Shadarut Letter (Letter for an Emissary of the Rabbis) by the Heads of the Ashkenazic Perushim Community of Safed ...

Shadarut Letter (Letter for an Emissary of the Rabbis) by the Heads of the Ashkenazic Perushim Community of Safed and Jerusalem - Signed by Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov, the Disciple of the Vilna Gaon, and by Additional Disciples of the Vilna Gaon- Jerusalem and Safed, 1831
Letter of Shadarut for Kollelot Adat Ha'Perushim of Safed and Jerusalem, which was founded by the greatest disciples of the Vilna Gaon, signed by the most prominent rabbis, disciples of the Vilna Gaon, heads of the Ashkenazic community of the Land of Israel. Jerusalem-Safed, 1831.
As is well known, the Vilna Gaon tried to immigrate to the Land of Israel; however, went back in the middle of his journey. The most prominent rabbis explained that the Vilna Gaon "was a spark of Moses and therefore was not given Divine permission". Therefore, he encouraged his disciples to immigrate to the Land of Israel, like the Jewish people who entered the land of Israel under the leadership of Joshua. Indeed, several years after the Gaon's death, his disciples started to immigrate to the Land of Israel in order to build it, make the wilderness bloom and prepare the land for the return to Zion. These disciples were headed by Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin. Two additional disciples, Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov and Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Shklov, immigrated alone.

In the letter before us, which was written by the disciples of the Vilna Gaon, they explain the importance of the financial support of the settlers of the land of Israel: "This Mitzvah is threefold. It includes Talmud Torah of the many, saving a life and the settlement of the Holy Land, each of them equal to the complete Torah".

The immigration of the disciples of the Vilna Gaon to the Land of Israel and their settlement in Jerusalem is perceived today as an historical revolution and as the basis of the complete enterprise of the settling the country. This is because the conception underlying their immigration was of natural redemption, a gathering of the Jewish exiles (Kibbutz Galuyot) and the building of the country by building houses, planting trees and expanding the Yishuv of Jerusalem. It should be noted that by settling in Jerusalem, the disciples of the Vilna Gaon together with the existing Jewish citizens formed, for the first time, a Jewish majority in the town, with all its implications.

The Immigration of the Disciples of the Vilna Gaon
The first group of disciples, headed by Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Shklov, arrived in Safed in 1808. A second group headed by Rabbi Se'adya ben Rabbi Natan Neta of Vilnius and Rabbi Natan Neta, the son of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Shklov, arrived in 1809. At the end of that year, a third group headed by Rabbi Chaim ben Rabbi Tuviya Katz and Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov arrived in Safed.
At the beginning of 1816, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Shklov moved with several other families to Jerusalem and was replaced as leader of the Perushim community by his friend, Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov. The institutions and organization of the Perushim communities of Safed and Jerusalem were called "Kollelot" and to support them, the communities had to send emissaries (Shadarim - Shluchei De'Rabbanan - emissaries of the rabbis) abroad to raise funds for their communities. The Shadarim were givens letters of recommendation, like the one before us.

The letter
The letter was sent on "the 13th of Kislev 5591 [29.11.1830], here in the holy cities of Jerusalem and Safed" and it deals with the mission of "the Shadar, the great rabbi … Zvi Hirsch of our Holy City".
The letter was written by a scribe (the handwriting is similar to that of Rabbi Aryeh Ne'eman, one of the signatories of the letter), who wrote several of such letters for several Shadarim. It should be noted that there are slight differences of versions and signatures between these letters
At the margins of the letter, the handwritten, original signature of the disciples of the Vilna Gaon, the founders of the Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel "the heads of the YEshivot of the two holy communities of Jerusalem and Safed". The most well-known of these is Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov.

The letter begins with praise for the rich man to whom it was sent, with a blank place to fill in his name. it seems that the letter was first sent to the potential donor, before the arrival of the Shadar. When the Shadar arrived, he would sit with the rich man and describe in detail the situation of the Kollelot and the settlers in order to raise funds for their support.

The rabbis describe the Yishuv, "which was founded by the disciples of Tana Dvei Eliyahu, our genius rabbi … Rabbi Eliyahu Ha'Hassid … in both communities" (Jerusalem and Safed).
Among others, the rabbis write about the greatness of the Mitzvah, which is threefold. That is, the rich man's donation will observe three Mitzvot simultaneously: Talmud Torah of the many, saving a life and the settlement of the Holy Land. They promise the rich man a special promise: "We shall pray for you and all the members of your family … for the souls of our holy forefathers, the Nevi'im, Amoraim and all Divinely holy people".
The mission of the aforementioned Shadar, Rabbi Zvi Hirsch, is not well-known and is almost not mentioned is research literature, including Avaraham Ya'ari's comprehensive book "Sheluchei Eretz Yisrael" (The Emissaries of the Land of Israel).

The Signatories of the Letter
The letter is signed by "the leaders of the communities of the two holy cities of Jerusalem and Safed":
• Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov was of the greatesr disciple sof the Vilna Gaon and the leader of the community of Safed. He immigrated to the Land of Israel in 1810 and died and was buried in Tiberius in 1839.
In an article he wrote in his memory, Rabbi Harlap wrote of him: "Was Mara De'Ar'a De'Yisrael … only those who came into contact with him regarding the holy settlement realized his great value, such as the Chatam Sofer, who knew him and recognized him as a genius … despite his modesty and desire to hide his great value".
Rabbi Yisrael edited and prepared the commentary of the Vilna Gaon on Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim for printing.
• Rabbi Chaim Cohen, who was Av Beit Din of Pinsk and the Galilee. Immigrated to the Land of Israel in 1826, settled in Safed and was one of the heads of Kollel Perushim.
• Rabbi Natan Neta son of the kabbalist Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Shklov. He immigrated to Jerusalem with the first group of the disciples of the Vilna Gaon in 1808. He was the leader of the Perushim community of Jerusalem. In 1822, he travelled abroad with Rabbi Natan Neta ben Rabbi Se'adya to raise funds for the Perushim Kollel. After his father's death, he became leader if the Perushim community. He died in Jerusalem on the 22nd of Tishrei 5607 (12.10.1846).
• Rabbi Natan Neta ben Rabbi Se'adya. His father, Rabbi Se'adya, was a disciple of the Vilna Gaon and his Meshamesh. Rabbi Natan Neta immigrated with his father to the Land of Israel and in 1822 was sent as a Shadar abroad. He died in Jerusalem on the 30th of Tevet 5609 (23.1.1849)
• Rabbi Aryeh Leib Leon, one of the heads of the Ashkenazic community of Safed. In a document from 1832, he is signed as a Dayan in Jerusalem together with Rabbi Chaim Horowitz, author of "Chibat Yerushalayim". Father of the Leon family of Jerusalem.
• Rabbi Aryeh Ne'eman (Marcus) of Keidan (1800-1877), trustee of the Perushim Kollel of Jerusalem and one of the founders of the "Churva" synagogue. Immigrated to the Land of Israel as a youth in 1816.
• Reb Pinchas Grayevsky wrote of him: "acted on behalf of the Yishuv and its development and was one of the directors of its public institutions. He willingly dealt with all the matters of the city, since the love of the country burnt in his heart..."
• Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Wolf Ha'Cohen, Shadar. The father-in-law of Rabbi Ya'akov Sapir. In 1835 he moved from Safed to Jerusalem and from there was sent by the Perushim community to India. He died during his mission in Kolkata in 1847.
Condition: Good. Thick, high-quality paper. Slightly torn margins.