Letter of Recommendation from the Chafetz Chaim, for a Yeshiva Student from Eishishok – Elul, 1888

Letter (15 lines) handwritten by the Chafetz Chaim and with his full signature: "Yisrael Meir HaKohen of Radin, author of Chafetz Chaim". [Radin (Raduń)], Elul 1888.
Letter of recommendation for a diligent yeshiva student of the Eishishok yeshiva, whom the Chafetz Chaim was acquainted with: "Behold, I have long known the young man Yosef, who is outstanding in Torah and fear of G-d and is exceptionally proficient. He has been learning diligently in nearby Eishishok (Eišiškės) for several years, and I attest to his great value, he toiled and delved in Torah study with his entire being, and he is renowned in this milieu for his tremendous diligence and erudition…".
The Chafetz Chaim recommends to draw him close, support him and provide him with adequate sustenance, so that he may continue delving in his Torah studies. The letter ends with the Chafetz Chaim's blessings for those who support this student.
Eishishok was home to a famous and prestigious Kibbutz yeshiva. It attracted the finest, most talented students, who later became the leading Torah scholars of the generation. The townspeople undertook to provide for all the students' needs, refusing to share this merit with other towns. The Chafetz Chaim, who lived in Radin, adjacent to Eishishok, would spend varying lengths of time there, learning alongside the foremost Torah scholars in the yeshiva. The identity of this diligent student R. Yosef is uncertain, yet it appears to be R. Yosef Shimshelevich of Karelitz (Karelichy; 1864-1934), a Torah scholar renowned for his diligence and erudition, who studied for close to ten years in Eishishok, until ca. 1888. He later studied in Radin, where he was closely associated with the Chafetz Chaim, and after a short period, he went to study under the Saba of Kelm and in the Kollel HaPrushim of R. Yitzchal Elchanan in Kovno. He immigrated to Jerusalem in the lifetime of R. Shmuel Salant, and served as examiner in the Etz Chaim yeshiva (see article in his memory: HaShakdan HaOlami by R. Meir Stolevitz, serialized in the HaYesod weekly, Tel Aviv, 22nd Tammuz/Av 1934. This article was recently published in Tevunot, II, Nissan 2018, pp. 801-804). R. Meir Stolevitz relates in his article that R. Yosef came to Eishishok at the young age of 15, yet amazed the entire yeshiva with his diligence, as he delved in his studies for no less than 18 hours a day. R. Yosef would review his learning hundreds of times; he knew the entire Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmud by heart, was proficient in the Rambam, Tur, Shulchan Aruch and their commentaries, and was one of the only students who could quote verbatim any passage of the Talmud and halachic literature.
R. Yisrael Meir HaKohen of Radin (1837-1933), leader of the Jewish people, was renowned by the name of his first book – Chafetz Chaim. He founded the Radin yeshiva and authored numerous halachic and ethical works: Mishna Berura, Shemirat HaLashon, Ahavat Chesed, and dozens more. This letter is from his early years, when he shied away from publicity and did not issue open letters (he originally published his book Chafetz Chaim anonymously, and only later revealed the name of the author), yet in honor of this diligent scholar, the Chafetz Chaim departed from his standard practice and wrote him a letter of recommendation with his full signature: "Yisrael Meir HaKohen of Radin, author of Chafetz Chaim".
[1] double leaf. 17.5 cm. Fair condition. Wear and tears (repaired with paper, affecting text in several places). Stains.
This letter was not published in Michtavei HaChafetz Chaim.