Letter by Rebbe Avraham of Ciechanów – To his Son Rebbe Ze'ev Wolf of Stryków

Letter by Rebbe Avraham of Ciechanów – To his Son Rebbe Ze'ev Wolf of Stryków
Long letter handwritten and signed by Rebbe Avraham son of R’ Refael of Ciechanów. Ciechanów, 1848.
Sent to his son Rebbe Ze'ev Wolf of Stryków. The letter contains family matters and Torah thoughts: Blessings upon the birth of "A male son – you should merit raising him to Torah, marriage and good deeds". A response to a letter with Torah thoughts sent to him by his son: "What you have written is nice…you have extrapolated this matter, I enjoyed your words which were based on straight logic…". On the margins of the letter, he requests that he send letters to his mother [Rabbi Ze'ev Wolf's grandmother, Rabbi Avraham's mother]. He also requests his son's assistance in releasing an agunah by gathering information about a Jew who wandered from city to city begging for charity, who died and was buried in Brezin.
Rebbe Avraham Landau, Av Beit Din of Ciechanów (1784-1875), was one of the most famed prominent Torah prodigies in Poland of those days. Disciple of the Maharal Zunz. An outstanding Torah scholar and an exceptionally holy man. He was famous for opposing the "Clothing Decree" (changes in Hasidic dress sought by the government), together with the author of Chidushei HaRim, and headed a group of rabbis who ruled that this decree is like a Gezerat Shmad, meaning that the change of dress is prohibited by Jewish law even if one has to forfeit his life to adhere to this law. He received his Chassidic vocation from Rebbe Simcha Bunim of Przysucha and from Rebbe Fishel from Stryków but he refused to become rebbe. Only after the death of the author of Chiddushei HaRim of Ger, after most of his Chassidim accepted the leadership of Rabbi Chanoch HaCohen Henich of Alexander, Chassidic leaders approached him (Rabbi Yechiel Meir of Gostynin, Rabbi Elazar HaCohen of Pułtusk, and others) and requested his leadership. He then agreed to serve as rebbe on the condition that he can continue praying Nusach Ashkenaz and that he can recite the morning prayers at sunrise (vatikin).
Rebbe Avraham Landau was revered for his Torah scholarship and his holy conduct by rabbis and rebbes of his times. Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Przysucha who met him when he came to Stryków said: “A more important guest than me came to the city”. Rabbi Mendeli of Kotzk said that “He looks like an angel of G-d”. Rabbi Yitzchak Meir of Ger writes in his response to Rabbi Chaim of Sanz about the permit for “the new chickens” (Rim responsa Siman 8), that he did not research the problem since he relies on the Rabbi of Ciechanów who is renowned as a tsaddik and great rabbi. Rabbi Chaim Halberstam of Sanz said that it is imperative for all who live in Poland to be acquainted with the Rabbi of Ciechanów.
The Greiditz Tsaddik Rabbi Eliyahu Guttmacher writes about Rabbi Landau that “He is blessed by all Jewish people from one end to another, the G-dly man, one of the greatest figures of our times, genius above all geniuses”. Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kara Rabbi of Włocławek eulogized him: “One thing I know, from the day Rabbi Akiva Eiger died, no person could be found among all the great men in our country lauded by all Jews that he is holy from the womb…No one refrains from praising and exalting him…”.
Some of his Torah novellae and holy sayings were printed in the books Zechuta D’Avraham, Ahavat Chesed, Beit Avraham, Tzelota D’Avraham, etc.
His four sons served in the rabbinate: Rabbi Ze’ev Wolf Landau – the Rebbe of Stryków; Rabbi Dov Berish of Biala, who was appointed Rebbe of the Vorke Chassidim in his father’s lifetime, he is the father of the Stryków dynasty until today; Rabbi Refael, Rebbe in Warsaw and Rabbi Yaakov, the Rebbe of Jeżów, who succeeded his father in the Ciechanów rabbinate.
2 written pages (approximately 36 lines in his own handwriting and with his signature) + back leaf with addresses in Hebrew and in Polish, and postmarks. Fair-poor condition, wear damages with lack, restored with paper filling.