Collection of Letters - By Rabbi Chaim Berlin - Letters with Hitherto Unprinted Torah Teachings

Eight letters handwritten and signed by R. Chaim Berlin and two leaves with copies from books in the handwriting of R. Chaim Berlin. Yelizavetgrad (today Kirovohrad, Ukraine), 1900-1905.
All the letters were sent to R. Chaim Ya'akov Sheftel of Kiev, a philanthropist and great Torah scholar, publisher and owner of an important printing press in Berdychiv, author of Erech Milin (Berdychiv 1905).
Most of the letters are related to the work R. C. Sheftel invested in preparing his book Erech Milin, an encyclopedic work of measures mentioned in the Talmud. To complete his work, R. Sheftel needed many rare books and applied to rabbis and scholars who owned large libraries to lend or copy books in their possession. The extensive library of his friend R. Chaim Berlin provided much of the material he sought. At the end of his book Erech Milin (p. 140), R. Sheftel thanks all the rabbis who lent him their books including R. Chaim Berlin and writes: "To this rabbi, I owe double gratitude for the trouble he took to copy things from books which were difficult for him to send to me" (two of those copies are included in this collection).
In his letter from Tishrei 1905, R. Chaim writes: "That which I have written to my beloved rabbi... I have written this in Nauheim [Bad Nauheim, Ukrainian spa town] in a desolate city bereft of any books… But I erred and my memory deserted me and I thought that the Rambam explained… that the Rambam permitted… However, when I arrived at home I found that I had erred in the core of the matter, that the Rambam does not permit… collapsing the foundation of all I had written and things I have said were erroneous".
The renowned Rabbi Chaim Berlin (1832-1912, Otzar HaRabbanim 5925), was an illustrious rabbi in his times and a venerable rabbinic figure in Lithuania and later in Jerusalem. Eldest son of the Netziv of Volozhin, he served as Chief Rabbi of Moscow and his imprint was felt throughout Russia. Served for a while as head of the Volozhin Yeshiva and in its rabbinate, as well as in the Kobrin and Yelizavetgrad rabbinates. He moved to Jerusalem in 1906 and soon after was recognized as one of the leading authorities of the city. R. Berlin's extensive library was celebrated as one of the most important libraries of his days and served him in all his rabbinical positions. He brought the library with him upon his aliya to Jerusalem. In these letters, he repeatedly writes about the books in his library.
10 items (approx. 16 written pages), including 8 signed letters (two of them on postcards). Varied size. Overall good condition. Few stains and wear. Folding marks.
Most of the letters have not been printed.