Historic Item - Permission to Bring the "Ahavat Yisrael" of Vizhnitz's Remains to the Land of Israel. Braşov, 1945

Historic Item - Permission to Bring the "Ahavat Yisrael" of Vizhnitz's Remains to the Land of Israel. Braşov, 1945

Lengthy halachic responsum with proofs covering five large pages in the hand of the gaon of Braşov, the author of Afrakasta D'Inya, to the Admo"r, the author of Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz, with respect to bringing his father's, the Ahavat Yisrael of Vizhnitz's, remains to the Land of Israel, from their burial place in Groswardien. Historic document.

Due to the Imrei Chaim's concern that after the Jews left Romania, and under the Soviet regime, the gentiles would damage the cemetery, he wanted to remove his father's remains from there. However, he did not dare venture to touch the Ahavat Yisrael's grave without a clear halachic ruling from the person considered the leading halachic adjudicator in Romania - the gaon Rabbi David Shperber of Braşov, and he appeals to him with a request that he render a ruling for him as to whether it is permissible to do this "without a doubt in the world." In his lengthy and reasoned responsum, the gaon of Braşov permits it, as long as two other rabbinic leaders of the generation agree. As a Chassid, he also conditions it upon the agreement of the brothers, the Damesek Eliezer and the Mekor Baruch, sons of the Ahavat Yisrael. He adds a Chassidic blessing: "May the G-d of Israel assist that [you] who occupy yourselves with this be successful, and may the constant byword of the Saba Kaddisha be fulfilled: "He guides me on paths of righteousness, " - initials of his name and his mother's name [ישראל בן צפורה]. The gaon of Braşov concludes his letter signing his name with his mother's name: David ben Shaidel Sarah Shperber. A small part (approximately 1/10th) of this responsum is printed in his book Afrakasta D'Inya, (Part III, siman 228, New York 2002 edition), at the end of which is printed: " The conclusion is lacking, which is our great loss." Here before us is the entire responsa, with no lack!

The book Kadosh Yisrael, the history of the Admo"r, the author of Ahavat Yisrael, (p. 566) relates that the author of Imrei Chaim appealed to Rabbi Shperer regarding this issue in 1947, and here before us is the the responsum, written two years previously. 

In light of this halachic ruling, the Ahavat Yisrael's coffin was indeed brought to the Land of Israel, although with a delay of several years, due to the opposition of the Soviet authorities. The gaon of Braşov himself supervised transfer of the coffin. That moment was a great sanctification of Hash-m's Name, in that the Ahavat Shalom's body was intact; there was no decomposition, despite thirteen years having gone by since his passing! When the Chazon Ish heard this, he requested that the funeral be carried out with the coffin open, so that it would be seen that decomposition does not reign over the righteous, and this is what was done. At the funeral, the Admor of Braşov eulogized him, saying that now that the tzaddik is buried in the Land of Israel, there will certainly be mercy on the Jews who are left in exile, Indeed, just a few weeks later, the Iron Curtain was raised from the Jews of Rumania - where the tzaddik had lived. Wondrous.

Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of Rabbi David Shperber, the gaon of Braşov.

It is appropriate to note here with unceasing astonishment, that the date the letter was written was Shvat/January 1945, precisely when Romania (where the gaon of Braşov lived) was liberated from Nazi occupation, and Hungary (where the Divrei Chaim lived) was still under the Nazi boot! The world had still not digested the atrocities and annihilation of most of the Jewish people, including the relatives and communities of these two great men, themselves broken in body and crushed from the forced labor in the death camps - and the gaon of Braşov already issued a halachic responsum comprised of thousands of words covering Talmudic and adjudicative literature as if he had been sitting in tranquility in his yeshivah and at his Beit Din. This is the secret and the power of the eternal people.

[5] large leaves. 34 cm. Entirely in his hand and with his signature.

Fine condition. Aging stains. Fold marks. Tiny tears in the folds, without damage or lack.