Lev Tov – Copy of Rabbi Nachum'ke of Horodna, Teacher of the Chafetz Chaim

Lev Tov – Copy of Rabbi Nachum'ke of Horodna, Teacher of the Chafetz Chaim
Lev Tov, laws, ethics and customs (vowelized Yiddish), by R. Yitzchak son of R. Elyakim of Posen. Vilna, 1864.
Copy of R. Nachum'ke of Horodna (Grodno). His stamp appears on five leaves: " Nachum son of R. Uziel Kaplan of Horodna".
R. Nachum'ke of Horodna – R. Menachem Nachum son of R. Uziel Kaplan (1811-1879) was a renowned tzaddik and charity collector. He was a Torah scholar known for his great diligence and brilliance, yet he never held a rabbinical position. The Chafetz Chaim considered him his prime teacher. At the age of 15, the Chafetz Chaim traveled to Horodna to observe R. Nachum'ke's good deeds, which were performed modestly and covertly. He later related that he managed to see his teacher secretly studying kabbalistic books at night and that he was surrounded by Divine fire (the Maggid R. Shalom Schwadron heard this from R. Leib Grossnass, as heard from R. Shalom of Eišiškės, a disciple of the Chafetz Chaim who heard it directly from his teacher; see: She'al Avicha V'Yagedcha, II, Jerusalem 1997, pp. 278-281).
R. Nachum'ke was famous and venerated throughout Lithuania and Poland. After his passing, most baby boys born in Grodno were named Nachum after him. In many Lithuanian and Polish homes, R. Nachum'ke's portrait was placed alongside the portraits of the Gaon of Vilna and R. Yitzchak Elchanan of Kovno.
R. Nachum'ke was born in the town of Baisogala in Northern-Lithuania (in Zamut – Samogitia) to a poor family of laborers. In his formative years, he had to wander from place to place in hunger. He was even sent to join a wandering children's choir led by a cantor. He later studied for several years in Siauliai, where he acquired vast Torah knowledge. After getting married, he lived in Nesvizh, later travelling to Volozhin to study at the Volozhin Yeshiva, where he was known as "the Matmid of Zamut". From Volozhin he moved to Kovno, where he studied in seclusion for several years. During that period, he used to devote entire weeks to Torah study, studying ceaselessly without speaking whatsoever of mundane matters, with little food or sleep. After such intensive weeks, he used to take care of his personal needs (washing and mending his clothing, corresponding with his family, etc.). Every year, in the month of Elul, he travelled to one of the small villages in his area to study Torah and devote himself to G-d's service in seclusion. He then travelled to Nesvizh to spend the holiday of Sukkot with his family, returning to his routine study schedule in Kovno after Simchat Torah.
In 1833, he moved with his family to Grodno, where he taught in the Chevra Shas synagogue and studied Torah alongside the Torah scholars of the city. He chose to devote his life to performing chessed rather than serving in the rabbanut. After several years, he accepted the position of shammash at the Chevra Shas Synagogue, and in addition to managing and cleaning the synagogue, he delivered discourses to laymen and young students. He devotedly collected money for the needy, going from house to house even during storms and blizzards, and secretly distributed the money to impoverished Torah scholars and to the poor population of the city, Jews and non-Jews alike. He was renowned among the non-Jewish population (a story by the Polish writer Eliza Orzeszkowa describes the care he afforded to the son of a poor widow).
Many were saved after giving him their donations to charity and receiving his blessings. When asked if he believes that his blessings are fulfilled, R. Nachum'ke answered that since he never spoke a false word, G-d does not allow his words to be false and fulfills his blessings (Toldot Menachem, p. 93).
His personal life was filled with suffering. He lost 20 children in his lifetime and was left with only one daughter (wife of R. Gavriel Zev Margolies, Rabbi in Grodno and in the United States), and his youngest son, R. Tuvia Kaplan who immigrated to Jerusalem.
Books from R. Nachum'ke's library, which was lost over the years, are very rare (to the best of our knowledge, no book belonging to R. Nachum of Grodno or letter bearing his signature have been offered at an auction). The book Toldot Menachem (Piotrków, 1913, p. 92) recounts R. Nachum'ke's love of books and his joy upon purchasing a book with his limited funds. He used to say: "He who loves money will not be sated with money and he who loves books will not be sated with books". He also used to say (in the name of an early midrash): "A person should always sell his possessions and purchase books".
[1], 2-96 leaves. 21 cm. High-quality paper. Good-fair condition. Stains. Wear. New binding, with leather spine.