Bamberger Family Archive #3: Group of [6] Letters from Prominent German Rabbis

Bamberger Family Archive #3: Group of [6] Letters from Prominent German Rabbis

* Torani letter handwritten and signed by Rabbi Chaim Schwartz, av beit din of Hürben, brother of Rabbi Yehosef Schwartz. Sent to Rabbi Simchah. Hürben, 1872.

[1] leaf paper, written on both sides. 22.5 cm.

At the beginning of the letter, Rabbi Chaim thanks Rabbi Simchah for sending him his sefer,  Chinuch LaNe'arim. The blank part of the letter deals with an interesting deliberation about the halachic differences between the day of death and the day of burial.

Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of Rabbi Chaim Schwartz, av beit din of Hürben.

* Historic public letter handwritten and signed by the gaon Rabbi Avraham Wexler, av beit din of Schwabach. Sent to Rabbi Avraham Adler, av beit din of Aschaffenburg. Schwabach, 1847. This historic letter has apparently never been printed.

[1] double leaf, two pages are written. 25.5 cm.

The letter deals with efforts at lobbying the German Kaiser with the request that he give rabbis the authority to set the curricula at the Jewish schools. Rabbi Avraham, who was one of the leading rabbis of German Jewry, notes that he already spoke to the minister in 1841, and the latter promised to work towards this end, but the rabbiner in Munich went against my words when he went with ... and annulled my words with their slander ..." Later on in the letter, Rabbi Avraham writes sharply and painfully against Rabbi Yitzchak Dov HaLevi Bamberger, who, in his opinion, is not taking part in this activity as would befit his lofty position.

Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of the gaon Rabbi Avraham Wexler, av beit din of Schwabach.

* Letter handwritten and signed by the gaon Rabbi Moshe Feilchenfeld, av beit din of Rogozhin, primary disciple of Rabbeinu Akiva Eiger (he even mentions his teacher here!) sent to an unidentified addressee. [Pre-1872].

[1] double leaf paper, [3] written pages. 20.5 cm. Tears with significant lack. The signature is unblemished.

In this letter, he mentions his teacher, "Rabbi of the entire Diaspora, Rabbi Akiva Eiger ztzuk"l" and a comment made by the addressee that "the honorable gaon, the great ..." omitted the words of the Ba'al HaItur in said discussion.

Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of  Rabbi Moshe Feilchenfeld, av beit din of Rogozhin.

* Torani letter handwritten and signed by Rabbi Ze'ev Feichenfeld, av beit din of Poznań and Düsseldorf. Sent to Rabbi Zekkel, av beit din of Zwierzyniec, son of Rabbi Simchah. Posen, 1890.

[1] leaf paper, written on both sides. 22 cm.

The letter discusses the topic of a kohen who was said to have been together with a non-Jewess - whether he can duchen.

Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of Rabbi Ze'ev Feichenfeld.

* Interesting letter about etrogim and their kashrut status handwritten and signed by Rabbi Aharon Guggenheimer, av beit din of Kriegshaber, in-law of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch. Sent to Rabbi Simchah. 1858.

[1] double leaf paper, two written pages. 20.5 cm.

In this letter, the writer attests to the personal opinion of his rabbi - Rabbi Avraham Binyamin Wolf Hamburg [אוה"ב].

Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of Rabbi Aharon Guggenheimer, av beit din of Kriegshaber.

* The letter is bound together with copies of the kuntress Halachah L'Ma'aseh Rav about cheeses, by Rabbi Shaul, av beit din of Amsterdam and his beit din. The transcription was done by another writer.

The kuntress: [4] leaf. 21.5 cm.

* Torani letter handwritten and signed by Rabbi Leib Weissman, av beit din of Schwabach. Sent to Rabbi Moshe Aryeh Leib. Schwabach, 1888.

[1] leaf paper, written on both sides. 22.5 cm.

Rabbi Azriel Hildesheimer refers to him in one of his responsa as "[My] friend, the rabbi, the tzaddik, the av beit din of Schwabach ..." In the list of subscribers to the sefer Ohel Moed by Rabbi Avraham Beck, he is referred to as Ra'ava"d.

Total of [6] letters, various sizes and conditions.

[4] of the letters are in fine condition, with light aging stains and light tears without lack in the text; [2] of the letters are in moderate condition, with larger tears and damage to the text.