Аукцион Bidspirit | The Silver Goblet of the

The Silver Goblet of the Holy Gaon Rabbi Mordechai Tusk, Rosh Av Beit Din of Pressburg – Presented to Him at the Siyum HaShas Celebration in the Presence of the Chatam Sofer - A Sacred and Unique Treasure! The Personal Silver Goblet of the Holy Gaon Rabbi Mordechai Tusk, Head of the Rabbinical Court of Pressburg – Presented upon His Completion of the Entire Talmud in the Presence of the Chatam Sofer A sacred and truly one-of-a-kind treasure! The personal silver goblet of the holy Gaon Rabbi Mordechai Tusk, Rosh Av Beit Din of Pressburg and one of its greatest Torah scholars in the generation of the Chatam Sofer. The goblet was presented to him in honor of his completion of the entire Talmud, at a ceremony attended by the Chatam Sofer himself – and possibly even from his very holy hands – and remained in Rabbi Mordechai’s possession until the end of his life. An explicit historical account relates that upon his passing, he left behind neither money nor possessions of monetary value, with the sole exception of one goblet: the goblet presented to him as a memento on the day of the Siyum HaShas. 1 silver goblet. Hallmarked. Height: 93 mm. Diameter: 75 mm. Weight: 128 grams. Fine condition. Minor dents. Tiny crack on the rim of the goblet. A large silver goblet, bearing several silver hallmarks on its underside. The goblet is engraved with a lengthy dedication: ”דורון דרשה לרבינו הגדול מו”ה מרדכי טאסק נ”י שהתחיל ללמוד הש”ס בחבורתנו בשנת ש'ס' ח'ב'ר'א' : וגמר בעזרת גומר עלינו בשנת כ'ס'י'ו'ם' ה'ל'כ'ו'ת' לפ”ק” [”A gift in honor of the Torah discourse, presented to our great master, Moreinu HaRav Mordechai Tusk, may his light shine, who began studying the entire Talmud in our fellowship in the year ש'ס' ח'ב'ר'א', and completed it, with the assistance of the One Who enables completion, in the year כ'ס'י'ו'ם' ה'ל'כ'ו'ת', according to the abbreviated reckoning.”] The significance of this goblet is further enhanced by the extraordinary occasion on which it was presented. The Chatam Sofer himself attended the Siyum HaShas, listened to Rabbi Mordechai’s Torah discourse, carefully analyzed his arguments, and developed them into an extensive and intricate Talmudic discussion before those assembled. It was at this exalted gathering that Rabbi Mordechai received the very goblet offered here. The holy Gaon Rabbi Mordechai Tusk was one of the most distinguished figures of Pressburg and among its foremost Torah scholars for approximately half a century. In his youth, he had the privilege of studying under the author of the Noda BiYehuda and was counted among his most outstanding disciples. As testified by the Gaon Rabbi Chaim Sofer, Av Beit Din of Budapest: ”הראש בית דין דק”ק פרעשבורג הגאון המובהק והמוסמך צדיק וחסיד ישר ונאמן בכל דבריו הרב רבי מרדכי טאסק זצ”ל אחד מהמיוחדים של תלמידי הנודע ביהודה”. [”The head of the rabbinical court of the holy community of Pressburg, the eminent and ordained Gaon, righteous and pious, upright and faithful in all his words, Rabbi Mordechai Tusk, of blessed memory, one of the most distinguished disciples of the Noda BiYehuda.”] In the year תקמ”ז, he was appointed a rabbinical judge and halachic authority in Pressburg, and during the tenure of Rabbi Meshulam Igra, he had already risen to the position of head of the rabbinical court. Rabbi Mordechai was considerably older than the Chatam Sofer and was already serving as head of the court when the Chatam Sofer arrived in Pressburg. He was among those instrumental in bringing the Chatam Sofer to serve as the city’s rabbi, and his signature even appears on the Chatam Sofer’s official appointment document [see accompanying photograph]. Throughout the Chatam Sofer’s tenure, Rabbi Mordechai served alongside him on the rabbinical court of Pressburg, and his name appears in its halachic rulings. The Chatam Sofer refers to him among the ”expert rabbis, the distinguished judges of the city, ” and his signature appears on numerous judicial decisions spanning decades of service. Even during the bombardment of Pressburg by Napoleon’s armies, Rabbi Mordechai remained alongside the Chatam Sofer. He is mentioned in the Sefer HaZikaron, composed by the Chatam Sofer to commemorate the events of those days. His exalted standing in the eyes of the Chatam Sofer is reflected repeatedly in the latter’s responsa. In one responsum, after analyzing a halachic question, the Chatam Sofer relates: ”בא למחיצתי עתה הרב המוסמך מו”ה מרדכי טאסק רב”ד דפק”ק יע”א, והרציתי הדברים לפניו והסכים להתירא בלי פקפוק”. [”The ordained Rabbi, Moreinu HaRav Mordechai Tusk, head of the rabbinical court of our holy community, has just come into my presence. I presented the matter before him, and he agreed without any hesitation that it was permissible.”] An even more remarkable testimony appears in Responsa Chatam Sofer, Even HaEzer, Part II, Section 98. The Chatam Sofer recounts that while they were sitting together during a festive gathering,