Bidspirit auction | Letter of Recommendation in the

Letter of Recommendation in the holy autograph of the saintly Rabbi, author of Keren LeDavid of Satmar to the Gaon Rabbi Koppel Reich ABD Budapest. 1914 - A warm and heartfelt letter of recommendation from the Holy Gaon Rabbi Eliezer David Greenwald, Av Beit Din of Oberwischau and later Satu Mare (Satmar), author of Keren LeDavid, addressed to his friend, the renowned Gaon Rabbi Jacob Koppel Reich, Av Beit Din of Budapest. In the letter he warmly recommends Rabbi Tzvi Laks, writing: “Without doubt you are familiar with the distinguished rabbinic scholar, God-fearing and deeply devoted to the word of the Lord, the eminent Rabbi Tzvi Laks… who currently resides in Budapest seeking some means of livelihood… I therefore request and entreat on behalf of this esteemed rabbi and warmly recommend him. Perhaps it will be possible for Your Honor to find him some trustworthy position within your holy community. For he is a man more precious than gold, an outstanding Torah scholar, possessed of remarkable piety and noble character; since the time I came to know him I have never ceased to cherish him…” Oberwischau, 1914. The Holy Gaon & Tzadik Rabbi Eliezer David Greenwald was a rabbi and head of a yeshiva in the cities of Tzehlim (today Deutschkreutz in Austria), Oberwischau (Upper Vishuvah) and Satmar in Transylvania. He is known for his Sefer 'Keren L'David'. Brother of Rabbi Moshe Greenwald, author of ”Arugat HaBosem”. He was born in 1867 in Csorna, Hungary, to Rabbi Amram Greenwald, son of Rabbi Yosef Greenwald, Av Beit Din of Tchechowitz. In his youth, he studied with his brother, the author of Arugat HaBosem. He also studied briefly with Rabbi Shmuel Ehrenfeld, author of ”Chatan Sofer”. In 1889 he married the daughter of Yaakov Rapaport of Bardeyov. After his marriage, he spent five years in Bardeyov, where he founded and chaired a yeshiva throughout his stay in the city. After wards he served as a Dayan in Dunaszerdahely, At the beginning of 1907 he was elected rabbi of the Jewish community of Tzehlim, where he also headed a large yeshiva. In 1912 he moved to serve as Rabbi of Oberwischau, and headed a yeshiva that numbered hundreds of students. In 1921 he was elected rabbi of the Satmar community, and at the same time he headed a local yeshiva that with 400 students was one of the largest in the region. His adopted daughter married the grandson of his brother, Rabbi Yosef Greenwald, who was his pupil and worked on printing his seforim. He passed away in 1928. The recipient,   Rabbi Jacob Koppel Reich (1838–1929), son of the gaon Rabbi Avraham Yechezkel Reich, Av Beit Din of Banovitz, was among the leading figures of Orthodox Judaism in Hungary and head of the Orthodox bureau in Budapest. He was one of the foremost fighters against the Reform movement, and Joseph Chaim Sonnenfeld referred to him with the title “Saba Kadisha.” He was a beloved disciple of  Maran Rabbi Abraham Samuel Benjamin Sofer- the Ktav Sofer, who selected him to serve as tutor to his son. In his youth he traveled with a delegation of outstanding students from the Pressburg Yeshiva to visit the Admor of Sanz, Rebbi Chaim Halberstam. He served as Av Beit Din in several cities—including Sabatish, Verbó—and ultimately in the great city of Budapest. Rabbi Reich merited sons and sons-in-law who were distinguished Torah scholars and rabbis: Rabbi Yisrael Reich, Av Beit Din of Bátor-Keszi, author of Minchat Yisrael on tractate Eruvin; Rabbi Yechezkel Reich, Av Beit Din of Nitranovnik; Rabbi Moshe Reich, Av Beit Din of Medias; and Rabbi Shmuel Reich, Av Beit Din of Verbó. His sons-in-law included the gaon Rabbi Mordechai Ephraim Fishel Zussman-Sofer, Raavad of Budapest, and Rabbi Moshe Yosef Lichtenstern, Av Beit Din of Urai. Rabbi Tzvi Laks , mentioned in the letter, was a great Torah scholar and a man of exemplary character. Before World War I he attempted to settle in Budapest but was unsuccessful. After the war he settled in Săcueni (Sekelhid), where he was also respected and honored by all.