Bidspirit auction | Milchemet Mitzvah HaChadash – Supporting

Milchemet Mitzvah HaChadash – Supporting the Appointment of Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum as Rabbi of Satmar – Satmar, 1929 – Handwritten Inscription Disclosing the Identity of the Authors Milchemet Mitzvah HaChadash – protocols, letters and Beit Din rulings by Romanian and Hungarian rabbis, supporting the appointment of R. Yoel Teitelbaum as rabbi of Satmar. Satmar, 1929. Meir Leib Hirsch. Mostly Hebrew, some Yiddish and Hungarian. The sefer was published anonymously; however, ownership inscriptions in this copy (on the title page and on p. 28/2), written by the author’s brother, R. Aharon Shalom Weiss of Satmar, reveal the identities of the two authors: “This sefer was composed by R. Shlomo Yehuda Brach, and my brother R. Yeḥezkel Shraga Weiss of this city” / “This sefer, Milchemet Mitzvah, was composed by my esteemed brother R. Yeḥezkel Shraga. ” Rabbi Shlomo Yehuda Brach—mentioned in the above inscription as one of the authors—was apparently the son of the gaon Rabbi Shmuel Brach of Lachenitz, Av Beit Din of Nir-Mada (a foremost disciple of the Maharam Schick of Chust, and brother of the gaon Rabbi Shaul Brach of Kashau). Rabbi Shlomo Yehuda was a prominent disciple of the author of Arugot HaBosem and among the close associates of the Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum. In 1929, he was among those who argued in favor of the Rebbe before the special rabbinical court of the National Orthodox Bureau, which deliberated the controversy surrounding the rabbinical elections in Satmar. Rabbi Shlomo Yehuda also published Maharam Schick on tractate Chullin, printed in Satmar in 1930. On the title page and flyleaves appear numerous signatures, stamps, and inscriptions of R. Aharon Shalom Weiss of Satmar; his father R. David Meir b. R. Yaakov Weiss of Kleinwardein–Satmar (in Latin characters; among the signatories to the document appointing the Rebbe Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum as rabbi of Satmar during Sukkot 1929 appear also “David Meir Weiss” and “Yaakov Weiss, ” see: Kedem Auction 63, lot 111); Golda Weiss; Tzvi Hirsch Glick; and others. There is also an ink stamp (in Latin letters) of L. Waldmann of Bistrița on p. 28/2. The controversy over the appointment of Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum as Rabbi of Satmar: Toward the end of 1928, shortly after the passing of the rabbi of Satmar, the gaon Rabbi Eliezer David Greenwald, elections were held for the city’s rabbinate. Among the candidates proposed to succeed him was the Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum (then serving as Av Beit Din of Carei). Rebbi Yoel won the majority of votes; however, his victory was met with fierce opposition from segments of the community who rejected the results and appealed to the leadership of the central bureau of the Orthodox communities, challenging the validity of the elections. They alleged serious irregularities and sought to annul his appointment. The dispute over Rebbi Yoel’s appointment continued for several years, during which additional rounds of elections were held. Throughout this period, both sides published polemical pamphlets supporting their respective positions. These writings included letters and responsa from leading rebbes and rabbis of Hungary and Galicia. The controversy subsided only after six years, when both sides ultimately reconciled and accepted Rebbi Yoel’s appointment as rabbi of the city. In 1934, he relocated from Carei to Satmar—thereafter becoming known for generations as the Rebbe of Satmar. The present 'םרל, Milchemet Mitzvah HaChadash, was printed in 1929, during the early stages of that controversy, and represents the position of those supporting Rebbi Yoel Teitelbaum’s appointment as Av Beit Din of Satmar. It contains letters and responsa from several leading rabbis of the generation who addressed the issue, including: Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Freund of Interdam-Năsăud; Rabbi Shimon Greenfeld of Semihály (the Maharsha''g.); Rabbi Yisrael Freund of Hunedoara; Rabbi Mordechai Brisk of Tășnad; Rabbi Yehuda Segal Rosner of Săcueni; Rabbi Shaul Brach of Kashau; Rabbi Naftali Teitelbaum of Nyírbátor;  Rebbe Yecezkel Panet of Dés; and many others. At the end appears the ruling of the rabbinical court that convened during the months of Nisan–Iyar 1929 to adjudicate between the sides, bearing the signatures of the presiding judges: Rabbi Yaakov Shalom Klein of Halmeu; Rabbi Yehuda Segal Rosner of Săcueni; Rabbi Avraham Shlomo Elyash of  Szamosújvár (Gherla); and Rabbi Avraham Shlomo Katz of Riskva. The authors present their version of the events and level serious accusations against the opposing side, including claims of violating the court’s ruling and appealing to secular courts. [2], 5-10, [1], 13-28; 12; 9 leaves. 19 cm.