Bidspirit auction | “Yatzil eschem mikol tzarah u’tzukah…

“Yatzil eschem mikol tzarah u’tzukah… v’yisromem karnchem al bamasei hatzlachah” A letter of brachah from the Kedushas Naftali of Melitz A heartfelt letter from the ksav yad kodsho of R’ Naftali Horowitz, Av Beis Din of Melitz, Baal Kedushas Naftali, written to his close supporter, the chassidic נגיד R’ Avraham Chaim Frenkel, acknowledging receipt of a pidyon nefesh. In the course of the letter, R’ Naftali writes candidly about his weakened state, and sharply criticizes the “rofe’im sheker, ohavei mammon, ” who, in the name of healing, were pressuring him to curtail his avodas Hashem — “a path which only further saps my strength.” He concludes with warm brachos: “Yatzil eschem mikol tzarah u’tzukah, mikol nega u’machalah, v’yisromem karnchem al bamasei hatzlachah.” At the beginning of the letter, R’ Naftali notes that he received the earlier correspondence while in Vienna. It is known that he was niftar in Vienna at the end of World War I. The letter is dated Parshas Pekudei, shortly before Nissan, and R’ Naftali was niftar on 18 Tishrei — indicating that this letter was written during the final year of his life! R’ Naftali Horowitz of Melitz (1845–1916) was third in the Melitz dynasty, a gaon and tzaddik known for his חריפות and for the mofsim attributed to him. A great-grandson of R’ Naftali of Ropshitz, he was a close talmid of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz and of the Guter Yid of Neustadt. He first married into the family of the Divrei Chaim and R’ Eliezer of Dzikov, and later married the daughter of the prominent Sanzer chassid R’ Abish Konner of Sanok. From 1868 he served as Rav of Melitz at the recommendation of his zeide, the Divrei Chaim, who wrote to the townspeople that during his tenure “no shod v’shever will be heard in your city.” After his father’s petirah, he assumed the position of Av Beis Din, and many became attached to him as chassidim. During the war years he fled to Vienna, where he was niftar. His Torah was later printed in the sefer Kedushas Naftali on the Torah.