Bidspirit auction | Rare Letter by the Kol

Rare Letter by the Kol Aryeh  Beregszasz, 1878 * An autographed and handwritten six-line letter by Rabbi Avraham Yehuda HaKohen Schwartz of Beregszász and Mad. Written at the conclusion of a long handwritten letter of his son, Rabbi Naftali HaKohen Schwartz, author of 'Beis Naftali', which was written at the behest of his father, the 'Kol Aryeh'. It was sent to the renowned Rabbi Chaim Sofer, author of 'Machaneh Chaim', Av Beis Din of Munkatch and a well-known Torah giant of his generation. The letter concerns the famous dispute regarding the Beregszasz community's desire to appoint an additional Rav from the city of Kosice, against the wishes of the community's own Rav, the Kol Aryeh. The majority of the Gedolei Torah of the generation stood with the Kol Aryeh, ruling that if that Rav were to come to the city, all his rulings would be null and void. Among these Rabbanim were: The Maharam Schick (in his final days), the Yitav Lev of Sighet, Rabbi Shimon Sofer of Cracow, the Geonim of Ungvar Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Manheimer and Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried, as well as others. Despite his great weakness, the Kol Aryeh himself added six lines in his holy handwriting at the end of Rabbi Naftali's letter, joining his son's request for assistance. At the end of the letter, the Kol Aryeh signs: ”Your dear friend who seeks your well-being with profound and everlasting affection; may the Good Lord bless you and inscribe you in the book of the righteous, The katan [humble one], Avraham Yehuda HaKohen Schwartz, Av Beis Din of Beregszasz and the region.” Letters from the Kol Aryeh are extremely rare. Rabbi Avraham Yehuda HaKohen Schwartz (1824 – 1884) was a leading Hungarian Rabbi who served as Av Beis Din of Beregszasz and Mad. He was one of the last disciples of the Chasam Sofer and taught many who would go on to become prominent Torah leaders. His name spread far and wide as a miracle worker, with many miraculous stories accredited to him. As one example, it is told that it was common for the townspeople to come to him when they had a toothache. He would place his finger on the aching tooth and immediately the pain would cease. People flocked to him from all over in order to hear his Torah teachings and awe-inspiring prayers. He remained in close correspondence with the rabbinical leaders of the generation and traveled frequently to Rabbi Chaim of Sanz, who said: ”I know a real Talmid Chacham in Hungary, and that is Rabbi Avraham Leib of Beregszász.” The Chasam Sofer's son, Rabbi Shimon Sofer of Cracow, wrote about him: ”A perfect tzaddik, an outstanding gaon, sharp and erudite in all areas of Torah, both revealed and hidden, and a beloved student of my father's.” After his marriage in Ujhely, he studied and delved deeply into the writings of the Arizal together with the holy Yitav Lev. His son, Rabbi Naftali HaKohen Schwartz, author of 'Beis Naftali' (1846-1897) was among Hungary's greatest scholars and a prime student of his holy father. He received semichah from the Yitav Lev, the Maharam Schick, and Rabbi Shimon Sofer, son of the Chasam Sofer, and assisted his father in managing community affairs in Beregszász and later in Mad. After his father's passing in 1884, he assumed his position in the Mad community until his untimely death in 1897. All his sons and sons-in-law were prominent Rabbanim and leaders of Hungary's Orthodox community before and during the Holocaust. The grandson of the Kol Aryeh, Rabbi Yosef Schwartz, son of Rabbi Naftali, published part of the letter from this original manuscript before us (Ayala Shelucha, Grosswardein 1941, pp. 23-24). Beregszasz, 1878. Six lines in the Kol Aryeh's holy handwriting. The rest of the letter is in his son Rabbi Naftali's handwriting. Size: Large letter: 20.8 x 33.7 cm. Condition: The letter was found nearly 100 years ago in the geniza in Munkatch (and was given to Rabbi Yosef Schwartz who published it as mentioned above), and its condition reflects this, with text missing. The letter underwent professional restoration. For further reference: Regarding the controversy and correspondence between the Torah giants on this matter, see the detailed chapter ”The Controversy and its Results” in the sefer 'HaKol Aryeh', Brooklyn 2007. A similar letter to this one (with minor changes) was sent to the Maharam Schick. See the photograph of the original manuscript there, pp. 240-241. Provenance: Tag Art auction (2024) ”The Miracle” One of the disputed issues was the bringing of a chazzan to sing with a choir. The Kol Aryeh, who strongly opposed this, came specially to the community shul after avoiding it for about a year, and firmly declared that the chazzan would not lead prayers in the shul during the Yamim Noraim. His unusual words were mocked by his opponents who did not recognize his greatness. On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, a woman came and claimed that the chazzan had married another woman without giving her a divorce,