Bidspirit auction | Making Peace in Jerusalem Letter

Making Peace in Jerusalem Letter from Maharil Diskin Brisk, 1873 * “Such a Chillul Hashem has never before been heard… And whereas the halacha obligates one to rend his garments upon seeing Jerusalem in its destruction, we, due to our many sins, must rend our garments upon merely hearing about it…!” This was the cry of Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin from the depths of his heart, in response to the reports reaching Brisk concerning the dispute that had erupted in the holy city of Jerusalem. Six wide lines in the handwriting and with the signature of Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin, known as ”the Saraf of Brisk”. In his letter, the Maharil Diskin also stresses that this matter has caused harm to the collection of funds for the residents of Jerusalem abroad, thereby endangering the support of “the Torah scholars and the righteous who dwell in the courtyards of the House of Hashem.” The letter was written by the Maharil Diskin in the margins of a letter from his childhood friend, the Gaon Rabbi Baruch Mordechai Lifshitz, Av Beis Din of Novardok and author of Bris Yaakov (who wrote an approbation for the sefer Chofetz Chaim). Rabbi Moshe Yehoshua Yehuda Leib Diskin (1818-1898), known as Maharil Diskin, was an extraordinary luminary, guiding the nation with his genius, righteousness, and piety. His contemporary sages praised him effusively, to the extent that Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik expressed that, “Where all the descriptive praises end, there begins his praise.” Maharil Diskin served as Rav in cities with prominent Jewish communities such as Kovno, Lomza, Minsk, Shklov and Brisk. About three years after the writing of this letter, in 1877, he journeyed to Jerusalem where he left a profound impact on the city. Rabbi Baruch Mordechai Lifshitz, author of Bris Yaakov (1809–1885), was one of the foremost gedolim of Lithuania. He served as Rav in the important communities of Vilkovisk, Novardok, and Shedlitz. He had a longstanding connection with the Maharil Diskin, having studied together with him under the Maharil’s father, Rabbi Binyamin Diskin, Av Beis Din of Horodna (alongside Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spector, Av Beis Din of Kovno). His son-in-law was Rabbi Eliyahu Kletzkin, Av Beis Din of Lublin and later of Jerusalem. About a year before this letter was written, the Chofetz Chaim himself visited Rabbi Baruch Mordechai at his home in Novardok to request his approbation for his famous sefer Chofetz Chaim. The Courtyard Dispute in the Churva of Rabbi Yehuda HaChassid In 1863, a bitter and drawn-out dispute erupted, lasting many years and reaching even abroad. On one side stood the leaders of the Perushim community - Rabbi Shmuel Salant, the Imrei Binah, and the Zayis Ra'anan. On the other side stood Rabbi Shaul Binyamin HaKohen Karelitz of Radishkovitz and his associates. The controversy, known as the “Courtyard Dispute, ” centered around the acquisition of a courtyard for the Etz Chaim Yeshiva within the Churva shul of Rabbi Yehuda HaChassid. The Rabbanim of the Perushim community were displeased with Rabbi Shaul Binyamin Radishkovitz’s actions, especially concerning his purchase of the courtyard and the large loans he undertook for it, which they viewed as a grave threat to the very existence of the Perushim community in Jerusalem. The dispute divided the Ashkenazic community in the city. Each side published pamphlets and fliers against the other, and the periodicals of the time - HaChavatzelet, HaLevanon, and HaMagid - further fanned the flames. The entire diaspora became engulfed in this fiery conflict. Brisk–Novardok, 1873 . Thin blue paper. Size: 21 x 27 cm. Condition: Fold marks and several stains. The letter was sent to Rabbi Aryeh ”Ne’eman”, that is Rabbi Aryeh Marcus, who served as trustee and treasurer of the Perushim Kollel in Jerusalem for over fifty years. In the margins of the letter, the Maharil Diskin sends regards to his friend Rabbi Isser Yehuda [Malin of Brisk] and asks him to act on behalf of bringing peace.