Bidspirit auction | “May You See Nachas Amid

“May You See Nachas Amid Great Abundance” A Letter of Blessing in the Handwriting of Rabbi Baruch of Gorlitz, Son of Rabbi Chaim of Sanz and Progenitor of the Gorlitz Dynasty * A handwritten and autographed letter by Rabbi Baruch Halberstam of Gorlitz, the fifth son of Rabbi Chaim of Sanz, author of Divrei Chaim, addressed to his son-in-law, the Admor Rabbi Moshe Yehudah Leib of Strizov, and to his daughter, Rebbetzin Chana. Letters by Rabbi Baruch of Gorlitz are exceedingly few and extremely rare. A letter in his own handwriting has never appeared at public auction. Among the blessings he bestows upon his son-in-law and daughter are the words: “I bless you that you should have good fortune in all matters for good, and that you should see nachas amid great abundance.” Rabbi Baruch Halberstam of Gorlitz (1829–1906) was the fifth son of Rabbi Chaim of Sanz. Of all his sons, Rabbi Baruch stood apart in his deep attachment and devotion to his father; he never left his side, adhered to his ways and customs, and accompanied him on his journeys to the tzaddikim of the generation. His father, too, admired and honored him greatly, referring to him as a “holy chassid.” He would consult with him on various matters and more than once would turn to him and say, “Baruch, what do you say about this?” He was born in the town of Rudnik, the site of his father’s first rabbinic post, and was named after his grandfather, the author of Baruch Ta'am. His father said of him that his appearance was like that of his father-in-law, the Baruch Ta'am, and that he possessed a mind like the mind of the Baruch Ta'am. In his first marriage, he was the son-in-law of the gaon, the Yetev Lev, and for several years he lived by him. After the passing of his wife in 1884, he married the daughter of Rabbi Shmuel Shapira of Lantzut, son of the Bnei Yissaschar. From the year 1856, he served as Av Beis Din of Rudnik, and from approximately 1860 as Av Beis Din of Gorlitz. He was a great talmid chacham and engaged in halachic discussion with his father, with his father-in-law the Yetev Lev, with Maharai Shmecklish, and with Maharash Engel, who was one of his chassidim and testified that he possessed ruach hakodesh. In 1864, his father entrusted to him his first work, Divrei Chaim on Gittin and Mikvaos, and Rabbi Baruch printed it for the first time in Zolkov, and again in Munkatch in 1892. His descendants include the great figures of the Sanz dynasty: Rabbi Moshe of Brdyov, Rabbi Elisha of Gorlitz, Rabbi Sinai of Zmigrod, Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch of Rudnik father of the Klausenberger Rebbe zt”l, and others. The recipient of the letter, his son-in-law Rabbi Moshe Leib of Strizov (1853–1917), was born to his father Rabbi Shlomo Shapira, Av Beis Din of Munkatch (father of the author of Darkei Teshuvah), and to his mother, the daughter of Rabbi Yekusiel Shmelke, son of Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sassov. After his marriage in 1872, he resided for five years with his grandfather-in-law, the Divrei Chaim. He served as Av Beis Din in Beitch, Sassov, and Strizov. He passed away in Vienna and was brought to burial in Munkatch, where his nephew, the Minchas Elazar, delivered a eulogy, later printed in the sefer Milei DeHespeda. His grandson, named for him, is the Munkatcher Rebbe shlita in the United States. Gorlitz, 1897. The date is based on the postal stamp. Post card. Stains and fold mark. Bibliography: Rabbeinu HaKadosh of Sanz, vol. II, ch. 23; his Torah and biography in the sefer Divrei Baruch (1998). ------------------------------------------ Any inquiries about this lot? We are also available on WhatsApp >>>