Bidspirit auction | Long and complete letter, profound

Long and complete letter, profound in halachic depth, written entirely in the holy handwriting of His Honor, the Admor, R. Menachem Mendel Schneerson of Lubavitch. Brooklyn, Tzom Gedaliah, 5708 [1948]. - Rare and highly significant Iggeres Kodesh. Complete letter in the holy handwriting of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, His Honour the Admor R. Menachem Mendel Schneerson, addressed to R. Shlomo Yosef Zevin. “With the help of Heaven, on the seventh of the month, which shall be turned into joy, Brooklyn, N.Y. To the honored Gaon, distinguished in Torah and fear of Heaven, etc., R. Sh.Y. shlita. Peace and blessing! Certainly you are aware that I was in Europe for several months, and upon my return I found that various matters had accumulated during that period, in addition to the regular workload and especially the burden of preparing for print what was published last summer. All this caused a significant delay in responding to my letters (those not directly connected to the practical work of Machane Israel and Kehot). I therefore ask forgiveness. And first and foremost, I hereby extend my blessing for a good and sweet new year, for him and all his, in all matters, spiritual and material. Now I will address his remarks in his letter…” (At the end of the letter) “The publication of the journal has been suspended for the time being due to the preoccupation with preparing for print the discourses of my father-in-law, the Rebbe shlita — Chassidic discourses.” In this letter, the Rebbe engages at length in pilpul on matters relating to Pesach. He primarily discusses the recitation of Hallel during the offering of the Korban Pesach by the Levi’im and Yisraelim, as well as the question of eating two cooked dishes on the night of the Seder when the Beis HaMikdash stood, as a remembrance of the Korban Pesach and Korban Chagigah. The Rebbe responds to R. Zevin with remarkable fluency and vast erudition, in his characteristic manner. At the conclusion of the letter, the Rebbe adds an interesting note concerning R. Zevin’s own work HaMoadim baHalachah, stating that he found the book in the library of the Rebbe Rayatz, and refers to a novel idea he encountered therein, commenting on it briefly—reflecting his precise analysis and his esteem for the author. “And to conclude with a matter of the season, I found in the library of my father-in-law, the Rebbe shlita, his book HaMoadim baHalachah, and I saw there, in passing, that he brings…” Concluding blessing: “With blessings for a good and sweet new year, M. Schneersohn.” Complete, lengthy letters in the Rebbe’s own holy handwriting are exceedingly rare. The letter was later printed in Igros Kodesh, vol. 2, letter 295, and in Haggadah Shel Pesach with Commentaries (Kehot, 1986), pp. 63–65. R. Zevin — close associate of the Rebbe The Gaon R. Shlomo Yosef Zevin was among the leading Chabad rabbis in Russia and Eretz Yisrael, one of the great Torah giants of the last generation, a devoted Chabad chassid, Av Beis Din of Chabad rabbis in the Holy Land, and founder and chief editor of the Encyclopedia Talmudis. A rich correspondence in deep halachic discourse and Torah analysis existed between R. Zevin and the Rebbe. Already in the Rebbe’s youth, when a shidduch was proposed with Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, the Rebbe Rayatz asked R. Zevin to converse with the prospective groom in Torah. The discussion, held during a train journey, lasted several hours into the night. R. Zevin was deeply impressed by the Rebbe’s brilliance and encyclopedic knowledge, and conveyed his enthusiastic impression to the Rebbe Rayatz. Approximately twenty-five years later, after the passing of the Rebbe Rayatz in 1950, R. Zevin was among the first to sign the declaration of allegiance to the Rebbe and accept his leadership. Airmail letter, 5708 [1948]. Very good condition. Tiny tears at the edges.