Bidspirit auction | Flames of Holiness: The Kotzker

Flames of Holiness: The Kotzker Rebbe and the Beit Yisrael of Gur: Emet VeEmunah – Kotzk, with the handwriting and markings of the holy Gerrer Rebbe - Sefer Emet VeEmunah Teachings of our holy master, our teacher and rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk Collected by Rabbi Yisrael Yaakov [Reb Srulke] Araten. Jerusalem, 1940 In the midst of the World War, the Imrei Emes of Gur arrived in Jerusalem, having been miraculously rescued from the Nazis who sought his life. In the preceding years, one of the elder and prominent Chassidim of Gur in Jerusalem, Reb Srulke Araten, had labored to prepare for print the hundreds of penetrating sayings of the Kotzker Rebbe, which he had collected over the years. In light of the events unfolding in Europe, Reb Srulke felt that this was not the appropriate time to publish his sefer. He approached the Rebbe’s son, who would later become the Lev Simcha, with this question. The Lev Simcha replied in a letter: ” אהובי ידידי יקירי מוה”ר ישראלקי שי' לאי”ט, השגתי מכתבך, וע”ד שאלתך אם להדפיס עתה את הליקוטים או לאחר המלחמה, דעת אאמו”ר שליט”א להדפיסם עכשיו..., ואמר עוד כי לעת קשה כזאת יגן עלינו זכותו הק' לכל אחב”י בכל מקומות מושבותיהם”! The sefer was received with great affection, especially among the tzaddikim of the Gerrer dynasty. It was particularly cherished by the Beit Yisrael, of blessed memory, whom many saw as embodying in his conduct the reflection of the Seraph of Kotzk. The Belzer Rov had indeed declared upon his ascent to leadership: ” נאך א מאהל קאצק” – “Once again, Kotzk” The Rebbe, the Beit Yisrael, would extol the holy sayings of the Seraph of Kotzk, which pierce to the depths of the soul, and he stated that he would be willing to travel a great distance to hear precise and authentic teachings from Kotzk (Sefer Sich Zekeinim, p. 101). This copy of the sefer belonged to the Rebbe, the Beit Yisrael. This sefer is among the few in which he signed his holy signature – most of his sefarim bear only a stamp. In this sefer he often read, marking passages with a check mark or a circle beside certain teachings, and many of his beard hairs remain between the pages.