Bidspirit auction | Letter from Rabbi Binyamin Eliyahu

Letter from Rabbi Binyamin Eliyahu Kantor, Av Beit Din of Złoczew. 1924. 'וע”י מצות ומעש”ט נעשה יחוד תחתון וע”י מסה”נ נעשה יחוד עליון, תרי רעין דלא מתפרשין' — Torah insights in the holy handwriting of Rabbi Binyamin Eliyahu Kantor. Złoczew, 1924. [2] pages, a lengthy letter to a rabbi, concerning the laws of Niddah and the rules of presumptions (Chazakot), and regarding the words of Rabbi Akiva and his disciples at the time he was taken out to be executed, sanctifying Hashem's name. The writer of the letter refers to his Sefer She’elot U’teshuvot Chelek Binyamin. At the end of the letter, Rabbi Binyamin Eliyahu notes that in his youth, he served the great sages of the land, among them the author of Emek Yehoshua and Rabbi Yasla Tressler (Rabbi Yosef Reizin, Av Beit Din of Telz and Slonim), author of Edut BeYosef. The letter was written to Rabbi Shraga Meir Lazorovitz of London, with words of appreciation and thanks for the assistance he had sent him for over a year. Rabbi Binyamin Eliyahu son of Rabbi Yaakov Ze’ev Kantor (d. 11 Tishrei 1929) – Rabbi of the communities of Oświęcim, Widawa, and Sokołów. From 1899 served as Av Beit Din of Złoczew and was renowned as an expert in matters of divorce (Gittin). A Chassid of the Rebbes of Aleksander: the Elder Rebbe of Aleksander, the Yismach Yisrael, the Tiferet Shmuel, and the Akedat Yitzchak. Author of many books, including She’elot U’teshuvot Chelek Binyamin, Derashot Chelek Yaakov, Tosefot Binyamin on Pirkei Avot, and others. Rabbi Shraga Meir Leizerovitz (1840 – 19 Kislev 1928) – Rabbi, tzaddik, and kabbalist, born in Kelm and lived in Zager. Received rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Mordechai Gimpel Yaffe. In 1891, he moved to London, where he served as rabbi of the Chevrat Shas. In his old age, he ascended to Jerusalem. He was a close friend of the great kabbalists of Lithuania. In the letter before us, he is referred to as “my friend, the great rabbi, eminent in Torah, in fear of Heaven, and in good deeds”, and in the letters of the Leshem, he is mentioned as “the precious and beloved rabbi, a righteous foundation of the world.” A responsum to him appears in She’elot U’teshuvot Zecher Yosef §106. Folding marks, age stains, a few small defects. Good condition.