Bidspirit auction | Letter Written and Signed in

Letter Written and Signed in the Holy Handwriting of HaGaon Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Binyamin Sofer, Av Beis Din of Pressburg, author of Kesav Sofer, concerning religious struggles with the reformers — sent to the Gaon Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Ullmann, Av Beis Din of Makova, author of Yeri’os Shlomo — Pressburg, Shevat 1859 Background of this letter: In Makova, the place of Rabbanus of the Yerios Shlomo, the reformers and enlightened members of his community wished to appoint in the synagogue a Chazzan with a choir (“Kohr”). For this purpose, they appealed to the regional ministers to support them. In light of this, the Yerios Shlomo turned to several of the Gedolei Rabbanim of Hungary requesting that they write to the ministers that such a matter is forbidden because of the statutes of the gentiles. In the response before us, the Kesav Sofer replies with great wisdom and prudence: “…and I considered the matter somewhat but did not find suitable reasons that could be presented before the ministers. To write simply that the matter is forbidden, they certainly will not accept, for they will say: what prohibition is this and what reason is there for it, especially since the reformers have permitted the matter, and already the restraint has been loosened in several communities in the kingdom of the government may it be exalted…”. Therefore, the Kesav Sofer asks the Yerios Shlomo to send him a copy of what he himself (the Yerios Shlomo) wrote to the regional ministers, so that he (the Kesav Sofer) could also send them a similar text containing the same arguments, so that their claims would be uniform and thus more likely to be accepted, “for it is not proper, and the ministers will not believe when each Rav changes his reasoning — this one giving one reason and that one another — therefore I found it best as I have written…”. The letter before us was printed in 1980 in the collection Panim Me’iros, p. 26. [1] leaf. 28 cm. Poor condition. Large tears, with damage to the text, from the ink “burning” the paper. With a magnificent leather binding.