Treasure Trove: Collection of Letters from the Rayya"tz and Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch

Treasure Trove: Collection of Letters from the Rayya"tz and Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch

Group of the letters from the Rebbe the Rayya"tz of Lubavitch and from his son-in-law, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch, along with original receipts for sums of money donated to the Rebbe's house at "770." The letters are signed by the Rebbe's secretary, most were written on the Rebbes' stationery blanks and contain extremely important blessings.

* Letter from the Rayya"tz to the gaon Rabbi Nachman Kovalsky. Interesting letter about lost checks. The letter contains the Rayya"tz's personal bank account details. Written on the Rayya"tz's official stationery, signed by the secretary. Otvosk, 1938.

* Letter to Rabbi Avraham Shlomo HaKohen. Receipt for ten dollars donated for the Rebbe's event. Huge blessings in Hebrew and Yiddish in the margins "in the Admo"r's name" [the Rayya"tz], signed and stamped by the secretary. Otvosk, 1938.

* Letter from the Rayya"tz to the Rabbi Avraham Shlomo HaKohen. Important letter for recovery and livelihood in which the Rebbe blesses: "May your health be strengthened along with that of your wife, your daughters and your son-in-law ... and may Hashem grant them bountiful sustenance." Written on the Rayya"tz's official stationery signed by the secretary "in the name of the Admo"r, shlit"a." Otvosk, 1938. In the margins of the letter, the Rebbe requests that he be informed "how his daughters and son-in-law are conducting themselves." 

* Letter from the Rayya"tz to the gaon Rabbi Nachman Kovalsky - receipt for 100 dollars donated for "The Rebbe's event." The Rayya"tz blesses him abundantly as follows" "May Hashem bless [you] for this, [you] and [your] family, may they be well, with an abundance of life, plenty of blessings materially and spiritually, and may you be bathed in the light of this merit - in body and soul." Written on the Rayya"tz's official stationery, signed by the secretary 'in the name of the Admo"r, shlit"a." Otvosk, 1938.

* Important and lengthy historic letter about the Rayya"tz's state of health in Otvosk just before WWII: "Unfortunately I have not experienced much improvement ... and it appears that this summer, too, I will have to go to a sanatorium ... may there be a full recovery soon, " and what he did on Pesach and Shavuot, before and after, giving talks, etc., as a result of his weak health: "On the first days, I did not transmit Chassidut ... but [I] did participate in the holiday meals to hear his sacred words, and [I] heard, B"H." The secretary's stationery blank, with his signature. Otvosk, 1938.

* Letter from the Rebbe Menachem Mendel's secretary to the gaon Rabbi Nachman Kovalsky. Receipt for ten dollars [shekels]. Important blessings in the margins "in the name of Beit Chayyenu, shlit"a" signed and stamped by the secretary. New York, 1953.

Last but not least, a letter from the Rebbe Menachem Mendel to the gaon Rabbi Nachman Kovalsky.  The Rebbe's immortal blessing appear in this letter: "Your request from Erev Shabbat was received, and it will be read at an auspicious time at my father-in-law's [...] grave site. Signed "Sh. M. Simpson." Astonishing signature, apparently by the Rebbe himself, who was known to occasionally (for unknown reasons) sign in the secretary's name. The signature is very similar to the Rebbe's familiar and thrilling signature. Additional samples of the Rebbe's signature in the name of the secretary are included for comparison.

[6] original receipts for various donations to the Rebbe's home. The receipts bear the Machaneh Yisrael logo, and that of Lishkat Chasha'im and Tomchei Torah, respectively.

* The Rebbe Menachem Mendel's original envelope, stamped and postmarked, apparently from one of the above letters.

Most of these letters were sent from the famous spa town Otvosk in Poland, where rabbinic leaders and Chassidic Admo"rim would vacation in pre-Holocaust Europe. The Rebbe was there at the time per doctor's orders, due to his health condition (as mentioned in one of the above letters).

It is interesting to note that these letters were sent in 1938 (some note that this year, "תרצח" [murder], portended the future) when the very foundations of Europe were shaking, the Nazi beast threatened and drew its claws with the intent to conquer Europe and the world. In just a few months, the Rayya"tz would manage to miraculously escape the flaming Europe - yet these letters appear as if the world is revolving as usual: Vigorous Chassidic life, banquets, meadows, Chassidic sayings, making connections with synagogues around the world etc, etc. Unbelievable.

The Lubavitcher Rebbes were known even in their lifetimes as wonder-workers who enacted supernatural miracles. This was common among rabbinic leaders in all communities and circles. The innovation among Lubavitcher Rebbes was that even after they passed away, especially the most recent Rebbe, their letters still enact miracles, no less, and possibly even more than during their lives, as our Sages said (Chulin 7b): "Tzaddikim are greater after their deaths than during their lives." This refers not only to letters that were signed by the Rebbes, but also those printed in Iggerot Kodesh, as is well-known. How much more so these letters written the names of the Rebbes, by their personal secretaries - their "right hands, " on the Rebbes' official stationery, and the Rebbes certainly saw them, as is evident by their contents. These documents validate what is said by our Sages: This world is something of the next world. ['מלכותא דארעא כעין מלכותא דשמיא']

Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of the Admo"r Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn of Lubavitch and of his son-in-law, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

Various sizes, overall fine condition.