Bidspirit auction | A fascinating letter from the

A fascinating letter from the author of ”Michtav Me’Eliyahu” – Is it permissible for a woman to marry her uncle? - An important and intriguing letter handwritten and signed by the renowned Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler, author of ”Michtav Me’Eliyahu, ” addressed to the Chief Rabbi of Ireland, Rabbi Hillel Medalia. Gateshead, 1946 (5706). ”One of my acquaintances… became engaged to his niece… but the law prohibits it… perhaps your honor can inform me… what is the law in Ireland?” In many countries, including America and England, marriage between an uncle and his niece is considered incestuous and prohibited by law. According to Jewish law and in the State of Israel, such marriages are permissible. The Rambam even considers it a mitzvah: ”It is a rabbinic commandment that one should marry his niece, as it says, 'Do not hide yourself from your own flesh'” (Hilchot Issurei Bi’ah, Chapter 2:14). Nevertheless, many refrain from such marriages due to the Tzava’ah (Will) of Rabbi Yehuda HaChassid (Clause 22), which advises avoiding them, as well as potential genetic complications (see: Responsa Shevet HaLevi, Vol. 9, Siman 252). From this letter, it is evident that Rabbi Dessler strongly supported such marriages and went to great lengths to circumvent English law to bring about their completion. [1] Sheet of paper, 20 cm. Official stationery of the Gateshead Kollel, entirely handwritten and signed by Rabbi Dessler. Condition: Very good. Age stains and fold marks. Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler (1892–1954): One of the greatest proponents of Mussar (Jewish ethical teachings) of all time, Rabbi Dessler authored ”Michtav Me’Eliyahu, ” which became the foundational text of Mussar in Jewish education. A product of the Kelm Mussar school and a close disciple of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Broide, son-in-law of the Saba Mi’Kelm (Elder of Kelm), Rabbi Dessler married Bluma, daughter of Rabbi Nachum Zev Ziv and granddaughter of the Saba Mi’Kelm. Rabbi Dessler was one of the few to receive rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, the leader of Lithuanian Jewry, to whom he was related. In 1928, he immigrated to England and served as rabbi in East End and Dalston. In the early 1940s, he joined the prestigious Gateshead Kollel as a spiritual leader, seeing greater opportunities to influence and deepen Talmud study. Rabbi Dessler significantly developed the kollel’s curriculum and financial stability. In 1947, he accepted Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman’s invitation to serve as the Mashgiach Ruchani (spiritual overseer) of the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, Israel. His Mussar discourses there remain legendary in the yeshiva world, and his ”Michtav Me’Eliyahu” became a cornerstone text in Mussar literature. Rabbi Dr. Hillel Medalia (1916–1977): Son of Rabbi Shemaryahu Yehuda Leib Medalia, who served as the rabbi of Vitebsk and Moscow. Rabbi Hillel Medalia held rabbinical positions in Leeds (England), Dublin (Ireland), and Antwerp (Belgium).