Bidspirit auction | Letter from Rabbi Yosef Shalom

Letter from Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv to the exceptional gaon Rabbi Chanoch Karlenstein - A fine responsum letter, in the handwriting and with the signature of the Gadol Hador and his generation’s leader, Maran Hagaon Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv. Jerusalem, 1982 [5742]. The letter is addressed to the exceptional scholar Rabbi Chanoch Henoch Karlenstein [son of the author of Ma’agalei Tzedek], who passed away from illness in his youth. Rabbi Chanoch Karlenstein had sent Rabbi Elyashiv three halachic questions for practical guidance. As is known, Maran Rabbi Elyashiv’s time was extremely limited, and he usually refrained from answering most written inquiries due to lack of time. However, due to the importance of the inquirer [who was only 25 years old!], Rabbi Elyashiv chose to reply to the letter and wrote at its top: “Despite my many distractions, I found some time to review your letter.” Unlike many other great rabbis who published books of their teachings and halachic responsa, Rabbi Elyashiv did not publish any sefer during his lifetime, despite being the leading halachic authority of his generation. Every matter of the generation was decided by him. Therefore, his handwritten responsa are of great significance, preserving a glimpse of the Torah of this towering sage. Presented here is a lengthy and important responsum letter, in which Rabbi Elyashiv provides two clearly articulated halachic responses. The letter is especially clear since it was written for a recipient, unlike many of his other manuscripts written in shorthand for personal use in preparation for lectures, etc. Hagaon Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv [1910–2012], grandson of the renowned Kabbalist the Leshem (Leshem Shevo Ve’achlama), contributed to part of that very work even before his bar mitzvah. In the sefer, his grandfather refers to him with the exalted term “Ashrei Yoladeto” (“Fortunate is she who bore him”). Rabbi Elyashiv was among the greatest halachic decisors for over seventy years, famed for his extraordinary diligence and deep mastery of the entirety of Torah. He became the leading halachic authority of the generation, and in the last two decades of his life, he led the Torah world both in Israel and abroad. The recipient, Rabbi Chanoch Henoch Karlenstein [1957–1999], was the son of Hagaon Rabbi Dov Tzvi Karlenstein. He was among the outstanding figures of the yeshiva world, who passed away in his youth after illness. Renowned for his holiness and spiritual stature, along with his exceptional Torah scholarship, he was admired by the leading sages of the generation and deeply revered in the Torah community. [2] pages, approx. 21 cm, on lined paper, in his own handwriting and signature. Includes the question letter sent by Rabbi Chanoch Henoch Karlenstein. Very good condition.