Bidspirit auction | ”He Who Tends the Fig

”He Who Tends the Fig Tree Shall Eat Its Fruit” – An Important Letter from Rabbi Chaim Berlin to the Rabbis of Jerusalem - A Unique Item! An Early Letter by Rabbi Chaim Berlin, Chief Rabbi of Moscow and Yelizavetgrad, Later Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. Yelizavetgrad, 1898 [תרנ”ח]. “He who tends the fig tree shall eat its fruit.” The letter was written during Rabbi Chaim Berlin’s tenure as Rabbi of Yelizavetgrad, and it reflects his exceptional efforts to raise funds for the poor of Jerusalem, including from nearby towns. This document illustrates his spiritual and practical connection to Jerusalem many years before his later appointment as the city’s Rabbi—at a time when such a position was not even under consideration. An interesting detail: among the names of donors mentioned in the letter appears Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik of Brisk, who served as Rosh Yeshiva of Volozhin. The document thus provides a rare testimony to collaboration between the great leaders of that generation, despite the well-known tensions and differences between the disciples of the two leading yeshivot. Notably, the letter refers to Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik simply as “R. Chaim Soloveitchik.” Rabbi Chaim Berlin (1832–1913), one of the great Torah leaders of his time and a towering figure of Lithuanian and Jerusalem rabbinic life, was the eldest son of the Netziv of Volozhin. He served as Chief Rabbi of Moscow, and as Rosh Yeshiva of the famed Volozhin Yeshiva (“the mother of yeshivot”), as well as Dayan and teacher there. He later served as Rabbi of Kobrin. In 1906 he was invited to Jerusalem, and following the passing of Rabbi Shmuel Salant, he was recognized for his authority and Torah greatness as Chief Rabbi of the Ashkenazic community of Jerusalem, though he personally declined to accept the position formally. [1] Paper leaf, 20×13 cm. Very good condition. Fold marks.