Bidspirit auction | “Your humble servant – Eliezer

“Your humble servant – Eliezer Zusia”; An important letter by the Skulener Rebbe, Eliezer Zusia Portugal, of blessed memory - Rare and moving autograph letter (approx. 250 words) concerning the establishment of the “Chesed LeAvraham” institutions in Meron. Entirely handwritten and signed by the Skulener Rebbe, the holy Admor Eliezer Zusia Portugal, and addressed to Rabbi Simcha HaKohen, Chief Rabbi of Safed. Petah Tikva, 5731 [1971]. The letter was sent from Petah Tikva during the Rebbe’s historic visit to the Land of Israel, in connection with the founding of the renowned “Chesed LeAvraham” complex near the tomb of the Tanna Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in Meron. In the letter, the Rebbe describes the mission and purpose of the institution: “In which many children of the new immigrants are sustained with both spiritual and physical nourishment, in purity and holiness, and with God’s help, on the coming Rosh Chodesh Sivan we hope to lay the cornerstone… for the honor of the Torah and for the honor of the Tanna Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.” The Rebbe warmly invites the Chief Rabbi of Safed, described as a “close neighbor, ” to participate in the cornerstone-laying ceremony, scheduled for Rosh Chodesh Sivan — “the month of the Giving of the Torah.” Later in the letter, the Rebbe elaborates at length on the profound motivation underlying his life’s work: the establishment of Torah and charitable institutions and the assumption of full responsibility for the sustenance of children and families, including those outside his own chassidic community: “…our aim, with God’s help, is to expand and magnify the attribute of kindness of our forefather Abraham — material and spiritual kindness together… and through that ‘Eshel’ to proclaim the Name of God, Lord of the universe… to build souls and fulfill the attribute of Abraham our father, ‘and the souls they made in Haran.’” In keeping with the Skulener Rebbe’s well-known practice — whose blessings were said never to return empty — the present letter concludes with multiple, layered blessings for the esteemed recipient, the Av Beit Din of Safed: “A day in which ‘ki tov’ was doubled… life, blessing, and peace… and with the threefold blessing, through the eternal threefold Torah and the true redemption, speedily in our days, Selah. The humble servant, Eliezer Zusia, son of the holy Rabbi Yisrael Avraham, of blessed memory, Portugal.” Physical description: One paper leaf, 28 cm. Entirely in the Rebbe’s holy hand and bearing his autograph signature. Condition: Very good. Filing holes. Biography Rabbi Eliezer Zusia Portugal of Skulen (5658–5742 | 1898–1982), the founding Skulener Rebbe, was a towering chassidic leader, a saintly figure of extraordinary compassion, self-sacrifice, and spiritual power. His entire life was devoted to the welfare of the Jewish people, and especially to children, orphans, and refugees — without distinction of community, background, or affiliation. Alongside his greatness in Torah and Chassidut and his stature among the leading rebbes of his generation, the Skulener Rebbe was renowned for his boundless kindness. His home was perpetually open; his table was shared with the poor; and he cared for orphaned children as a true father — feeding them, clothing them, educating them, and arranging their marriages. Even before the Holocaust, and all the more so afterward, his home became a refuge of chesed. In some official documents, orphaned children were even registered as his biological offspring in order to save them from the authorities. During the Communist era, when rabbis were compelled to participate in propaganda events portraying Jewish life positively, the Skulener Rebbe declared that he could not deliver speeches — but that he could sing. He composed and sang a haunting melody to verses from Psalms (79): “Let the nations know before our eyes the vengeance for the spilled blood of Your servants…” Through this song, he transmitted a coded cry to the free world about the true plight of Jews behind the Iron Curtain — an act of rare wisdom, courage, and sanctification of God’s Name. In 5720, he succeeded in escaping Romania and reached the United States, where his righteousness flourished openly. There he established an extensive network of charitable and educational institutions under the name “Chesed LeAvraham – Skulen, ” including orphanages, schools, and relief organizations for refugees from Romania, Transylvania, Bukovina, and Maramureș. This enterprise became renowned throughout the Jewish world. In a remarkable and uncommon initiative for a chassidic rebbe, he also devoted himself in the Land of Israel to the welfare of new immigrants from Eastern countries, not only to his own followers or European émigrés. Of particular significance are the institutions he founded in Meron — directly referenced in the present letter — near the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. These institutions served as a beacon of light and hope,