Auction 153
Exclusive Pre-Passover Sale Important Rabbinic Letters · Rare Books · Manuscripts · Judaica
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Mar 22, 2026
Jerusalem, Israel
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LOT 44:
Original Notebook in the Hand of the Mysterious Sage M. Shoshani Esoteric writings in his unique cryptic style – ...
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Start price:
$
8,000
Estimate :
$15,000 - $20,000
Buyer's Premium: 25%
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Item Overview
Description:
Original Notebook in the Hand of the Mysterious Sage M. Shoshani Esoteric writings in his unique cryptic style – extremely rare
“For three years, in Paris, I too was his student.
At his side I learned much about the dangers of language and reason, about the impulses of the wise man—and also the madman—about the path of mysticism...
But I learned nothing about the secret that tormented or protected him from a sick humanity.”
— Elie Wiesel
A ruled notebook (22 cm), containing 41 handwritten pages in small, dense yet legible script. Additional blank pages appear at the end.
Good condition. Edges of the pages show wear, with some minor loss to letters at the beginnings and ends of lines. Unbound.
This manuscript reflects the distinctive style of M. Shoshani, who was known for his dense, encrypted, and multi-layered writings. His notes often consist of creative juxtapositions of Talmudic and halachic sources, without direct commentary—leaving the reader to uncover the insight on their own.
Among the lines are recurring graphic symbols, borrowed from mathematical and logical notation, used as a kind of shorthand:
“∴” – meaning “therefore”
“∵” – meaning “because”
“=” – denoting conceptual equivalence
Shoshani’s students—including David Ratner, Emmanuel Levinas, and Elie Wiesel—testified that he frequently wrote but almost always destroyed his writings shortly thereafter. Levinas stated: “He was entirely oral Torah... he left behind not a single written line.”
Nonetheless, an in-depth investigation by Michael Greenspan (who later directed the documentary “The Shoshani Enigma”) revealed that some of his writings survived, thanks to a French foundation dedicated to preserving them.
In 2019, notebooks in Shoshani’s hand were sold at Winner’s Auctions for approximately $20,000. In 2021, additional notebooks were donated by Prof. Rosenberg to the National Library of Israel, and their scanned images were uploaded to a dedicated website.
This notebook joins the exceedingly small number of known Shoshani manuscripts—an extraordinarily rare and direct glimpse into the brilliance and enigma of one of the most elusive Jewish thinkers of the 20th century.
M. Shoshani
(Hillel Perlman? Mordechai Shoshani? Mordechai Rosenbaum? Ben Shoshan?; 1895?–1968)
was a rabbi, teacher, and enigmatic figure cloaked in mystery. Renowned for his extraordinary genius, he was said to have maintained connections with many leading rabbis of the time, including Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yoel of Satmar, and others.
Among his known students were the philosopher Emmanuel Levinas, Prof. Shalom Rosenberg, Rabbi Yehuda Leon Ashkenazi (Manitou), Prof. André Neher, the writer Elie Wiesel, and others.
According to various accounts, he mastered no fewer than 18 languages and was so knowledgeable in physics, astronomy, and mathematics that renowned university professors would seek his counsel on such matters. He possessed an unrivaled command of the Talmud, halachic literature, and rabbinic sources—both early and late. As a child, he was said to have performed “needle tests, ” whereby he could tell which letter on which page would be pierced by a pin. It is also said that he typically taught without any books, quoting entire passages from memory.
Throughout his life, he wandered between countries, living with almost no possessions. If the theory that he was in fact Hillel Perlman is accurate, he was born in Lithuania—or perhaps Galicia—and was known from a young age as a brilliant prodigy with a phenomenal memory. It is told that his parents would take him from fair to fair to showcase his intellect for payment, an experience that may have left a lasting impression. Some speculate that this childhood trauma contributed to his later eccentric behavior.
In his youth, he studied under Rabbi Kook at Yeshivat Otzar Chaim in Jaffa, and Rabbi Kook regarded him as one of his most gifted disciples, up until the First World War. Later, Shoshani apparently emigrated to the United States, and Rabbi Kook wrote letters to Rabbi Meir Bar-Ilan requesting assistance on his behalf. According to one version, Shoshani invested his money in the New York Stock Exchange in the 1920s, and lost his fortune in the 1929 crash. Other accounts claim that in the 1930s, he wandered through Morocco and North Africa, where he mastered Arabic, studied Islamic customs, and deeply immersed himself in Sephardic Jewish traditions.
There are two main narratives as to how Shoshani survived the Holocaust:
According to one version, he was arrested by the Gestapo in Paris. When asked to explain his circumcision, he claimed to be a Muslim. The Mufti of Paris was summoned to examine him, and after a five-hour conversation, declared him a Muslim saint and ordered his release.
Another version says that when questioned about his occupation, he responded that he was a mathematician. The Nazi officer, who happened to be a mathematics professor in civilian life, challenged him. Shoshani, unshaken, invited him to test him in any area of mathematics. The officer, impressed, released him.
After the war, Shoshani remained in France, where he tutored private students and taught in displaced persons camps for young Holocaust survivors. According to several testimonies, the Lubavitcher Rebbe attended his lectures during this time, and rumors persist that Rabbi Yoel of Satmar also studied with him.
In 1952, Shoshani immigrated to Israel, where he lived for a time on Kibbutz Be’erot Yitzhak. Between 1955–1956, he returned to France, and later emigrated to Uruguay.
He passed away in 1968 (5728) in Uruguay, during a seminar for religious teachers and youth leaders. In his pocket was found a note referring to a particular Jew in Switzerland who could confirm his identity. Strangely, that individual died on the very same day—and thus, the secret of M. Shoshani’s true identity was preserved.
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