Bidspirit auction | “And May the Divine Presence

“And May the Divine Presence Rest Upon His Endeavors” — A Moving Letter from Rabbi Aryeh Levin to Rabbi Meir Berlin. Jerusalem, 5700 [1940] - A heartfelt and deeply appreciative letter of blessing from the renowned Jerusalem saint Rabbi Aryeh Levin to Rabbi Meir Berlin (Bar-Ilan), one of the leaders of the Mizrachi movement and among the most prominent public figures of the Jewish Yishuv. Jerusalem, 5700 [1940]. The letter was written on the occasion of Rabbi Meir Berlin’s sixtieth jubilee and is filled throughout with extraordinary blessings and expressions of esteem. Among other things, Rabbi Aryeh blesses him: “May He satisfy him with length of days, and may he soon behold His holy salvation...” And further: “May the merit of the many be brought about through him, and may the Divine Presence rest upon his endeavors, to strengthen the foundations of religion and Torah...” Before us is a document of special historical significance. During the 1940s, relations between the leaders of Jerusalem’s Old Yishuv and the heads of the Zionist movement and Mizrachi leadership were often complex and at times deeply strained. Rabbi Meir Berlin, son of the famed Netziv of Volozhin and one of the foremost leaders of Religious Zionism, stood at the forefront of the national revival in the Land of Israel—a path that many circles within the Old Yishuv did not embrace. It is precisely against this background that Rabbi Aryeh Levin’s voice is so striking. One of the most beloved and revered figures of Orthodox Jerusalem, a spiritual mentor and educator at the Etz Chaim Talmud Torah and Yeshivah, and a quintessential representative of the Old Yishuv, Rabbi Aryeh does not hesitate to shower Rabbi Meir Berlin with rare praise and heartfelt blessings. No polemics, no reservations, no distance—only open affection, profound respect, and a prayer that he continue his public work on behalf of the Jewish people. The letter sheds light on a lesser-known aspect of the Yishuv period. Alongside the sharp ideological disputes of the era, there also existed bonds of mutual respect, appreciation, and shared responsibility for the destiny of the Jewish people and their homeland. Before us is a rare testimony to that reality, penned by one of Jerusalem’s most celebrated righteous figures. [1] Paper leaf, 23 cm. Very good condition. Biography Rabbi Aryeh Levin (1885–1969), known as the “Rabbi of the Prisoners, ” was the legendary saint of Jerusalem. Spiritual mentor at the Etz Chaim Talmud Torah and Yeshivah, he was among the city’s greatest men of kindness and one of the most beloved personalities of the Old Yishuv. He became famous for his devotion to underground prisoners, the sick, and the downtrodden, and remains one of the enduring symbols of twentieth-century Jerusalem. He was the father-in-law of Maran Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv. Rabbi Meir Berlin (Bar-Ilan) (1880–1949), son of the Netziv of Volozhin, was a leading figure in the worldwide Mizrachi movement and one of the foremost leaders of the religious Jewish community in the Land of Israel. He helped establish numerous Torah, educational, and cultural institutions and was among the central architects of Religious Zionism during the era of Jewish national revival.