Bidspirit auction | “Not Without Reason Did the

“Not Without Reason Did the Starling Go to the Raven” — The Infamous Broadside That Shook the Jewish World and Led to the Excommunication of Its Author - Presented here is one of the most extreme and inflammatory broadsides printed in Jerusalem during the era of the Old Yishuv—a polemical proclamation that succeeded in provoking an unprecedented storm throughout the Jewish world. The broadside was published in the wake of the historic visit of the Gerrer Rebbe, Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter, author of the Imrei Emes, to Eretz Israel, and particularly in response to his public expressions of esteem for Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook. While the Imrei Emes spoke of Rabbi Kook in exceptionally respectful terms and defended him against attacks from Jerusalem’s zealots, the extremist circles of the city regarded this as a severe blow to the campaign they had long waged against him. The text of the broadside, composed in a sharp, opens with the words: “Where there is a desecration of Heaven’s Name, no honor is accorded to a rabbi... Avraham and Avraham—a gezerah shavah. Not without reason did the starling go to the raven, but because he is a heretic…” The phrase “Avraham and Avraham—a gezerah shavah” was intended to draw a parallel between the two central figures in the controversy—the Gerrer Rebbe, Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter, and Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook—both of whom shared the name Avraham. From there, the author proceeds to the venomous metaphor: “Not without reason did the starling go to the raven.” The true sting of the broadside, however, lies in its final word. Instead of the familiar rabbinic expression “because it is of its kind” (mipnei she-hu mino), the author deliberately altered the wording to “mipnei she-hu minus” (“because it is heresy”). With the addition of a single letter, the traditional saying was transformed into a calculated insinuation that the Imrei Emes’s association with Rabbi Kook stemmed, Heaven forbid, from ideological kinship in matters of heresy. Thus, the attack was directed not only at Rabbi Kook but also at the Gerrer Rebbe himself—the foremost leader of Polish Jewry and one of the greatest rabbinic figures of his generation. The uproar caused by this broadside quickly spread far beyond Jerusalem and reached the major Torah centers of Europe. The publication was widely viewed as an unprecedented affront to the honor of leading Torah authorities. In response, prominent rabbis and communal leaders issued vigorous protests, and the Agudas HaRabbanim of Poland ultimately resolved to impose excommunication upon both the author and the printer of the broadside, in accordance with the rulings of the Shulchan Aruch. Although frequently mentioned in contemporary literature and later scholarship dealing with the controversies surrounding Rabbi Kook, the original broadside itself has remained remarkably elusive. Very rare. [1] Broadside, 47 × 32 cm. Condition: Fair to good. Fold marks. Tears along fold lines without loss. Small loss at the upper-left blank corner, not affecting the text.