Bidspirit auction | Book of Printed Letters of

Book of Printed Letters of Gedolei HaDor Against the Maskilim Including from the Chasam Sofer and Rabbi Akiva Eiger Altona, 1819 * Sefer Aileh Divrei HaBris, containing twenty-two sharply worded letters from the Gedolei HaDor of many countries, opposing the practices introduced by the Reform Jews in their first Temple. A historic composition – the very first time the Gedolei HaDor united against the Reform movement at its inception. The essence of the sefer is built around three central issues in which the Reform began to deviate from the accepted minhag:  a) Altering the established text of tefillah fixed by the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah;  b) Translating the prayers into German;  c) Introducing musical instruments to accompany the tefillah on Shabbos. The year prior, in 1818, the first Reform Temple was founded in Hamburg, where these innovations were instituted. The dayanim of the community rose to wage a battle against them, turning to the Gedolei HaDor for their halachic ruling on these changes. That same year (1818) a sefer titled Nogah HaTzedek was printed in Vienna, in which its Reform author sought to justify these innovations. Presented here are letters from dozens of Gedolei HaDor denouncing the three changes and the sefer Nogah HaTzedek, written with shock and anguish, and in the strongest of terms. These letters stirred immense tumult across Europe and, to a great extent, can be said to have curbed the spread of Reform in those years. Among the Rabbanim whose letters appear here: The Chasam Sofer – there are no less than three letters of his (!) spanning some twenty-two pages in total; Rabbi Akiva Eiger of Posen; Rabbi Mordechai Banet of Nikolsburg; Rabbi Yaakov Lorberbaum of Lissa, author of Nesivos HaMishpat; Rabbi Meshulam Zakman HaKohen (Raza”ch) of Fuerth; Rabbi Hertz Scheyer of Mainz;  and many more rabbanim from Italy, France, and Germany. A very important sefer – one of the earliest in the world to present the Orthodox Jewish stance against Reform, and one of those that helped shape the identity of the Torah-true community down to our own generation. The Chasam Sofer was deeply involved in gathering the teshuvos of the Gedolei HaDor, and at the head of his own teshuva here he describes his efforts in the matter. On the title page is printed: “By the order of the Beis Din Tzedek of the holy community of Hamburg.” Altona, 1819. Sole edition. Page Count: XVI, 132 pp. Printed at the end are translations of the letters into Yiddish - German. Size: 21.2 cm. Condition: Good. A few holes, some stains. Antique binding (somewhat worn). Provenance: The William Gross Collection, Tel-Aviv.