Bidspirit auction | Unique Letter to the Chazon

Unique Letter to the Chazon Ish from his Holy Mother, and his brother Rabbi Itchele Karelitz * As is known, the name of the Chazon Ish became widely recognized throughout Klal Yisrael primarily after Rabbi Chaim Ozer sent a letter from Vilna to Eretz Yisrael in which he famously wrote about the Chazon: “A lion has ascended from Bavel.” From that point onward, the Chazon Ish took the lead in guiding all religious affairs in Eretz Yisrael, and it was from him that the worldview of the Chareidi community in recent generations was shaped. The letter was sent to the Chazon Ish merely one month (!) after he moved to Eretz Yisrael , at which time the Chazon Ish stayed for a short period at the Allenby Hotel, and after approximately three months moved to Bnei Brak, where he established his modest home, which became a magnet for all. On the postcard appear several writings from members of the Chazon Ish’s close family: Ten lines at the top of the letter in the handwriting and with the signature of his righteous mother, Mrs. Rasha Leah, who merited that all her sons and sons-in-law were great Torah scholars. The Rebbetzin writes to her son, among other things (in Yiddish): “The Eternal One (i.e. Hashem) will direct everything for the good, ” and asks him to write to her frequently. One line in the handwriting and with the signature of his holy righteous brother, Rabbi Itchele Kossover hy”d, namely Rabbi Yitzchak Zundel Karelitz, one of the distinguished figures of Lithuania who conducted himself with holiness and asceticism, and was murdered by the Nazis in 1942 while praying, wrapped in his tallis. His brother-in-law, most likely Rabbi Abba Swiatitzki hy”d (whose name is inscribed on the reverse of the postcard as the sender). Mrs. Esther, who sends regards. The Rebbetzin, Mrs. Rasha Leah Karelitz, the mother of the Chazon Ish, was the daughter of Rabbi Shaul Katzenellenbogen and wife of Rabbi Shmaryahu Yosef Karelitz. She was a righteous and learned woman who later moved to Eretz Yisrael and lived near the Chazon Ish. She used to come to pray at her son’s house, and he would regularly prepare a shtender for her and accompany her frequently to her home. She passed away in 1941. The Chofetz Chaim once asked her eldest son, Rabbi Meir, what merit his mother had that she raised sons and sons-in-law who were all such great tzaddikim. He answered that he had heard his mother saying that everything was in the merit of her exceptional modesty (Pe’er HaDor Vol. I, p. 64). Kossovo, 1933. Postcard measuring approximately 10.5 x 14.5 cm. Condition: Good, lacking one corner (with damage to one word). Provenance: Tzfunot Auction (2023).