Bidspirit auction | A Fiery and Stirring Letter

A Fiery and Stirring Letter with a Heartfelt Outcry from the Aderes,   Mir, 1889 * A lengthy four-page letter, unsigned, in the handwriting of the great gaon Rabbi Eliyahu David Rabinowitz Teomim, one of the greatest rabbanim of Lithuania, written during his tenure as Rav of Mir. Addressed to the renowned gaon of Shavel, Rabbi Yosef Zechariah Stern, author of Zecher Yehosef. In it, the Aderes writes in strikingly forceful language about the spiritual and moral decline of the generation, and he castigates, with rare intensity, those unworthy individuals who take upon themselves the rabbinate. The background to this correspondence was the passing of the rav of a nearby town (a relative of the Zecher Yehosef) and despite the requests of the Gedolei Hador to assist the widow (by continuing the deceased rav’s salary), an unworthy new rav was hired, apparently preventing the community from supporting the widow. Here is an excerpt of the Aderet's words: “The regulations of the “Seventy Elders, ” the so-called sages of the generation, have already been printed concerning the added collections for those living in Eretz Yisrael. Alas — woe to our eyes that see such things! Who are these seventy elders? Among them are those who have never in their lives, nor will they ever, so much as know (tzursa deshmatsa) the form of a Torah discussion. And were the authority of the Beis Din still strong, they would surely have been barred even from joining among the hundred rabbis convened to annul the ban of Rabbeinu Gershom. And now, when the lowliest of men are equated with the greatest of the great, each one leaps to the fore and declares, “I shall rule!” He too claims prophecy, he too is a gaon — like the one who truly knows the entire Torah through his diligence and his vast knowledge through deep Torah study. In such a perverse generation, when new ‘geonim’ sprout forth in every village, what strength has Beis Din left? Every man does what is right in his own eyes, and all is hefker — ownerless, until the Master of the Vineyard shall come and uproot its thorns. Before our eyes we see the robbery of the upright and the cry of the downtrodden and righteous. Yet what can we do, when the world has been delivered into the hands of fools — or of the cunning, who disguise themselves as beasts whenever it suits their purpose? Falsehood grows stronger with every passing day, and truth has vanished entirely. Whoever bullies the strongest prevails among the mighty, while truth is trampled in the streets before every passerby — and all stands as if firm and unchallenged.” At the beginning of the letter, the Aderes pours out his anguish over his personal suffering, both physical and financial, and mentions his tribulations, including the great fire of 1881 in which many of his chiddushim were consumed. A deeply emotional and heartrending letter, expressing the inner pain of a true Torah giant, far beyond what can be conveyed here. To the best of Zaidy's knowledge, this letter has never before been published. Rabbi Eliyahu David Rabinowitz Teomim, the Aderes (1843–1905), was a brilliant Torah prodigy, whose scholarly output flowed continuously from his youth until his final days. At just 29, he was appointed Rav of Ponevezh, a position he held until 1893, after which he moved to Mir. In 1901, he accepted the prestigious role of Rav in Jerusalem, alongside the venerable Rabbi Shmuel Salant, who was 27 years his senior! He passed away in 1905, just four years after settling in Eretz Yisrael. Since his passing, an ever-growing number of chiddushim from his vast Torah legacy continue to be published. Rabbi Yosef Zecharya Stern, Av Beis Din of Shavel (1831-1904) , was one of the great Torah geniuses of previous generations. His encyclopedic knowledge in all realms of Torah was astounding, and his memory was unparalleled. In 1860, before reaching the age of thirty, he published his famous sefer Zecher Yehosef which received the approbation of Rabbi Yaakov Gezundheit, author of Tiferes Yaakov, who wrote: “I stood trembling and astounded by his sharpness and fluency in Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi with all the early and latter poskim, responsa, and commentaries…” In 1861, he was appointed as Rav of Shavel, where he remained for 43 years until his passing. Mir, 1889. Two leaves, comprising four written pages in the Aderes’s distinctive hand. Unsigned. Size: 13.3 × 21.2 cm. Condition: Good to fair; creases and age stains.