Bidspirit auction | Semicha of Yoreh Yoreh from

Semicha of Yoreh Yoreh from Rabbi Bezalel HaCohen, Leading Rav of Vilna – 1877 * Handwritten and autographed document of ordination by the Gaon Rabbi Bezalel HaCohen of Vilna, among the leading poskim of his generation, elder brother and teacher of the Cheshek Shlomo of Vilna. Rabbi Bezalel writes regarding the recipient of the semicha: “We have found him very knowledgeable in the laws of issur v'heter, as well as in monetary matters. He is very skilled in properly clarifying the sugiyos according to halacha, and is capable of being a dayan and posek, and of issuing halachic rulings in accordance with Torah and law... and may he become, with Hashem's help, a great halachic authority in Klal Yisrael.” Rabbi Bezalel HaCohen of Vilna (1820–1878) was a prodigy from his youth. His brother, the Cheshek Shlomo, attested that by age 11, he had mastered two Sidrei Shas “in great depth”! (in his introduction to Shu”t Binyan Shlomo). At 23, he was appointed as a moreh tzedek in the community of Vilna, and his name became well-known in Klal Yisrael. He devoted himself to every aspect of communal life in Vilna: issuing halachic rulings, granting semicha (such as the present one), taking care of the eiruv, and addressing all the city’s needs. He authored a vast number of halachic teshuvos sent to all corners of the globe, yet of his Torah legacy, only a small portion has survived: his sefer Reishis Bikurim, and his well-known glosses on many masechtos in the first Vilna edition of Shas (1835–1854), which he printed anonymously (see article on the printing of the Talmud by R' N.N. Rabinowitz p. 136). A few remnants of his Torah teachings were printed in various sefarim, and some were printed for the first time in recent years. Rabbi Bezalel passed away in the month of Nissan 1878 – a few months after writing the present semicha document. Vilna, Elul 1877. Size : 21x22 cm. Condition : Small holes along the folding marks, a few stains. The name of the recipient of the semicha was erased shortly after it was written, and a new name was written in its place (possibly by a different writer).