Bidspirit auction | “The Flower of Peace Shall

“The Flower of Peace Shall Blossom and Flourish” An Impassioned Call from Rabbi Chaim Berlin for Unity Between the Perushim and Chassidim in Yerushalayim * A letter addressed to the leaders of the Perushim and Chassidim kollelim in Yerushalayim, calling for the establishment of peace so that they might unite in brotherly love and not divide into separate camps. The letter is written entirely in the beautiful language and elegant writing of Rabbi Chaim Berlin, Av Beis Din of Moscow, during the lifetime of his illustrious father, the Netziv of Volozhin. In later years, he moved to Eretz Yisrael and became himself a leader of the Perushim community in Yerushalayim. Rabbi Chaim writes the following: “Join together as one single group, and give honor to Hashem your G-d… then there will be hope in Hashem and in His salvation, for gradually the days of old will be restored, and before long the flower of peace will blossom and flourish, bringing joy to the righteous and sincere, and the accursed jealousy that destroys worlds will be removed…” He goes on to note that the benefactors abroad “have no distinction between one kollel and another, nor between a chassid and a porush”… In the preceding years, various disputes had existed in Yerushalayim between the different kollelim and within them. The most famous controversy of that time is the “Courtyard Controversy” of the Etz Chaim institution in 1864. Rabbi Chaim alludes to this dispute in the present letter, where he mentions the “calamity” that befell the emissary Rabbi Yitzchak Yaakov HaSofer upon his return from Siberia, writing: “Behold the fruit of dispute and the division of hearts, in our many sins.” That emissary had been among those who spoke against Rabbi Mardishkovitz in the Courtyard Controversy. Rabbi Chaim signs twice: “Chaim the son of the gaon Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin, shlita, of Volozhin, the aforementioned holy community.” He then adds an additional passage in which he writes about donations that he collected at the time of the letter’s writing, and signs again: “The young Chaim Berlin, of the aforementioned holy community.” On the reverse page, he records the names of benefactors from Moscow and several nearby cities. Among these donors appears “the honorable master, the gaon, shlita” — referring to the Netziv, to Rabbi Shmuel Salant. Rabbi Chaim Berlin (1832-1913) was the son of the Netziv, Rosh Yeshiva of the Volozhin Yeshiva, and was Av Beis Din of Moscow. In 1882, he was expelled from that city and moved to Biala, whose Jewish population was mostly chassidic. In 1889, he returned to Volozhin. In his later years, he immigrated to Eretz Yisrael and, after the passing of Rabbi Shmuel Salant, became a leader of the community alongside Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin and Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld. His word was the final one in all matters, and many benefited from his counsel and wisdom. Moscow, the year “Shalom Tovah U’verachah” [1870] . Two pages in the handwriting and with the signatures of Rabbi Chaim Berlin. Size : 21.3 × 26 cm. Condition : Good, repaired tears.