Bidspirit auction | Letter Composed by Rav Yitzchak

Letter Composed by Rav Yitzchak Hutner and Written by his Daughter Brooklyn, 1959 * A long letter, spanning more than three large pages, by the gaon Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner, author of Pachad Yitzchak and Toras HaNazir. The letter was written (and apparently also signed) in the handwriting of his only daughter, Rebbetzin Bruria David, wife of the gaon Rabbi Yonasan David, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Pachad Yitzchak, who assisted her father in the writing of his letters. The letter addresses three broad sugyos concerning the origins of the obligation of mitzvos in this world: the definition of the obligation of mitzvos prior to Moshe Rabbeinu; the transmission of the Torah through Moshe; whether Adam HaRishon was obligated in six mitzvos or in the full 613 mitzvos, and at what point he descended from his original level; and why Adam HaRishon is counted as having only six mitzvos and not seven. Rabbi Hutner regarded this letter as extremely significant, as he notes explicitly in the letter: “The above matters have been stated with extreme brevity, and you should therefore endeavor to acquire these matters through toil and exertion. And may the verse be fulfilled in you: ‘A wise man will hear and increase his learning.’” At the end of the letter, in a postscript, Rabbi Hutner recommends finding a good, like-minded friend with whom to study the letter. In the letter, Rabbi Hutner sets forth profound foundational principles in Jewish thought. We quote a brief passage: “This concept of the revelation of man’s obligation in the world extends from Adam HaRishon until it reached completion with Moshe Rabbeinu. From that point onward, there are no further innovations in man’s obligations to his Creator… meaning, that through Moshe, the entire process of the innovation of man’s obligations to his Creator, through the revelation of His will, came to its conclusion.” Regarding the second sugya, Rabbi Hutner writes: “Know that you have touched on an essential point that requires clarification and elucidation… this difficulty must rob the peace of the person who delves deeply...” At the conclusion of the letter, Rabbi Hutner ends with a blessing: “Go forth and succeed, and frimly grasp the Tree of Life… with great esteem, Yitzchak Hutner.” (As noted, the signature too is apparently in the handwriting of his daughter, the Rebbetzin.) The letter was printed in the sefer Pachad Yitzchak – Iggros u’Kesavim, Iggeres 25. Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner (1906–1980) was one of the foremost masters of Jewish thought and hashkafa in recent generations, and one of the greatest disseminators of Torah and mussar. He was a product of the Slabodka and Chevron yeshivos and was already known as an exceptional ilui from a young age. His first work, Toras Nazir, was printed in Warsaw in 1932 and earned him recognition among Torah scholars. From 1939 onward, he served as Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Rabbi Chaim Berlin in the United States. His essays were published in the multi-volume series Pachad Yitzchak. Brooklyn, 1959 Page Count: Two leaves, containing more than three written pages. Size : Approximately 21 × 28 cm. Condition : Good. Filling holes with round reinforcement labels. --------------------------- By Rabbi Eli Fisher: A letter composed by Rav Yitzchak Hutner and written by his daughter, Rebbetzin Dr. Bruria David, in the summer of 5719 (1959), concerning a discourse that Rav Hutner delivered around Shavuos of that year. Rav Hutner composed this letter to a young man named Yaakov Lifshitz in response to questions that Mr. Lifshitz posed to the renowned rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin about his understanding of the relationship between the Seven Noahide Mitzvos (“Sheva Mitzvos Bnei Noach”) and the 613 mitzvos of the Torah. In his response to the second question, relating to the status of Adam HaRishon vis-à-vis the 613 mitzvos prior to his sin, Rav Hutner acknowledges the profundity of the question — “you have touched on an essential point that requires clarification and elucidation” — and develops an elaborate theory about the necessity of the Seven Noahide Mitzvos in sustaining the world, in contrast to the self-fashioning dimension of the 613 mitzvos. Classic Rav Hutner! At the beginning and end of the letter, Rav Hutner offers words of praise and encouragement to his interlocutor. At the beginning, he says, “Your words indicate that you have grasped our words — which stand at the apex of the world — well. Such a grasp is impossible unless a thirst and desire for the light of Torah precedes it….” At the end of the letter, in a postscript, Rav Hutner recommends finding a good, like-minded friend with whom to study the letter. This correspondence was published as Letter #25 in Pachad Yitzchak – Iggros u’Kesavim. It is a continuation and expansion of Letter #24 of that volume, and the discourse in question appears in Pachad Yitzchak – Shavuos, ma’amar §25.