Bidspirit auction | Letter of Blessings by the

Letter of Blessings by the Galician Posek Rabbi Meir Arik, Av Beis Din of Buczacz –  Vienna, 1921 * A handwritten and autographed letter of blessing by the illustrious gaon Rabbi Meir Arik, Av Beis Din of Tarnow, author of Minchas Pittim, Imrei Yosher, Tal Torah, and other sefarim. In the letter, Rabbi Meir extends his warm blessing to a rav upon his appointment to the rabbinate. He writes, “I was happy to see from your letter that it appears you have already been accepted as the rav there. I bless you that it should be at a good and favorable time, that you stand forever before Hashem in Torah, with abundant nachas and peace of mind.” He signs, “HaKatan Meir Arik, Av Beis Din of the holy community of Botshatch.” The postcard was written in Vienna, where Rabbi Meir Arik, together with other rabbanim and rebbes from Eastern Galicia, had taken refuge during the First World War. A year later, he was appointed Av Beis Din of Tarnow. Rabbi Meir Arik (1855–1926) succeeded the Maharsham as the halachic authority of Galicia and was held in great esteem by all the gedolei hador of his time. He received semichah from the Maharsham and from his primary rebbi, the Kochav MiYaakov. Like the Maharsham, he was a Chortkover chassid and was also close to the Belz chassidic courts. He passed away in his sukkah after making kiddush on the night of the fifteenth of Tishrei, 1926. Among his works are Shu”t Imrei Yosher, Tal Torah, Minchas Pittim, and others. Vienna, 1921 . Nine lines in Rabbi Meir Arik's handwriting and with his signature. Size : 9×14 cm. Condition : Minor losses at the corners; otherwise in good condition. - - - - - - Included is a Yiddish postcard from the widow of Rabbi Meir Arik, Rebbetzin Perel Arik, dated 1927. Rabbi Meir passed away in 1926. Almost nothing is known about the rebbetzin, and this postcard is a rare remnant from her lifetime. See the new edition of The Chiddushim of Rabbi Meir Arik on Mikvaos (Antwerp 2007), p. 9 n. 27: “We possess no further details regarding her origins or family, nor is the place and time of her passing known.” In the sefer Shu”t Imrei Yosher, her husband, Rabbi Meir Arik, mentions that the name “Perel” is like “Margalit” (Shu”t Imrei Yosher, vol. 1 siman 83). Provenance: Genazym Auction (2019).