Bidspirit auction | Beautiful Handwritten Letter of Semichah

Beautiful Handwritten Letter of Semichah by Rabbi Chaim Berlin, Av Beis Din of Moscow and Jerusalem – 1909 * An impressive document of semichah granted by Rabbi Chaim Berlin to the gaon Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Salant, one of the distinguished sages of Jerusalem. Rabbi Chaim writes in his poetic style: “He is worthy and fitting to be crowned with the crown of the rabbinate… Yoreh yoreh, yadin yadin, Blessed shall be the congregation that chooses him and draws him near, May the Almighty exalt him, and place him as a leader at its head…” Rabbi Chaim Berlin (1832–1913) , son of the Netziv and Rosh Yeshiva of the Volozhin Yeshiva, served as Av Beis Din in the communities of Moscow, Kobrin, and others. In his later years, he immigrated to Eretz Yisrael and, after the passing of Rabbi Shmuel Salant, became the leader of the community together with Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin and Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld. His word was the final one in all matters, and many benefitted from his counsel and wisdom. The Jerusalem maggid Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Salant (1885–1981) , son-in-law of Rabbi Notta Tzvi Weiss, was renowned for his eloquent speech and his finely crafted drashos. At the request of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, some of his drashos were published in the sefer Be’er Yosef. Jerusalem, 1909. Entirely in the handwriting and with the signature of Rabbi Chaim Berlin. Size: 14 × 21.5 cm. Condition: Good; restoration along the fold, old adhesive stains. Provenance: Winner’s Auction, 2024.