Bidspirit auction | Letter by Rabbi Mordechai Benet,

Letter by Rabbi Mordechai Benet, Av Beis Din of Nikolsburg,   Nikolsburg, 1823 * A newly discovered family letter bearing the signature of the renowned Gadol Hador, Rabbi Mordechai Benet, Av Beis Din of Nikolsburg and head of its yeshiva there. In this letter, Rabbi Mordechai Benet appeals to a wealthy member of the Jewish community of Alt-Ofen (today’s Budapest) to assist with the wedding expenses of the daughter of his younger brother, Rabbi Yeshayah Benet of Alt-Ofen. The girl's father had passed away, and she was left in need of financial help. The letter is signed in his own handwriting: “HaKatan Mordechai Benet.” Almost nothing was previously known about Rabbi Yeshayah Benet beyond the fact that he existed (see: Ki Yedativ by R. A. Benedict, p. 249). This newly discovered letter reveals several important biographical details: that he lived in Alt-Ofen, passed away before Cheshvan 1823, and left behind at least one unmarried daughter. To the best of Zaidy’s knowledge, this letter has never been publicized. Rabbi Mordechai Benet (1753–1829), known as Maharam Benet, was the renowned Rav of Nikolsburg and its surroundings. In his eulogy, the Chasam Sofer described him as “a tzaddik, the Gadol Hador, Rabban shel Yisrael, who led his province for forty years and sustained the Jewish people through Torah and Yiras Shamayim, and a master of the entire Talmud.” He was the primary disciple of Rabbi Yosef Steinhardt of Fürth, who referred to him as a “disciple-friend, ” and he later studied under the Noda B'Yehuda. He was appointed a dayan in the beis din of Rabbi Gershon Chayut, Av Beis Din of Nikolsburg, and after Rabbi Chayut’s passing, succeeded him as Av Beis Din. He conducted his life with extraordinary holiness and piety, never looking beyond his immediate surroundings. His son relates that in the final year of his life, he secluded himself in an inner room of his home, where, “he occupied himself with hidden and mystical matters... with great dveikus and exceptional fervor, with the fire of the Torah burning constantly… and while studying the halachos of mikvaos, his soul departed in purity…” (Toldos Rabbi Mordechai Benet - Ofen, 1832, p. 50) He was buried beside Rabbi Shmelke of Nikolsburg, from whom, according to accounts, he studied Kabbalah. His well-known disciples were Rabbi Yehudah Asad, Rabbi Nachum Trebitsch, Rabbi Amram Chassida of Tzfat, and others. Nikolsburg, Cheshvan 1823. Writing of a scribe, with the autograph signature of Rabbi Mordechai Benet. (There are corrections to several words between the lines, likely in Rabbi Benet's handwriting.) Size: Approx. 19.3 × 23 cm. Condition: Fair to good. Tears and wear along the margins and fold lines, with loss affecting several words; reinforced on the reverse.