Most Important Historical Letter! Handwritten and Signed by the Gaon the Rosh Av Beit Din Rabbi Zelig Reuven Bengis - about Accepting a Rabbinic Position in Jerusalem - Kalwaria, 1939

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"מפצירים בי לשבת אתם ולשרת בקודש כמקדם" (They plead with me to sit with them and Lesharet Bakodesh as previously) – Lengthy historical letter with fascinating historical details – handwritten entirely by the Gaon Rabbi Zelig Reuven Bengis Gaon Av Beit Din of HaEidah HaChareidit – about accepting the position in Jerusalem and the rabbinate of Kalwaria – addressed to Maran the Gaon Rabbi Yosef Zvi Dushinsky – Kalwaria, 1939.

Lengthy letter written on both sides of a large leaf. Rabbeinu wrote the letter after living in Eretz Yisrael for a year fro a trial period and returning to Kalwaria, Lithuanua. In the letter, Rabbeinu describes the pressure of the members of his community not to leave them and his concerns about the security situation in the Holy Land, asking the rabbis of the community for additional time to settle his affairs in Kalwaria: "והמכריע היותר גדול הוא גלוי וידוע לכל, מה שכל בני העיר… מפצירים בי לשבת אתם ולשרת בקודש כמקדם גם מבטיחים להרבות מהר ומתן לפי כחם כמובן… אמנם למותר להודיעם כי לא אביתי שמוע להצעתם ולא נעניתי להפצרתם גם לא אוכל להסיח דעתי מתשוקתי לשוב לירושלים עיה"ק…. אשר לשמה ולזכרה תאוות נפשי ולא ישוער גודל תשוקתי אליה גם טרם ראיתי אותה אף כי אחרי שבתי בה כשנה תודה לה’….אשר יודרש להפשרת בני עירי שבתי בה כעת לזמן מסויום, וכדבר בעתו יחשב לפי המצב השורר כעת באה"ק אשר לא טובה השמועה …".

Shortly later, Rabbeinu immigrated to Eretz Yisrael thus being saved from the destrcution of Europe.

Official stationery, written on both sides.

22X27 cm.

Filing holes slightly affecting the text. Good condition.

The Gaon Rabbi Zelig Reuven Bengis (1864-1953) served as Rav in Kalwaria, Belarus and then as Gaon Av Beit Din of HaEidah HaCharedit of Jerusalem. Received his rabbinic Semicha from the Natziv of Volozhin, Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor and Rabbi Shlomo Hacohen of Vilna. Author of Lifalgut Reuven and more. Among his disciples were Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach and Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv.

Was a famed Gaon. It is told that his in-law wanted to know whether all that was said of him was true so he sent a letter to the Rav of the Kollel, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef, who was then living in Vilna and who replied: "ולדעתי יהיה מגאוני הזמן – ויתר הדברים אוכל להודיעו כי בפה ווילנא היו רוצים בו גדולי הרבנים דפה".

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