At the Tiferet Auction House, new treasures of Chassidus, including Cheftzei Kodesh of leading Chassidic rabbis, disciples of Marana the Besht, are continuously offered for sale. At the heart of the auction that will take place on Wednesday, the 15th of Cheshvan (9/11) in Jerusalem is a variety of important and stunning discoveries, books and Igros Kodesh by Chabad Rebbeim.
********
“כשהרבי הריי”צ התבשר על חזרת דא”ח ברעווא דרעווין ועל סדר שבת מברכין”
“When the Rebbe Rayatz learned about repeating Divrei Elokim Chaim on Reva Derevin and about Seder Shabbat Mevarchin”
***
Winter has again arrived and with it the long nights of Tevet, during which Jews everywhere, passionately warm their spirit and soul with Ma’amarei Chassidus, mainly those of our rabbis of Chabad-Lubavitch.
For this purpose, the Tiferet auction house, the large Chassidic auction house for Sifrei Kodesh, is holding a special auction that will take place in Jerusalem and online, on the website of the auction house, on the upcoming Wednesday, the 15th of Cheshvan (9/11/22), introducing letters and Igros Kodesh of leading Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbis of the first generations alongside pedigreed items including first editions of Sifrei Kodesh of Toras Chabad-Lubavitch and Igros Kodesh by the Rebbe the Rayatz and the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
A special item that caught our eye – not necessarily the most expensive one appearing in this auction, but certainly a most exciting one – is a letter, Igeres Kodesh, by the Rebbe the Rayatz which was sent when he was living in Otvotsk (Otwock), moving there from Warsaw, and before he came to the USA.
The letter was sent to the Famed Chassid Rabbi Azriel Zelig Slonim in Jerusalem and in it, the Rebbe the Rayatz refers to Seder Shabbas Mevarchin, whose format as we know it was then beginning to take shape:
‘The information about Seder Shabbas Mevarchin made me happy and I thank and send a double blessing to all those involved and may their reward be great spiritually and materially’.
Later in the historical letter, the Rebbe the Rayatz refers to orally repeating Ma’amarei Divrei Elokim Chaim, which was praised and encouraged by all the Lubavitcher Rebbes and in those years, started being done on Reva Derevin.
The Rebbe writes: ‘The arrangement by which each of the young men orally repeats Divrei Elokim Chaim on Se’udah Shlishis is very good and has a double and triple benefit and may Hashem Yisborach aid them spiritually and materially’.
A letter in this style, with a direct and rare reference of the Rebbe the Rayatz to things that are fundamental building blocks of the Sabbaths celebrated by Chabad Chassidim is an exciting discovery that intrigues collectors, historians and biographers alike.
Worthy of notice is an item that is not distinctly Chabadic, yet is extremely valuable to the Chassidic world in general and the history and the praise of Maran the holy Besht in particular.
The item is a composition in ancient script, Shivchei Ba’al Shem Tov – Kevutzas Yaakov’ by the Chassid Gaon Rabbi Yaakov Margolis, Rosh Av Beis Din of Berditchev, with variations and innovations that have never been printed. The composition is considered the first one that was published on the history of the Besht. This is one of the drafts or copying of the composition containing new details and discoveries or variations of details pertaining to the history of Or Shivas Hayamim.
This item too is directly linked to Chabad since at the end of the manuscript, which was sent to the son of the holy Rav of Ruzhin, the holy Rav Rabbi Avraham Yaakov of Sadigura, there is a copy of the famed letter sent by the holy Rav Rabbi Avraham of Kalisk to Rabbeinu the Admor Hazaken – Ba’al Hatanya.
Another wonderful, important historical item that is presented in the upcoming auction is unique and extremely rare! We are referring to a manuscript by the author of the Tosfos Yom Tov, Rabbi Yom Tov Lipman Halevi Heller, one of the greatest Poskei Halacha of all generations.
A manuscript by the Tosfos Yom Tov appears only in the Oxford Library, which owns a large manuscript by him on Sefer Naftali, a composition on the Kabbalistic parts of Sefer Rabbeinu Behaye on the Torah.
The Kabbalistic greatness of the Tosfos Yom Tov, who wrote glosses and compositions on some of the basic books and is one of the greatest Poskei Hora’ah and Halacha, is revealed here in the many glosses on this kabbalistic book.
The glosses have already been published, based on another manuscript by the Tosfos Yom Tov, owned as stated by the Oxford Library. Tiferet Auction House is excited to present an additional manuscript by the Tosfos Yom Tov in which he copied the last page of Sefer Naftali and added a new, lengthy gloss that has never been printed. On verso of the leaf, handwritten Aggadic innovations and sections of sermons, which also have not been printed.
“This discovery is most important and a manuscript by the Tosfos Yom Tov being auctioned is an exceptional, one-time event”, says the founder and manager of the auction house, the important Rav Rabbi Yehuda Leib Breuer.
******
Rabbi Yehuda Breuer describes additional Chabadic books appearing in the upcoming auction such as the first edition of Torah Or that was printed with the additions at the pedigreed Chassidic printery in Zhitomir in 1862.
The auction also presents the second edition of the Siddur of the Admor Hazaken, which contained an addition of ten new Ma’amarim that were printed for the first time in this edition, the Berditchev 1818 edition, and did not appear in the Kopust 1816 edition.
The special upcoming auction presents not only important letters, books, manuscripts and Igros.
The Batei Tefillin that were owned by the eldest son of the Tzaddik Rabbi Yisroel of Ruzhin, the Tzaddik Rabbi Avraham Yaakov of Sadigura, are also stirring a lot of excitement by anyone who sees them and by collectors in the field. ‘Almost no items and Cheftezi Kodesh that had belonged to the Tzaddikim of the first generations of the Chassidic movement still exist. What do exist are useful objects such as spoons and silverware. However, there are almost no Cheftzei and Tashmishei Kedusha, certainly not those from the early generations of Chassidus’, not Rav Breuer excitedly.
Finally, we would like to note another special Igeres Kodesh indicating that the Rebbe noticed even the minute detail and the respect and honor he showed the Tzaddikim.
This is a Shana Tova letter, that was sent to Safed to the Rabbi of Nadvorna in Safed, the Tzaddik Rav Rabbi Aharon Yechiel, who was one of the elders of the previous generation and who took care of everything pertaining to the Rebbe and Lubavitch in Safed.
The letter contains the Rebbe’s blessing:
‘לרגל השנה החדשה הבאה עלינו ועל כל ישראל לטובה ולברכה, הנני בזה להביע ברכתי לו ולכל אשר לו ברכת כתיבה וחתימה טובה לשנה טובה ומתוקה בגשמיות וברוחניות. בכבוד ובברכה‘.
The Rebbe added his handwritten signature to the letter.
What is special about this letter is that the Rebbe corrected the words ‘להביע ברכתי לו’ (express my blessing to him) and wrote ‘להביע ברכתי לכ’ (express my blessing to his honor), personally acknowledging the Rabbi of Nadvorna’s piety. This is a seemingly ‘regular’ letter, which thousands received, yet with a most important correction.
The Tiferet Auction House has been operating in Jerusalem for over five years during which it has established its reputation as leading in the field of Judaica in general and the field of Chassidic items and Sifrei Kodesh.
40 auctions have been held to this day, some of them focusing on books printed in Slavuta and Zhitomir and others dedicated to Chabad-Lubavitch items.
As this catalog indicates, Tiferet is preparing a special winter for us, full of discoveries and rare and important items. The catalog can be viewed on the website of Tiferet Auctions https://tiferet-auctions.co.il or via bidspirit. You can also receive the catalog by email by sending a request to ylbtiferet@gmail.com
