Letter signed by rabbis of the Sha’ar Shamayim kabbalistic yeshiva, Rabbi Haim Yehuda Leib Auerbach and Rabbi Meir ...

Letter signed by rabbis of the Sha’ar Shamayim kabbalistic yeshiva, Rabbi Haim Yehuda Leib Auerbach and Rabbi Meir Schwartz of Podhitz, on the subject of clearing up the yeshiva’s name—Erev Rosh Hashanah, 1950
Typewritten letter on official letterhead of the Sha’ar Shamayim yeshiva, addressed to Rabbi Yehuda Leib Selzer, the head of the Agudas Rabbanim and president of the office in New York, in which they bless him with a happy and blessed new year and for a long life and peace. They also ask him to exert influence upon his friend the Gra Silver shlita so that he will put the institution on the list of those designated for financial support: “We know that the Gra Silver has a mistaken opinion about our yeshiva (because when he came to Israel he did not visit the yeshiva even though he was invited twice and assured us that he would visit), so we are asking you if possible to correct him of his mistaken opinion…”. The rabbis give a long list of rabbis who visited the yeshiva and whom the Gra Silver can speak to for references regarding the yeshiva, and they end with a blessing “may we all merit a year of complete redemption and world salvation, the uplifting of the Torah and those who study it in purity, amen.” They sign by hand: Haim Yuda Leib Auerbach, Meir Schwartz. Plus the official (blurred) stamp oof the yeshiva. Size: 20.8x22.5cm. Tear at the bottom of the page, stains. Overall good condition.

Rabbi Haim Yehuda Leib Auerbach (1887-1954) was the father of the Gaon Posek Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, and the 7th generation from the Admor Rabbi Yakkov Yosef of Polna, a student of the Baal Shem Tov. He was certified for the rabbinate by Rabbi Haim Berlin at age 18, and in 1906 he founded the Shaar Shamayim kabbalistic yeshiva, even though he was less than 20 years old when it was established.

Rabbi Meir Schwartz (1859-1953) was the son of Rabbi Aharon. He served as rabbi and Admor in Zwolow, and just before World War I he established his residence in Podhitz (Galicia), after which he was usually known. He was close to the Admorim of Spinka-Zidichev, and he was certified in writing by the Admor Maran Imrei Yosef himself. In 1927 he immigrated to Israel, and he became close to the Chassidei Karlin in Jerusalem. Most of his kabbalistic works were lost when the Jewish Quarter fell in 1948. He wrote “Ramaz” on the Torah (the abbreviation of his name, Rabbi Meir Zwolover], a siddur and Book of Psalms and Tikkun Chatzot with the commentary Matok Midvash. Later he said that when he made Aliyah he threw into the ocean all of his certifications to the rabbinate and Admorut.

Interesting fact: Before he died on Lag B’Omer 1953, the Rabbi of Belz sat with his students and talked about sages who were proficient in kabbalah, and he said: “they say that he knows how to study kabbalah” and added “I merited knowing him”. The wonder was that the rabbi was at that time still alive but the Belzer Rebbe referred to him as if he was dead—and the following night he died. The Me’orot HaTorah yeshiva in Kiryat Ye’arim (Telz Stone) was named after him, by his descendants.