Rescue Letter from the Rosh Yeshivah of Mir, the Gaon Rabbi Eliezer Yehudah Finkel. Mir, 1925

Rescue Letter from the Rosh Yeshivah of Mir, the Gaon Rabbi Eliezer Yehudah Finkel. Mir, 1925

"The sacred yeshivah ... from which the Torah has emanated to the Jewish people for the hundred years of its existence" [already in 1925!].

Early and rare historic letter with a cry for help from the Mir yeshivah, written from the bottom of the famed rosh yeshivah's heart. Sent by the gaon Rabbi Eliezer Yehudah Finkel to Rabbi Sh. Shapira? Mir [Lithuania], 13 Elul, 1925.

The gaon Rabbi Eliezer Yehudah Finkel describes the yeshivah's financial status at that time in his letter using gloomy expressions: "This has been a year of lack, hunger and poverty ... the yeshivah's condition is terrible at present, the likes of which we did not experience even in the bitter years of our exile during the War [WWI] ..." This was due to "the great crisis in all fields of business, resulting in there being not a penny to spare. There is no one helping us ..."

In his letter, the rosh yeshivah recommends an interesting initiative "in advance of the upcoming Shabbat, or Sukkot, a special fundraiser should be announced for the yeshivah ... from which the Torah has emanated to the Jewish people for the hundred years of its existence"; he adds a request "to gather the remainder of his strength to save these burning embers, the few who strive for greatness, who are silently suffering from starvation while endlessly studying Torah ... please have mercy ... and remove the danger hovering over this sacred place, the danger of closing ..."

Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of the gaon Rabbi Eliezer Yehudah Finkel, rosh yeshivah of Mir.

[1] leaf paper. 22x28 cm.

Fine condition. Aging stains. Fold marks. Tiny tear in the middle of the fold. Light tears in the margins, far from the text.

Written on official stationery, with his signature and seal. 22 lines.