Discovery: Collection of Letters about "The Get Controversy in Leipzig, " Some Unknown

Discovery: Collection of Letters about "The Get Controversy in Leipzig, " Some Unknown

Rare collection of [3] original letters, including an extraordinarily lengthy letter covering four pages, handwritten by the gaon Rabbi David Tzvi Hoffman, one of the leaders of German Jewry, author of the responsa Melamed Leho'il; as well as transcriptions of earlier handwritten letters from rabbis about one of the most important halachic controversies to arise the beginning of the previous century. Berlin-Vienna-Kovno, 1921.

The controversy took place in 1920-1921 as a result of a get arranged by the gaon Rabbi Moshe Eliezer Schlossberg of Leipzig, for a Jew named Adolf. His original Hebrew name was Avraham Yosef, but due to the fact that this name had fallen into disuse [נשתקע], and he was called by "Adolf" everywhere (even when being called up to the Torah, etc.), Rabbi Moshe Eliezer Schlossberg wrote the get using this name and not his original Hebrew name. As a result, a multinational halachic controversy broke out about whether a Hebrew name that is not used at all can be considered nishtake'a and need not be written on a get, or even if it is forgotten, it must still be written on the get, - in which case, the first get is invalid, and it must be rewritten with the Hebrew name (alongside the foreign name).

Gedolei HaDor participated in this controversy, including: Rabbi Shmuel Engel of Radomshla, Rabbi Akiva Sofer of Pressburg, Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky of Galanta, Rabbi Meir Arik of Botshosh, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Breuer of Frankfurt, Rabbi Avraham Menachem Steinberg of Brody, the Admo"r - the Minchat Elazar - of Munkacs, Rabbi David Feldman of Leipzig and others. Many letters about this controversy were printed in Lev David, London, 2000, pp. 149-163.

Group of letters, some handwritten by the rabbis, and some original transcriptions written at the time of the controversy and transferred among the rabbis for the purpose of understanding the issue and formulating a halachic conclusion.

Original letters:

* Very lengthy letter (four large pages) handwritten and signed by the gaon Rabbi David Tzvi Hoffman, head of the Rabbinical Seminary. Berlin, 1921. Most is in Hebrew, and a small part (with the signature) is in German. The Hebrew part is printed in the sefer Lev David. We have not examined whether the German part is also included.

A short comment opposing his words appears at the end of his responsum, in a different hand, signed "Rabbi Schlossberg" - possibly in the script of the above-mentioned Rabbi Moshe Eliezer Schlossberg. This comment was not included in Lev David.

* Lengthy letter (over 60 lines) handwritten and signed by the gaon Rabbi Meir Meirsohn, av beit din of Vienna, to Rabbi Moshe Eliezer Schlossberg. Vienna, 1921. To the best of our knowledge, this letter has not been printed.

* Lengthy letter from Rabbi Shmuel Chaim Wontshock to Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Carlebach, av beit din of Hamburg, about the attempt to get responsa from the geonim of Lithuania - Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Epstein and the av beit din of Kovno (this is apparently referring to Rabbi Avraham DovBer Kahane Shapira), as well as a responsum from Rabbi Meir Simchah HaKohen of Dvinsk. Kovno, 1921. To the best of our knowledge, this letter has not been printed.

"Transcriptions" appear at the end of this letter, possibly the transcriptions of these letters here.

Handwritten transcriptions:

* Two handwritten transcriptions of a lengthy responsum from Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Epstein, av beit din and rosh yeshivah of Slobodka, to Rabbi Shmuel Chaim Wontshock. 1921. The responsa were transcribed onto Rabbi Dr. Ephraim Carlebach of Leipzig's stationery.

* Handwritten transcription of Rabbi Meir Meirsohn's (above) responsum to Rabbi Moshe Eliezer Schlossberg.

* Handwritten transcription of Rabbi David Tzvi Hoffman's (above) responsum with a printed transcription of the German part.

* Two handwritten transcriptions of Rabbi Moshe Eliezer Schlossberg's (above) comment on Rabbi David Tzvi Hoffman's responsum.

Total of [23] written pages. Various sizes.

Overall moderate-very fine condition. Some of the letters are written on fine paper. Fold marks, slight tears and minimal stains. Adhesions on two leaves.

Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for brief biographies of the geonim Rabbis David Tzvi Hoffman, Meir Meirsohn and Moshe Eliezer Schlossberg.