Interesting and Important Historic Personal Handwritten Letter from Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky

Interesting and Important Historic Personal Handwritten Letter from Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky

Rare and very beautiful letter. Entirely handwritten and signed by the renowned gaon Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky,  av beit din of London and author of the series of sefarim Chazon Yechezkel on the Tosefta and more. The letter deals with this monumental series, but also with many other topics - public and personal. London, 1950.

The letter is addressed to a relative, unnamed in this letter, and discusses proofreading Chazon Yechezkel - one of the most important works printed on the Tosefta in particular, and in recent generations in general. The gaon Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky gives precise instructions as to how the sefarim should be arranged: "Tell the arranger that everything that is written, whether opinion, elucidations or novellae, must be placed in the appropriate location. Not even one letter should be skipped or left out. These elucidations and novellae are arranged in such a manner that if even one letter is left out or added, they are ruined. The novellae must be precisely placed in the appropriate locations.

Rabbi Abramsky later laments that he has almost no time for his own studies because of his many distractions: "And if my friend imagines that I am diligent about Torah [study], I will reveal to him that this is not the case. If I have the merit, and I don't have many distractions working against me, then I can study the Torah properly about fifteen hours a week, and often even less ..." Rabbi Abramsky also writes about his experiences at the beit din: "After I return home from the beit din, I am exhausted, worn out from negotiating various difficult and complicated matters among different people, some of them are soft as a reed and some are hard as cedar, and one doesn't know who is the best among them."

With respect to his weak health: "Especially in the recent past, aside from my work at the beit din and dealing with public matters, I am occupied with healing and medications and massaging my afflicted limbs." He attributes to all of these the reason for the many errors in his manuscript and the need to proofread them well: "One has to examine if there are errors in any word, something added or something omitted."

Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky.

[1] leaf paper, written on both sides. 17.5x20.5 cm. Official stationery from the period of his service at the rabbinate in London.

Very fine condition. Minimal stains. Tiny tear in the margins without damage to the text.