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1951 LETTER FROM RABBI JOSEPH B. SOLOVEITCHIK, \"THE RAV\" – ON HIS PERSONAL LETTERHEAD, 142 HOMESTEAD STREET, ROXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS – HAND SIGNED, WITH HIS OWN HANDWRITTEN CORRECTIONS – WRITTEN ON EREV SUKKOS 5712, PRAISING AN AUTHOR\'S NEW SEFER: \"WOULD THAT THERE WERE MANY LIKE HIM IN ISRAEL\"
THE RAV PRAISES A YOUNG SCHOLAR
Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik, known to his thousands of students simply as \"the Rav\", was the towering figure of American Orthodoxy: heir to the Brisker dynasty, a doctor of philosophy from Berlin, and for over forty years the rosh yeshiva of RIETS at Yeshiva University. On the eve of Sukkos 1951, between the busy preparations for the festival, he sat down to thank an author who had sent him his new sefer. Though the \"pressure of the festival\" had not let him study it properly, \"the little I tasted was very sweet to the palate\". He praises the author\'s \"broad knowledge in various fields of halacha\" and his discussion, conducted \"calmly, with good taste and knowledge\", and adds the warm wish: \"Would that there were many like him in Israel\". He then corrected the typed letter in his own hand and signed it.
THE LETTER
• On his printed letterhead: \"יוסף דוב הלוי – Joseph Soloveitchik, 142 Homestead Street, Roxbury 21, Mass.\", telephone \"Highlands 5-4687\"
• Dated \"יום אחד, ערב חג תשי\"ב\" (Sunday, Erev Sukkos 5712, 14 October 1951)
• Addressed \"כבוד הרב הנעלה, שיחי\'\"
• Typed in Hebrew
• Hand signed in ink by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik
• With two corrections in his own hand (\"נעם\" and dir=\"ltr\" style=\"margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;\">WHAT\'S INSIDE
(\"Many thanks to him for the fine sefer he sent me. Because of the pressure of the festival I have not yet managed to study his words with full seriousness, but the little I tasted was very sweet to my palate. His knowledge is broad in various fields of halacha, and his discussion is conducted calmly, with good taste and understanding. Would that there were many like him in Israel. May he be blessed with the blessing of the festivals for joy and gladness. May God be with him, and may he rise to praise and glory. With great respect.\")
ABOUT THE WRITER: RABBI JOSEPH B. SOLOVEITCHIK (1903–1993)
Rabbi Yosef Dov HaLevi Soloveitchik was born in Pruzhany in 1903, a scion of the Brisker dynasty: grandson of Rav Chaim of Brisk and son of Rav Moshe Soloveitchik. After a traditional education in Brisker learning, he earned a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Berlin. In 1932 he came to Boston, where he founded the Maimonides School. From 1941 he succeeded his father as senior rosh yeshiva at RIETS, Yeshiva University, where he ordained some 2,000 rabbis. As chairman of the Halacha Commission of the Rabbinical Council of America and author of \"Halakhic Man\" and \"The Lonely Man of Faith\", he shaped Modern Orthodoxy more than any other figure. He died in Boston in 1993.
CONDITION
Good condition. One leaf, with a horizontal fold, light toning, some staining at the top (probably from old tape) and light soiling. The letterhead, typed text, handwritten corrections and signature are clear.
Please see the photos, which form part of the description.
WHO IT\'S FOR
Collectors of rabbinic letters and of the Rav and Brisk, of Yeshiva University, RIETS and Modern Orthodoxy, and of Boston and American Jewish history.
KEYWORDS
Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Joseph Soloveitchik, Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, The Rav, Rav Soloveitchik, Brisk, Brisker, Yeshiva University, RIETS, Maimonides School, Boston, Roxbury, Homestead Street, Modern Orthodoxy, Rabbinical Council of America, Halakhic Man, signed letter, TLS, autograph, rabbinic letter, letterhead, haskama, 1951, Sukkot, Judaica, rare
Hebrew keywords:
