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AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED — HAGAON RABBEINU SHAUL LIEBERMAN, RECTOR OF THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, THE PREEMINENT MODERN AUTHORITY ON THE JERUSALEM TALMUD
An exceptional piece of Torah scholarship correspondence: an original handwritten letter, in Hebrew, by Rabbi Professor Saul Lieberman (1898–1983) — universally revered among Talmudic scholars as "HaGaon Rabbeinu Shaul" (the Gra"sh) — written on his personal letterhead as Rector of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, Office of the Rector, New York.
Who was Saul Lieberman?
Born in Motal, near Pinsk, Lieberman received rabbinic ordination at the famed Slobodka Yeshiva at just 18. He went on to study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he became a lecturer in Talmud and later Dean of the Harry Fischel Institute for Talmudic Research. In 1940 he joined the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, becoming Dean of its Rabbinical School in 1949 and, in 1958, Rector — a position he held until his death in 1983.
Lieberman is widely regarded as one of the greatest Talmudic scholars of the modern era, and in particular as the foremost authority of his generation on the Jerusalem Talmud (Yerushalmi) — a text notoriously more corrupted and difficult to reconstruct than the Babylonian Talmud. His monumental Tosefta Ki-Fshutah and his 1929 Al HaYerushalmi, proposing emendations and variant readings for corrupted passages of the Yerushalmi, remain foundational reference works in the field to this day. He was also celebrated for Hellenism in Jewish Palestine and Greek in Jewish Palestine, and was the only non-Israeli ever awarded the Israel Prize (1971) in recognition of his unmatched scholarship, along with the Bialik Prize. Though he led the flagship institution of Conservative Judaism, Lieberman himself remained strictly Orthodox in personal practice throughout his life and commanded deep respect across the entire spectrum of Torah scholarship.
About this letter
Handwritten entirely in Hebrew on his Office of the Rector letterhead, this substantive scholarly letter addresses the historical origin and development of the title "Rav" as applied to rabbinic authorities, along with further discussion of matters relating to the Yerushalmi (Jerusalem Talmud) — precisely the subject for which Lieberman was, and remains, the most celebrated modern authority. A rich, content-driven letter offering genuine insight into his scholarship, of great interest to collectors of rabbinic manuscripts, Judaica, and Jewish intellectual history.
Item details:
Original manuscript, handwritten in Hebrew, signed
Letterhead: The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, Office of the Rector, Broadway & 122nd Street, New York
Content: Torah-scholarship discussion on the origin of the rabbinic title "Rav" and related matters in the Jerusalem Talmud (Yerushalmi)
Brown ink, single page
Vintage condition consistent with age — please examine photos closely
A rare and scholarly-significant piece of 20th-century Jewish intellectual history
Provenance: From a collection of rabbinic and scholarly correspondence.
Please examine all photos before purchasing — sold as an authentic historical manuscript.
Keywords (English): Judaica, autograph letter signed, ALS, Saul Lieberman, Rabbi Professor Saul Lieberman, Gra"sh, Jewish Theological Seminary, JTS, Rector, Talmudist, Yerushalmi, Jerusalem Talmud, Al HaYerushalmi, Tosefta Ki-Fshutah, Hellenism in Jewish Palestine, Israel Prize, Bialik Prize, Harry Fischel Institute, Talmudic scholar autograph, rabbinic title Rav, Jewish scholarship history, Conservative Judaism history, Orthodox scholar, rabbinic manuscript, Hebrew handwritten letter, vintage Judaica, Jewish memorabilia, 20th century Jewish studies, dayan, gaon
