Rare Handwritten & Autographed Letter by Rabbi Shlomo Kluger. Brody, 1855
“When he sees my sefer, he will revel in it as it is the most precious of all my works…”
A beautiful letter inscribed and autographed by the holy hand of Rabbi Shlomo Kluger, Av Beis Din and Maggid of Brody. Rabbi Kluger was one of the most revered authors and Poskim among the late Achronim.
Letters from Rabbi Shlomo Kluger from this period are rare, as he himself attests in the present letter: “I am very weak, worse than just old age, and I lack the strength to reply. I do not respond at all to more than half of those who write to me, but [reply] only if it is most crucial…”
He opens this letter by relating that he sent his sefer ‘Nidrei Zrizin’ vol. 2, which was printed that year in Zolkova, to the addressee, and he expresses that this sefer “is the most precious of all my works, as it is all-encompassing…”
In his letter, Rabbi Shlomo does not specify the title of the sefer, however it is obvious that he is referring to the said ‘Nidrei Zrizin’, as is mentioned in ‘Shu”t Bigdei Yom Tov’ (Lvov, 1891) Ch. 2, in which the present teshuvah was printed, albeit with many variances. One prominent difference is that the teshuvah in the Shu”t includes a long paragraph of chiddushei Torah, which must have been sent in a separate letter. Another difference is that the Shu”t specifies the name of the sefer. (Read below for more information about these variances.)
The letter concludes with a heartfelt blessing by Rabbi Shlomo Kluger: “And the Good G-d shall bestow a sign of good for you, that you should succeed in Torah and engage in Torah and service [of Hashem] throughout your life, as your soul and [mine] entreat, Shlomo Kluger.”
Rabbi Shlomo Kluger (1785-1869) was one of the greatest rabbis in the era of the Achronim, Raavad of the Beis Din and a popular lecturer in Brody for close to 50 years. He was a genius and one of the most prolific Torah authors in his era, authoring dozens of sefarim in all realms of Torah. Among his works are Chochmas Shlomo on Shulchan Aruch, Sefer Hachaim, Mei Nida, Nidrei Zrizin, Shu”t Tuv Taam V’da’as, Avodas Avodah, Shu”t HaElef Lecha Shlomo, Ein Dimah and many others.
Brody, 1855.
Page Size: ~22.5×19 cm. Condition: Fair-Good; first words on the right side are very faded; professionally restored.
Source: Genazym Auction 4, Lot 95
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Rabbi Shlomo Kluger’s Secret Revealed!
The present teshuvah was printed in ‘Shu”t Bigdei Yom Tov’, albeit with several differences. In the printed teshuvah, which apparently derived from a notebook of his teshuvos, Rabbi Shlomo Kluger inscribes that he cannot send the sefer by post due to a “hidden reason” which is why he is sending it via Lvov.
What could have stopped the Rabbi from mailing the sefer? The original teshuvah reveals that he was hindered by government laws and brutal taxation, yet due to the explosive nature of this statement, it was omitted from the printed edition.
Rabbi Kluger writes: “Here in our community, we cannot send it by post due to taxes, for even merchandise and books [printed] in our country, which are internal, are prohibited from being removed from the country. This is why I took the sefer and sent it to Lvov.” From Lvov, he planned to send it to a different country.
