“Chessed, rachamim and refuah”
Handwritten & Autographed Letter of Blessing by the Author of Ateres Shalom
Prime Disciple of the Admor of Komarno
A stirring letter handwritten and autographed by the pious kabbalist Rabbi Menachem Mendel Hartman of Borislav, author of Ateres Shalom and talmid of the Admor Rabbi Shimon of Yaroslav.
The Ateres Shalom became an ardent Komarno chassid and prime disciple of the Admor Heichal Habrachah of Komarno (see below).
The present letter was written in the year 5662 (1902) which is the numerical equivalent of the words
“chessed, rachamim and refuah”. In this letter, the author extends his warm, heartfelt blessings to his great-nephews.
“…Only life and peace to your home,
And all that you possess.
May harmony [fill] your tents and may the blessings of Hashem be upon you,
These are the words of your uncle who prays for you always, may Hashem elevate your honor,
Hak[atan] Menachem Mendel son of Harav…Yoel…Hartman.”
The Admor of Komarno, author of Ben Beisi, attested about the chassid Rabbi Menachem Mendel: “I am acquainted with the author since his youth, from the time he basked in the holy presence of my father the Admor Heichal Habrachah who, in his great righteousness, drew him near and was always fond of him.” On another occasion, he writes, “not every man merits [acquiring] both tables—the Revealed and the Hidden [Torah].”
Letters by the famous chassid Rabbi Menachem Mendel Hartman are extraordinarily rare.
Borislav, 1902. Handwritten letter. Page Size: 16.8×10.5 cm.
Condition: Good; professionally restored.
The holy chassid and kabbalist
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Hartman of Borislav (d. c. 1906) was raised in the shadow of the Admor Rabbi Shimon of Yaroslav and subsequently became a close chassid and admirer of the Heichal Habrachah of Komarno, who was the son of the author of Ben Beisi and grandson of the Admor Rabbi Yaakov Moshe of Komarno. For many years, Rabbi Menachem Mendel was a close friend of the holy Admor Rabbi Yehosef Rottenberg of Kassan. The sefer Bnei Shileshim includes several letters by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Hartman.
His written legacy graces Jewish libraries, with some of his most famous titles being Ateres Shalom, Derech Chukecha, Yonah Samah, Smuchim Le’olam, “Emek Shaveh”, a manuscript on the Megaleh Amukos and other unprinted manuscripts.
The letter commences with his introduction that he is enclosing his sefer Smuchim Le’olam, which was printed one year earlier and includes hadrans for siyumim on assorted masechtos of the Mishnah, similar to the sefer Maaseh Rokeach by Rabbi Elazar of Amsterdam.
