Extremely Rare!!
A Complete Letter from Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried, Author of Kitzur Shulchan Aruch!
To the Holy Rav of Daash, Author of Ma’aglei Tzedek
A complete and beautiful letter, autographed and in the holy handwriting of Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried of Ungvar, author of the ‘Kitzur Shulchan Aruch’.
The letter was sent to the Rebbe, the holy Rabbi Menachem Mendel Panet, Av Beis Din of Orosháza and Daash, author of ‘Ma’aglei Tzedek’.
At the beginning of the letter, Rabbi Shlomo blesses the Rav of Daash in poetic language, for the approaching Pesach holiday: "May he celebrate the Festival of Matzos with great joy, and abundant happiness…"
The body of the letter concerns one of the poor members of the Ungvar community, "a God-fearing and upright man, " who is legally entitled to receive an inheritance from his deceased family member, "and it is a great mitzvah to help ensure he receives his inheritance."
The end of the letter features his beautiful signature:
"The words of his friend who seeks his welfare and the welfare of his Torah, Shlomo Ganzfried, Dayan in the above-mentioned community."
Letters from Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried are extremely rare.
Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried (1804-1886) was among the greatest halachic authorities of recent generations. He was the prime talmid of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Charif, and friend of the saintly Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch of Liska. For decades, he served as a dayan in the Ungvar community, where he authored many sefarim, most notably his ‘Kitzur Shulchan Aruch’ which was his crowning achievement, reaching every corner of the Jewish world. Its impact was so profound that it was printed in countless editions and in enormous quantity, making it one of the most widely distributed Jewish texts.
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Panet, Av Beis Din of Daash (1818-1885) was the son of the holy Gaon, author of ‘Mareh Yechezkel’. Founder and head of the Daash dynasty, he was among the leading Rebbes and pillars of halachic authority of his generation. He was the beloved student of the Chasam Sofer and of the author of ‘Yismach Moshe’. From 1858, he served as Rav of Daash and quickly became known as one of the generation’s tzaddikim, amassing many followers. His works include: ‘Ma’aglei Tzedek’ on the Torah and ‘Shu"t Shaarei Tzedek’, ‘Avnei Tzedek’, and ‘Mishpat Tzedek’.
To the best of our knowledge, this letter has never been published.
Ungvar 1857. Complete autographed letter in Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried’s holy handwriting. Size: 17.6 x 22.1 cm.
Condition: Generally good, slight tear on the left side, no paper missing. Fold marks and few stains.
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The letter was written by Rabbi Shlomo who then served as a dayan in the Ungvar community, and it was originally intended that the community’s Av Beis Din, Rabbi Menachem Ash, would sign at the end of the letter. However, due to Rabbi Menachem’s illness, Rabbi Shlomo signed his own signature instead of Rabbi Menachem Ash’s signature, and in his great humility added: "And I hope that his honor knows that from me too, Heaven forbid, nothing questionable has emerged…"
