A sharply worded printed Kol Koreh broadside against the Sefer Hamadrich that was printed in Pressburg in 1882.
Extremely Rare! Only one more known copy exists, not in the JNUL.
Shalom, believers in the special qualities of Israel, those who fear the Lord and ponder His Torah, His people and His flock, open your eyes, pay attention, and incline your ears to those who instruct you on the path of life. May the Creator who made the heavens and the earth listen to you.
At a time when a new spirit began to emerge, and the fire of heresies spread and consumed a part of the people, aiming to remove the yoke of the Torah from their necks and strip them of the mantle of faith, the wise ones of our generation, who did not depart from the Chumash, were hesitant to confront the newcomers. The wicked ones took advantage of this fear and gained a foothold, perhaps even more so, and they broke out in rebellion in the streets. They threatened the eternal boundaries and God forbid, if their correction results in corruption, then certainly the original thoughts were good in their time.
However, these people, who have no permanence, will not rest from their actions, and they will twist and turn in various ways. Their desires and intentions are to exploit the children of Israel as witnesses, to expose them as ignorant of the Torah and commandments, as if they were born today, to degrade their honor and glory with false accusations. This they will do, as their hands will find the means. This is a test for their strength, to unleash their creativity and to publish old books from the ancient holy ones, to present ideas filled with heresies. They will add more blame to enter the chambers of books and mix foreign concepts, long and short, contrary to what our sages have known. Even in the pure Torah of the Lord, they have not refrained from their hands and have reissued chapters for young learners among the children of Israel. It is a tragedy for all who hear.
Moreover, they have not refrained their hands from destroying the inheritance of our forefathers, the Torah and the commandments. At this time, they have produced a new "Gemara" called the "Madrich" which has a nice name but its path is to tear the Talmud into sections and water down the verses for the young and tender children of the Hebrews. They have come with their own water and turned it into bitter waters. Those who hear and, even more so, those who see will be astonished. How did these authors, associates of associates, dare to disrupt the order from the Mishnah and Gemara, in order to fill the trough and quench the thirst, to desecrate the table before the Lord perpetually, and introduce strange matter in the inner chamber of the book? They have even tampered with the Holy Torah, and they have published anew to shorten and select portions for the young children of Israel. It is a great danger to the souls of all who hear, to give us infamy in the mouth of the reformers’, our enemies.
Therefore, it is a sacred duty for the shepherds of Israel to save their flock from those who seek their harm. The obligation is also to erect a barrier and stand against those who seek to enter and change the order, from the Mishnah and the Gemara, so that the poison does not reach the thirsty, to confuse the table that stands before the Lord and to speak evil of the house of the Lord. They want to alter the order, either to reduce or expand, to distance or bring closer, according to their knowledge and desires in our holy Torah.
We also agreed that all Torah scholars should be cautious when granting approval to authors of books, only when it is known that their Torah is solid and their expertise is unquestionable. It is also important for those who grant approval to be careful and know who they are associating with in these approvals.
Furthermore, we decree an absolute prohibition on every Israelite to possess the sefer Hamadrich, as well as other books that will be produced like it, concerning the King, the King of the universe and His religion, His Torah, and His faith. They should not be brought into one’s home, and it is forbidden to read them, as a scorpion is attached to their heels. Those who already have them should be careful to burn them, so that they do not see or find these harmful books anywhere within the borders of Israel. May this prevent the Lord from expressing His anger upon us, and may He have mercy and gather our exiles soon in our days. Our lips shall utter blessings, and those who hear shall be blessed with a triple blessing."
1882.
Signed (in print)
Yeketiel Yehuda [Teitelbaum] Rabbi of Sighet
Chaim Sofer Rabbi of Budapest.
Zussman Sofer Rabbi of Kiskunhalas
Simche Bunim Sofer Rabbi of Pressburg
Shlomo Shapiro Rabbi of Munkatch
& 18 further great Hungarian Rabbis.
Lastly, Rabbi Yehoshua Aharon Zvi Weinberger- the Maharit”z Rabbi of Margaretin recants the Approbation he had given for the Sefer Hamadrich:
The truth is that I had indeed granted permission for the sefer Hamadrich without closely examining its content. However, after seeing that the builders of our nation, who are great in our countries, have rejected this sefer and found fault with it, I have retraced my steps. It is a commandment to heed the words of the sages, and I am not ashamed to admit that I made a mistake in approving such a new thing without consulting with other great rabbis or seeking their advice. These last words nullify the earlier ones.
34 X 21 Cm.
Tears.
For a thorough review of this historic Polemic please see the excellent essay of Rabbi Yehoshua Mondshine A”h.
Sent from Budapest to the righteous Baron Shimon Zev (Wilhelm Carl) Rothschild of Frankfurt.
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Lot #428