Responsa Makor Baruch by Rabbi Baruch Bendit Wiesel, Dyhernfurth, 1755.
First edition of this rare sefer, which has only appeared once at auction.
The pages of this sefer contain ten handwritten inscriptions by the holy Rabbi Nathan David of Szydłowiec., inscribed as “Rabbi Nathan David of Szydłowiec”, “Belongs to Rabbi Nathan David of Szydłowiec., ” and stamped with “Nathan David, son of the righteous Rabbi zt”l of Przysucha” and “Nathan David Rabinowitz.”
Worldwide, to the best of our knowledge, there exists only one letter in Rabbi Nathan David of Szydłowiec’s holy handwriting. Before us is a sefer with his personal signatures—an exceedingly rare find!
The Holy Rebbi Nathan David of Szydłowiec (Shidlovtza) [1814-1866] was the grandson of the revered "Yid Hakadosh" of Przysucha and the forefather of significant Hasidic dynasties among Polish tzadikim. He was the son of Rebbi Yerachmiel, himself the son of the Yid Hakadosh, a close disciple of his father and the revered Saba Kadisha of Radoszyce. There, he was a peer and friend of Rebbi Shlomo of Radomsk, the "Tiferes Shlomo."
After his father’s passing, he began his rabbinic leadership in Shidlovtza. His conduct followed his father’s path rather than that of Przysucha. He was particular about praying on time, lived with great asceticism and holiness, and was especially devoted to immersing in a mikveh, even breaking ice if necessary. He was known as a miracle worker, attracting many people seeking his blessings.
Even during his leadership, he continued to visit his mentors, including the Saraf of Mogelnitsa, Rebbi Meir of Premishlan, Rebbi Israel of Ruzhin, and the Sar Shalom of Belz. In his later years, he was particularly close to Rebbi Chaim of Sanz, visiting him twice a year. Some of his father’s disciples turned to him after their leader’s passing. He was held in special esteem by the tzadikim of his generation. The holy Chiddushei HaRim of Gur praised him, calling him “the crown of the good name in our generation.”
The Rebbes holy signature:
The sefer was recently found in an estate of one of the American Rebbes prior to the Holocaust. As noted, Rebbi Nathan David of Szydłowiec’s handwriting is exceedingly rare. Great efforts were made to obtain a clear image of his handwriting. His handwriting appeared only once at a public auction (see Tiferet Auction, Auction 50 Lot 194), and there is also a cup with an engraved kvittel in his unique script that he gifted to Rebbi Moshe of Lelov upon his journey to Israel, along with two signatures on documents.
After examining the images of the signatures, in our opinion, all the inscriptions in this current sefer are indeed his authentic handwriting (characterized by the elongated letter “nun, ” the joined letters “taf” and “nun” at the top, the forward-leaning letter “daled, ” and other similar characteristics). We have found that other tzadikim and esteemed figures also inscribed “belongs to the rabbi” on seforim they acquired. It stands to reason that if someone other than the Rebbi himself had written his name, they would have addressed him with much more honor than simply “belongs to Rabbi Nathan David”.
22 Leaves. 18.5 cm.
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Overall Fair-Poor condition, heavy water stains, marginal tears sometimes affecting text, first two pages repaired & have small holes slightly affecting text, original binding detached and slightly damaged, tape repaired spine.
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