Birth certificate written in German. Pressburg, 1850.
Signature of the esteemed Rabbi Natan Binyamin (Neta Wolf) Lieber, Av Beit Din of Pressburg (1805-1881). Rabbi Lieber was the son of Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Zanvil, one of the foremost students of the great Rabbi Avraham Binyamin Wolf Hamburg, the Rosh Yeshiva in Fürth. He also studied under the illustrious rabbis of Fürth, including Rabbi Yehoshua Moshe Falkman, Rabbi Avraham Lipman Gerwin, and Rabbi Yehuda Leib Halberstadt. Additionally, Rabbi Lieber was a student of the great Rabbi Avraham Bing, the Av Beit Din of Würzburg, and one of the foremost disciples of the Chasam Sofer. Rabbi Lieber was known for his relentless dedication and diligence in Torah study, which knew no bounds. His great rabbis held him in high esteem, pouring their wisdom and light into this exceptional young man, shaping his profound intellect and character. His rabbis testified to his "sharp intellect and vast understanding." In the certificate of ordination awarded to him on Tuesday, the 23rd of Av, 1824, when he was just 19 years old, his rabbis praised him with exceptional titles, declaring, "How beautiful are his steps, and how vast are his treasures in the pure Torah of the Lord…"
Rabbi Lieber received his rabbinic ordination from his teacher, the Chasam Sofer, who also arranged his marriage. He also received a teaching certificate from the Chasam Sofer, who taught him Kabbalah. Later, Rabbi Lieber taught Kabbalah to the Chasam Sofer’s son, Rabbi Shimon Sofer of Krakow. The Chasam Sofer had a custom of sharing novel insights in Kabbalah during the third meal on Shabbat, and before starting, he would ask if his student, Rabbi Natan Binyamin, was present. There was also an occasion when the Chasam Sofer received a letter regarding Kabbalistic matters, which he gave to Rabbi Lieber to study. Upon seeing his student’s diligence, the Chasam Sofer remarked that he, too, had labored over those matters.
In 1846, Rabbi Lieber became a dayan in Pressburg, and from 1858 he served as the Av Beit Din there until his passing.
Stamp of Maran Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Binyamin Sofer-the Ktav Sofer (1815-1871), the son of Maran Rabbi Moshe Sofer- the Chasam Sofer. Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Binyamin Sofer was the rabbi of Pressburg and head of its yeshiva. He was a prolific Torah author and one of the leaders of Orthodox Jewry during the schism in Hungarian Jewry. He was known as the "Ktav Sofer" due to his writings. After his father’s passing on the 25th of Tishrei, 1840, Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Binyamin was appointed to succeed him as the rabbi and head of the yeshiva in Pressburg, despite his young age. At six years old, he fell gravely ill, and his condition was so severe that the Chevra Kadisha (burial society) had already made final preparations. However, his father prayed fervently and added the name "Avraham" as a segulah (protective charm), and miraculously, he recovered. The Chasam Sofer remarked, "I have achieved fifty more years for him, " and indeed, the Ktav Sofer lived for fifty more years, serving as the rabbi and head of the yeshiva in Pressburg for 33 years.
He married the daughter of Rabbi Yitzchak Weiss of Gorlice. Like his father, he was considered one of the greatest rabbis of his generation and a leader of Orthodox Jewry. During his tenure, the Pressburg Yeshiva flourished and doubled its number of students. The Ktav Sofer was also known for being one of the first rabbis in Europe to permit the use of machine-made matzot in 1856, a significant and controversial innovation at the time when hand-baked matzot were the norm. In 1871, he fell ill and passed away on the 19th of Tevet that same year. A description of his funeral was documented by Rabbi Azriel Hildesheimer. His son, Rabbi Simcha Bunim Sofer, succeeded him as the rabbi of the city.
34 x 22 cm.
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Lot #221