1. A letter of request from the Gaon Rabbi Raphael Silberman, Chief Rabbi of Safed, to the Gaon Rabbi Eliyahu Guttmacher, Chief Rabbi of Greiditz. A request for assistance with the wedding expenses of his daughter.
Safed, 1874.
The Holy Gaon Rabbi Raphael HaLevi Silberman was born in 1839 in Uman, Ukraine, to his father, the Gaon Rabbi Mordechai HaLevi Silberman. In 1850, he immigrated to Eretz Yisrael with his parents, settling in Safed. His father was appointed Rabbi of Safed, and Rabbi Raphael studied Torah under him. He married the daughter of Rabbi Chaim Baruch of Kishinev, who also settled in Safed. In 1860, he was appointed as a dayan (judge) and posek (halachic authority) for the Ashkenazi community in Safed. In 1872, after his father’s passing, he succeeded him as Chief Rabbi of the city. Known for his wisdom and Torah greatness, even the Turkish authorities recognized his wisdom and granted him the title "Hakham Pasha." He passed away on the 6th of Tevet, 1918, and was buried in Safed.
The recipient, the righteous Gaon Rabbi Eliyahu Guttmacher, Chief Rabbi of Greiditz [1796-1875], was one of the great righteous figures of his time and an early disciple of the Gaon Rabbi Akiva Eiger. One of the most remarkable figures of the past centuries, he was known for performing wonders, writing amulets, and thousands flocked to him for blessings and salvation. Many books were written about his miracles and holiness, including *Der Greiditzer Tzaddik* (Jerusalem, 1934) and *Rabbi Eliyahu Guttmacher, the Tzaddik of Greiditz* (Jerusalem, 1969).
2. A letter of annulment of an encumbrance from the Beit Din of Jerusalem, signed by the Gaonim Rabbi Moshe Nachum Wallenstein, Rabbi Lipman David Shuvaks, Rabbi Tzvi Pesach Frank, and three other Dayanim.
Jerusalem, 1910.
3. A letter from the "Beit Din Tzedek for all Ashkenazi Communities of Safed and the Colonies." The signature appears similar to that of the Rebbe Avraham Weinberg of Slonim.
Safed, 1924.
4-5. Two postcards from the Divine Kabbalist Rabbi Berish Zaltz, a disciple of the Ridbaz, to Rabbi Shabtai Yagel, Head of the Slonim Yeshiva.
The Gaon Rabbi Yissachar Berish Zaltz (1893-1961), one of the great rabbis of Safed, was a Torah scholar and Kabbalist who devoted his life to Torah study. He was a yeshiva head and halachic authority in Safed, belonging to one of the long-established families in the Jewish community of Safed. He was a close disciple of the Ridbaz (Rabbi Yaakov David Willovsky, Chief Rabbi of Safed) and head of his yeshiva "Bnei Yaakov – Ridbaz" in Safed. He was also a devoted disciple and close associate of the "Holy Elder" Rabbi Shlomo Elyashiv Alfanari during his tenure as Chief Rabbi of Safed. Rabbi Zaltz corresponded on halachic matters and maintained a friendship with the Gaon Rabbi Tzvi Pesach Frank and other rabbis in Eretz Yisrael.
6. A damaged letter from Rabbi Chaim Michael Michlin.
Rabbi Chaim Michael Michlin (1867-1939), a Torah scholar and well-known activist in the development of Jerusalem, served for many years as the secretary of the Etz Chaim Yeshiva and Bikur Cholim Hospital, as well as the personal secretary to Jerusalem Rabbis Rabbi Moshe Nachum Kahane and Rabbi Shmuel Salant. In 1893, he was dismissed from his positions following a conflict with the rabbis of the Ashkenazi community, along with his father-in-law, Rabbi Michel HaKohen. He subsequently served as the secretary to the Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yaakov Shaul Elyashar, as a member and trustee of the Sephardi community council, and as the chief secretary of Misgav Ladach Hospital, which was established at that time by his father-in-law, Rabbi Michel HaKohen.
7. A rare and long Personal letter – all handwritten and signed by the ‘Mashgiach ‘ the Gaon Rabbi Meir Chadash to the Gaon Rabbi Hillel Medalie Av Bet Din of Leeds. 1965.
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