1. A Long and Strongly Worded Letter from the Famous Gaon Rabbi Eliezer Silver, Av Beit Din of Cincinnati, Regarding Leniencies in the Laws of Shabbat. 1943.
He concludes: "Heaven forbid to entertain any leniency in this matter, and if some transgress the words of the Torah, should we then be lenient for the G-d-fearing on their behalf? This would lead to desecration of the Sabbath, G-d forbid. Besides this, it adds to the desecration of Hashem’s name and the sanctity of the Sabbath, aiding and abetting transgressors, which is a grave prohibition."
"I expect you to accept upon yourself from now on not to print on Sundays and not to read or influence others to do so. Perhaps he will even join me in protesting to the publisher regarding the desecration of the Sabbath by him and the Rebbes in general. I have also proposed this to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Shlit"a, and others."
He further adds that he has already spent more than fifteen thousand dollars on Agudath Israel, as well as three thousand dollars on the Beit Yaakov school, and that he is unable to lend any more funds.
Rabbi Eliezer Silver (1882–1968), a Lithuanian-born scholar, was one of the first students at the Vilna Kollel under Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski. He also studied under the great rabbis Rabbi David Karliner and Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik. In 1907, he immigrated to the USA and became the president of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada. He was one of the foremost Orthodox rabbinic leaders in America, serving in the rabbinate for over forty years. He was instrumental in rescuing European Jewry during the Holocaust and elevating Orthodox Jewish life in America. His works include Anfei Erez and Tzemach Erez.
2. An Important Letter on the Laws of Mikvaot from Rabbi Zalman Chaim Klein. Borough Park, 1930s.
Rabbi Zalman Chaim Klein was a Dayan and Shochet in Glod, Romania and Gîlgău, Romania. He was born on the Eve of Pesach in Hodod, Satu Mare, Romania in 1859 to his father Rabbi Avraham Yosef Klein and to his righteous mother Yehudit (Stein) Klein the daughter of Tzvi Stein from Hodod, most of his Torah knowledge he got from Rabbi Shmuel Ehrenfeld, the "Chatan Sofer" from Mattersdorf. His Rebbi loved him very much and gave him his sefer as a wedding gift and he stayed connected to his Rebbi his whole life.
He pushed himself to meet the righteous of his generation. Firstly, he traveled as directed by his Rebbi to Rebbe Yekusiel Yehuda Teitelbaum of Sighet who also showed him signs of love by calling him “The Bachelor from Mattersdorf”, in his youth he also merited to see Rebbe Aaron Perlow of Karlin and traveled to Rebbe Yehoshua Rokeach of Belz, and Rebbe Yechezkel Shraga Halberstam of Shinove as well as many others.
In Elul 1928 he traveled to the United States and founded the Beit Midrash Linat Tzedek and built mikvaot that were beautiful and kosher according to all opinions and in 1934 he merited to move to Israel and settle in Jerusalem.
3. A Letter from the Rebbe and Tzaddik, Aryeh Leibish Rokeach. Brooklyn, 1940.
4. A Letter of Congratulations from Rabbi Avraham Ze’ev HaLevi Pokshewa, Av Beit Din of Union City.
5. A Letter from the Gaon Rabbi Yehoshua Katz, Av Beit Din of Szombathely.
This letter concerns the payment for a sefer and a request for assistance regarding officiating at Brit Milah’s "And I, thank G-d, am well-known here as an expert Mohel."
Rabbi Yehoshua Katz (1912–1985) was the son of Rabbi Asher Anshel Katz, who was martyred in the Holocaust. He served as Rosh Yeshiva and rabbi of the "Adath Yisrael" congregation in Dunaszerdahely and was the son-in-law of the Gaon Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Ehrenreich Hy”d. After World War II, Rabbi Yehoshua Katz immigrated to the United States, where he served as the rabbi of the "Beit Asher of Dunaszerdahely" congregation in Brooklyn. His son is the well-known Admor and Av Beit Din of Vienna, who is related through marriage to the Rebbe of Vizhnitz and the Av Beit Din of Pupa in Jerusalem.
The recipient, Rebbi Menachem Binyamin Ben Zion Rottenberg -Halberstam (1881–1957), the Sanzer Rebbe of New York, was a descendant of the illustrious Sanz and Kshanov dynasties. His lineage included:
Rebbi Aharon of Biala-Bilitz
Rebbi Yosef Zev of Kshanov, son of Rebbi David of Kshanov
Rebbi David of Kshanov, son of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz.
On his maternal side, he descended from Rebbi Alter Chaim of Walbrum, adopting the surname "Rottenberg" from this branch. A scion of several prominent Chassidic dynasties, his genealogy intertwined with the great tzaddikim of Ropshitz, Sanz, Or Lashamayim, Belz, and Apta.
Rebbi Rottenberg established his court in New York after emigrating to the United States. Revered as a spiritual leader, he presided over his beit midrash and served as the president of the Union of Rebbes (Agudas HaAdmorim).
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