Halachic Responsum by Rabbi Shmuel Salant. Jerusalem, 1841
Original teshuvah inscribed by Harav Shmuel Salant shortly after his arrival in Jerusalem regarding the fate of an agunah from Chevron.
Harav Shmuel Salant’s autograph appears 4 times on this teshuvah—twice with a rare, full signature “Shmuel ben Harav Moreinu Hatzaddik HaRav Tzvi Hirsch z”l of Salant who lives here in Jerusalem may she be speedily rebuilt” and “Shmuel ben Harav Moreinu Hatzaddik HaRav Tzvi Hirsch z”l of Salant, signing here in the holy city of Jerusalem may she be speedily rebuilt.”
It is likely that Rav Shmuel emphasized his presence in Jerusalem repeatedly since the teshuvah was penned only a short while after his arrival.
Harav Shmuel Salant wrote this teshuvah at the age of only 25, attesting to his great influence at such a young age.
The tragic tale of this agunah began when her husband R’ Zalman ben R’ Pinchas was sent abroad as an emissary of the Jewish community in Chevron to fundraise for its destitute residents. Sadly, the boat that R’ Zalman took from Odessa to Istanbul was caught in a tempest at sea and began to sink. All the passengers jumped into sea, and while some were rescued, others, including R’ Zalman, vanished without a trace.
At the time, Harav Shmuel Salant was residing temporarily in Constantinople en route to Eretz Yisrael. He collected testimonies regarding the maritime disaster, and upon arriving in Jerusalem at the age of just 25, authored the present responsum.
On the last page, Rav Shmuel Salant penned a letter “In honor of our Rabbanim Gedolim, leaders of our generation to sit on the throne of hora’ah” with a request that they peruse his teshuvah which sought to free the young woman from Chevron from the shackles of aginus.
Jerusalem, 1841. Folded leaf with 4 written sides. Page size: 29×20 cm. Fold marks, light stains, artistic restorations at page folds.
This teshuvah was published in Toras Rabbeinu Shmuel Vol. 2 Ch. 99 (Jerusalem, 1998), albeit the above-mentioned letter to Gedolei Yisrael is excluded from the printed version.
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