The Chasam Sofer’s Handwritten Chiddushei Torah!
Pressburg, 1809
These sacred handwritten chiddushim include five complete paragraphs on the following parshiyos: Shemini, Tazria, Kedoshim and Emor. (שמיני, תזריע, קדושים, אמור)
with additional section of 6 lines on Parshas Behar.
Toras Moshe
The Chasam Sofer inscribed regarding his own writings:
“As long as Hashem grants me life and gives me strength, I am prepared to learn with anyone who wishes to come, and I shall not be silent or rest… And I am hereby writing with ink on a sefer, all that Hashem Yisborach granted me, both in halachah and Aggadah.”(The above excerpt was printed in Shu”t Chasam Sofer, Yoreh Deah)
The Chasam Sofer’s Kuntress written in 1809
Every year, the Chasam Sofer inscribed in a special pamphlet his chiddushim on the weekly parshiyos, as he once wrote: “I shall say the truth that…I regularly create a special pamphlet for each and every year, and write down all [the wisdom] that Hashem Yisborach has granted me every Shabbos” (Shu”t Chasam Sofer Vol. 6 Ch. 81).
In 1809, Napoleon’s army invaded Austria. When the French infantry stormed Pressburg, the Chasam Sofer and his congregation were forced to flee to the nearby city of Jargen. Following the political upheaval and dangers, the Chasam Sofer did not have ample time to record his chiddushim that year, and thus many parshiyos are omitted from the 1809 Kuntress. (Shaar Yosef, Drashos Chasam Sofer p. 13)
The present lot is part of the pamphlet authored in 1809 which was subsequently published by Rabbi Naftali Stern in Chasam Sofer al HaTorah based on the present manuscript. Yet the final paragraph( 6 lines) on Parshas Behar is not printed.
Pressburg, 1809. [1] leaf. Page size: 24×19 cm. Handwritten on both sides. Good condition. Preserved in ornate leather binding.
Holy of Holies
“Had the Chasam Sofer zy”a left Toras Moshe al HaTorah as his sole legacy to our nation, it would have been sufficient to manifest his greatness, for all his compositions are holy, yet the sefer Toras Moshe is holy of holies” (Hagaon Harav Meir Arik in his preface to Chassan Sofer)
Replete with Holiness
“All his words, lectures and chiddushei Torah in Halachah and Aggadah are replete with purity, fear of heaven, piety and exalted character traits” (The Gaon of Shamlau, Zichron Moshe p. 8)
The Remarkable Segulos of the Chasam Sofer’s Handwriting
A Segulah for Yiras Shamayim
Maharam Banet expressed that a mere glance at the sacred writing of the Chasam Sofer fosters fear of heaven. It is told that Maharam Banet once received a handwritten teshuvah from the Chasam Sofer and spent a great deal of time perusing it. When his students asked if the letter perplexed him, he replied, “No, but I am delving into this teshuvah, since the mere sight of his sacred writing increases fear of heaven.” (Drashos Chasam Sofer, Preface, p. 6)
The Admor Rabbi Yoel of Satmar similarly expressed that seeing the handwriting of the Chasam Sofer can lead one to attain fear of heaven.
A Segulah for Yiras Shamayim
A Segulah for Protection
It is known that the Chasam Sofer’s family members and descendants would safeguard his letters and writings as a segulah for protection and security, affirming that it is auspicious for protection from trial or tribulation. Whenever his son Rabbi Shimon Sofer, Av Beis Din of Cracow, faced the Austrian Parliament, he would carefully peruse a letter written by his father before rendering his decision.
A Segulah for Health and Recovery
The Daas Sofer would instruct patients to place a handwritten letter of the Chasam Sofer beneath their pillow as a segulah for health and recovery. (Beis Sofrim p. 173)
A Segulah for Easy Childbirth
The Chasam Sofer’s family would also place a handwritten letter by the Chasam Sofer beneath the head of a woman in the throes of difficult labor as a segulah for swift and safe childbirth. (Shu”t Shevet Halevi Vol. 6 Ch. 162 #2)
