Exceedingly Rare! Letter by the Alter of Slabodka Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel. Slabodka
Handwritten and autographed letter of blessing by the Alter of Slabodka Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel to Rabbi Yeshaya Dov Hakohen upon his acceptance of the Rabbinate in Columbus, Ohio.
Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel (1849-1929), renowned as the Alter of Slabodka, was the father of the Lithuanian yeshivos in his generation and one of the progenitors of the mussar movement. He absorbed the foundations of mussar from Rabbi Yisrael Salanter teachings, and following the passing of Rabbi Yisrael’s talmidim, perpetuated his legacy. Many of his disciples matured into the greatest Roshei Yeshivos of the next generation, founding yeshivos across Lithuania and Russia and transforming the former into the global center of Torah study.
The Alter of Slabodka’s method in mussar was founded on his motto of ‘Gadlus Ha’Adam, the Greatness of Man’ which placed man as the epicenter of Creation, being essentially a spiritual creation. He used this concept to instill his disciples with aspiration and yearning to strive for exalted spiritual heights.
The contemporary yeshivah world, both in Israel and the United States, is spearheaded by the legacy of the Alter of Slabodka and his disciples. The two largest yeshivos in the world—the Mir Yeshiva in Yerushalayim which was founded by his son, and Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood which was established by his disciple Rabbi Aharon Kotler, along with countless other yeshivos including Mesivta Torah Voda’ath in Brooklyn and Ner Israel in Baltimore all perpetuate the teachings of Slabodka until this very day.
The Alter of Slabodka was pious and humble, conducting himself with extreme modesty throughout his life. Few of his lectures were recorded or published, he never accepted any official position in any yeshivah or institution, and he never printed his own stationery. One disciple attested that if he were to rifle through the Slabodka Yeshivah’s archive, he would be hard-pressed to find a single document bearing the Alter’s name or signature.
In Addition: A handwritten, autographed inscription by Rabbi Dov Tzvi Heller, mashgiach of the Slabodka Yeshiva, also appears in the margins.
Rabbi Dov Tzvi Heller (1862-1935)
was the famous mashgiach of Yeshivas Slabodka whose legendary character traits were a paradigm for the yeshivah’s students. His daughters married Rabbi Avraham Grodzinski and Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetzky.
Slabodka, undated. The letter is written on two full sides. Page size: 21×13.
Provenance: Public Auction
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