Personal Seal of Rabbi Shimon Sofer, son of the Chasam Sofer, Av Beis Din of Cracow and Author of “Michtav Sofer”. Mid 19th Century
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Shimon b’Hagaon Maharam Sofer, AB”D of the holy congregation of Cracow.” Personal seal of Rabbi Shimon Sofer, Av Beis Din of Cracow.
Description: Bronze seal with embossed letters and a marble handle. The center of the seal features an embossed image of the Ark of the Covenant with the Two Tablets resting upon it and a crown above them. Below the Ark, arranged in a circular shape is the inscription, "Av Beis Din of the holy community of Cracow" and below that “Ya”E” (the Hebrew acronym for “May G-d protect it”). Around the inscription are the words “Shimon son of the illustrious Rabbi Sofer”, followed by an ornament, “Ya”E”, another ornament, and the acronym ‘of blessed memory’.
Rabbi Shimon Sofer (1821-1883), author of Michtav Sofer, was the son and disciple of his father the Chasam Sofer, perpetuating his sacred legacy of strengthening religious observance in the Diaspora. A genius who was fluent in both the Revealed and Hidden Torah, Rabbi Shimon Sofer was one of the foremost spiritual leaders of his generation, serving first as Rav and Av Beis Din in Mattersdorf and later in Cracow until his passing in 1883.
Rabbi Shimon Sofer maintained close connections with several great Chassidic leaders, among them Rabbi Chaim Halberstam of Sanz, author of Divrei Chaim, who significantly influenced his appointment to the rabbinate of Cracow and Rabbi Yehoshua of Belz, with whom he founded the Machzikei Hadas Society to strengthen Judaism in Galicia. In the year 1879, Rabbi Sofer’s brilliance and versatile talents led to his election as a delegate to the Austrian Parliament, where he acted as the liaison between the government and Jewish community. Emperor Franz Joseph I held him in high regard and even awarded him an honorary medal.
Condition: Good condition; minor loss and repairs to handle.
Size: 9 cm high inc. handle; 3 cm diameter of seal
Weight: 100 grams
Provenance: Yechezkel Toporowitch Collection
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