“Vehayei Bracha”
Sacred Letter from the
Divrei Chaim
to Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Daash
Sanz, 1868
A letter from the Admor Rabbi Chaim Halberstam of Sanz, author of ‘Divrei Chaim’, to the Admor Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Daash.
"Due to the severity of the suffering in my legs and being confined to my bedroom, I cannot leave my bed and therefore my response was delayed until now…" He requests, "Please pray for me that I should have a complete recovery." The letter is signed with the signature of the saintly Admor Rabbi Chaim Halberstam of Sanz.
The letter was added to a halachic response that the Rebbe of Sanz sent to Rabbi Menachem Mendel Paneth of Daash, despite being bedridden with illness. This concerns a response regarding an agunah case that was printed in ‘Shu"t Divrei Chaim Even Ha’ezer’ Part 2 Siman 98. (The response of the Rebbe of Daash was printed in his responsa Avnei Tzedek Siman 45.)
At the bottom of the letter are three lines of Torah thoughts in the handwriting of the Admor Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Daash.
The Admor Rabbi Chaim Halberstam of Sanz (1793-1876), author of the ‘Divrei Chaim’, was one of the great tzaddikim of the chassidic movement. He was a genius in both the Hidden and Revealed Torah, a halachic arbitrator and spiritual leader to thousands. Before he was born, the Admor Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sassov blessed his mother that she would bear a child who would become the leader of his generation. At a remarkably young age, Rabbi Chaim married the daughter of the Baruch Taam, from whom he learned and received much Torah, and later received semichah from him. In 1817, he was appointed Rav of Rudnick where he became a close disciple and ardent chassid of the Admor Rabbi Naftali of Ropshitz.
In 1828, Rav Chaim was appointed Rav in Sanz, and two years later, was crowned Rebbe of the city, becoming the most venerated Rebbe and halachic authority in all of Galicia. He was the spiritual leader of his generation who inspired and influenced tens of thousands of chassidim, among them residents of Hungary and Poland as well.
Rabbi Chaim of Sanz was the consummate blend of Torah genius, sacrifice for Avodas Hashem and perfection in chessed. He regularly delivered shiurim in Torah and authored thousands of teshuvos. His emotional prayers were legendary, and he held long, inspiring tischim. He distributed all his wealth to charity.
In the introduction to ‘Divrei Chaim Al HaTorah’, his sons attest about their venerable father: “He dedicated all his days to Torah and service of Hashem, with dveikus and great fear, and with genuine self-sacrifice… He afflicted himself throughout his life with fire and water, and immersed innumerable times in the mikvah. The charity that he distributed generously from his pure hands supported hundreds and thousands of poor and destitute…One could verily see the Divine Presence speaking from his throat.”
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Paneth, Rav of Deyzh (1817-1884) was among the leading Rebbes of his generation and an important halachic authority in Transylvania. He was the son of the Mareh Yechezkel and a prized disciple of the Chasam Sofer, in whose yeshiva he studied for five years. After his marriage, he relocated to Oheli where he formed a close relationship with the Yismach Moshe. He served as Av Beis Din of Deyzh and led a large yeshiva for thirty-five years, which produced prominent Torah leaders. He authored many sefarim, including the well-known ‘Ma’aglei Tzedek’ on Torah.
Sanz, Tuesday of Parshas "And He Shall Be a Blessing" [4 Cheshvan], 1868.
Size: 17 x 21 cm.
Condition: Good, light water stains, fold marks. Printed in ‘Shemen LaMaor-Sofrei HaMelech’ (Jerusalem 2011) pp. 24-26.
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