Bidspirit auction | Letter from the Holy Gaon

Letter from the Holy Gaon Rabbi Netanel HaKohen Fried, author of Pnei Mevin ABD Balmazujvaros, to his uncle, the Holy Gaon Rabbi Yehoshua Heschel HaKohen Fried, ABD Kapish. 1899. - A heartfelt letter of supplication and request, entirely in his own handwriting and signature, asking his uncle to pray on behalf of his family. At the end, he also includes Torah novellae. Balmazujvaros, Parashat Bereshit, 1899. “Life, peace, and all goodness to my master, my uncle, the glory of my crown, the holy rabbi, the light of Israel, the great gaon… Rabbi Yehoshua Heschel HaKohen, Av Beit Din of Kapish, may he live long, together with his dear son… Rabbi Yaakov Meir… …And now I come, please, to request through his upright prayers before the Supreme King, Redeemer and Savior, to seek mercy for my son… and for his son-in-law… I will also send a pidyon nefesh, and now I hasten to ask that in his holy prayers he remember [them] for good… I have said, in my humble opinion, with God’s help, a proper insight on siman פז”ר קש”ב in tractate Sukkah…” The Holy Gaon Rabbi Netanel HaKohen Fried (1858–1916), Av Beit Din of Balmazujvaros and author of Pnei Mevin, was renowned from his youth for his sharp intellect and vast knowledge. He was described by leading contemporaries as one of the greatest sages of his generation, famed for both his brilliance and breadth of learning. He was among the foremost halachic authorities in Hungary and a major disseminator of Torah. A disciple of the authors of Kol Aryeh and Rabbi Chaim Zvi Mannheimer, he served from 1894 as Av Beit Din and Rosh Yeshiva in Balmazujvaros for over twenty years without interruption. His works include the responsa Pnei Mevin and Pnei Mevin al HaTorah. The Holy Gaon Rabbi Yehoshua Heschel HaKohen Fried (1824–1921) was a Chasidic Rebbe and head of a yeshiva in Kapish (today Nagy-Kapos / Veľké Kapušany, Slovakia). He studied under great masters including Rabbi Meir Eisenstadt, Rebbi Chaim Halberstam of Sanz, Rebbi Tzvi Hirsch of Liska, and Rebbi Yitzchak Isaac of Zidichov. From 1870 he served as Rebbe in Kapish, reportedly with thousands of followers, and established a major yeshiva there. Around 1900 he transferred the formal rabbinate to his son while continuing as Rebbe. He was widely regarded as a wonder-worker, and many miracle stories about him were published in Toldot Anshei Mofet, in the section Oznei Yehoshua. He passed away on 21 Sivan 1921 and was buried in Kapish, where his gravesite remains a place of visitation. As noted at the top of the letter, it was later printed in the kovetz Sha’arei Orah (published by Rabbi Naftali HaKohen Fried of Kapish), Year 5, siman 12.