Three Books from the Library of the Warka-Otwock Rebbe

Three Books from the Library of the Warka-Otwock Rebbe
1. Zera Baruch, Chassidic homiletics on the Torah. By Rabbi Baruch, Av Beit Din of Wyszogrod and Sochaczew. Warsaw, [ca. 1877]. Single edition. 2-3. Michlol Yofi, on Megillat Kohelet, by Rabbi Eliyahu Luntz Ashkenazi (Rabbi Eliyahu Ba'al Shem). Berlin, 1775. · Bound with: Gulat Tachtiyot on Tractates Gittin and Kiddushin, and anthologies, by Rabbi Refael of Pyzdry, author of Or LaYesharim. Dihrnfort, 1805. (On the title page of Gulot Tachti'ot are ancient signatures of "Yosef Kanterowitz" and "Refael Kanterowitz", and others). All the books feature many stamps (on numerous leaves) and ownership inscriptions of Rabbi "Simcha Bunim son of R' Mordechai Menachem Mendel of Warka, now in Otwock". Stamps of his son-in-law Rabbi "Yeshaya Elimelech Rievsky – resides in Białobrzegi" and stamps of his grandson, "Simcha Bunim Reivsky – Białobrzegi". Rebbe Simcha Bunim Kalisch of Warka-Otwock (1851-1907), was the son of Rebbe Mordechai Menachem Mendel Kalisch of Warka. He was appointed rebbe (in 1868) at the age of 17 and led Chassidim in the city of Warka. He had a great love of Eretz Israel and twice tried to immigrate there. His first attempt, with his family and disciples, led to banishment by the Turkish government, and his subsequent move to Otwock. Years later, he immigrated by himself and settled in Tiberias, where he died a month and a half later. He was well-known for his love of mitzvoth and for the halachic stringencies he adopted alongside his conservative approach and extreme opposition to the Enlightenment Movement. Three of his sons succeeded him as rebbe. The story is told of his daughter Tzviah, wife of Yeshaya Elimelech Rievsky, Av Beit Din of Białobrzegi, who did not have children until she promised her father that she would not approach doctors for help. Consequently, she gave birth to a boy, Rabbi Simcha Bunem Rievsky who was born after the death of his grandfather the rebbe. Three books in two volumes. Size and condition vary.