Cidushei Haramban. The copy of the Chafetz Chaim with his handwritten signature “Yisroel Meir Ha’Cohen of ...

Cidushei Haramban. The copy of the Chafetz Chaim with his handwritten signature “Yisroel Meir Ha’Cohen of Radin” as well as handwritten glosses.

During the First World War, the Chafetz Chaim fled to Russia, with a small number of talmidim and a few seforim. For a period of time he stayed in the home of R. Tzvi Yehuda Edelstein, Av Beit Din of Shumyachi. The Chafetz Chaim wrote his name in his seforim and when he returned to Radin he left them as a gift for his host. This is one of the seforim that he owned and used for his learning and is quoted many times in the Mishna Berurah.

The personal library of the Chafetz Chaim was not extensive. The many seforim that he quotes in his many works were often borrowed or quoted from his memory. See sefer Ohr Elchonon (p. 239-240).

R. Yisrael Meir Ha’Cohen Kagan (1838-1933) was the leader of his generation and published many seforim based on what he felt needed emphasizing at the time, such as the laws of forbidden speech, family purity, tznius and daily Torah study. He also placed importance on studying the laws of Kodshim to prepare for the arrival of Moshiach and published Likutei Halachos on Kodshim.