R. Reuven Ha’Levi Donenburger/ Rosh L’Reuveini. Donenburg 1882. Extremely Rare!

Rare autograph letter ...

R. Reuven Ha’Levi Donenburger/ Rosh L’Reuveini. Donenburg 1882. Extremely Rare!

Rare autograph letter by R. Reuven Ha’Levi Levin to R. Mordechai Gimpel Yaffe regarding the Torah thoughts of R. Mordechai Gimpel that appeared in a recent HaMeilitz journal.

R. Reuven HaLevi Levi Rabbi of Denenburg (1815-1887). Leading Lithuanian Torah scholar. Close disciple of R. Aryeh Leib Shapiro Rabbi of Smorgon and Kovno. In his youth, he was already considered a foremost Torah scholar of the generation, with his profound understanding and original novellae plumbing the depth of Talmudic topics. He served as rabbi in various cities: Ilya, Ivyanets, Omtchislav (Mstsislaw) and others. In 1879, he was appointed rabbi of the Ashkenazi community in Dvinsk (then named Dinaburg, Denenburg). Ranked amongst the leading Torah scholars of the generation, he was regularly summoned to meetings of foremost Torah scholars with R. Yitzchak Elchanan, and his opinion on current matters was weighed with serious consideration by all Lithuanian rabbis. In 1879, he was appointed by Lithuanian Torah leaders as one of the three rabbis who would advise on matters of religion and Halacha, at the rabbi's convention in St Petersburg (together with R. Lipa of Mir and R. Eliyahu Eliezer of Vilna). Thanks to his lobbying, the government recognized the Orthodox rabbinate's absolute authority over divorce and marriage in the Jewish community. His book Rosh LaReuveni was printed many years following his passing, and contains only a small part of his brilliant novellae, which at the time stirred the world of Torah erudition in Lithuania.