Chazon Ish on Tractates Gittin and Kiddushin – Vilna, 1932 – First Edition – Personal Copy of the Author, the ...

Chazon Ish on Tractates Gittin and Kiddushin – Vilna, 1932 – First Edition – Personal Copy of the Author, the Chazon Ish, with His Handwritten Glosses
Chazon Ish, on laws of divorce, marriage and slaves, by R. Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz. Vilna, 1932. First edition.

Personal copy of the author, the Chazon Ish. The book contains three lengthy glosses handwritten by the author (on pp. 10b, 52a). These glosses were incorporated in later editions, published after the author's passing.

The Chazon Ish begins one gloss: "I have later seen that this is a mistake…" (p. 10b). The gloss was written on a section pertaining to difficulties in the teachings of the Ran. The Chazon Ish remarks that he was mistaken in his understanding of the words of the Ran, and he suggests a different meaning.

The Chazon Ish was accustomed to recording his notes in the margins of his books, whether on volumes of the Talmud and Shulchan Aruch, or on books of contemporary authors (some of his notes were published in Teshuvot UKetavim MiMaran HaChazon Ish, Bnei Brak, 1991). The Chazon Ish would also extensively scrutinize and correct books he had authored, and even change his mind on teachings he had published, not hesitating to write that he was mistaken and was retracting his original words (Pe'er HaDor, III, pp. 44-45; in one book the Chazon Ish wrote in regard to the Beit Yosef, who retracted one of his rulings: "For is it uncommon for a leading Torah scholar to retract his ruling? Isn't the sole objective of the holy Beit Yosef and all scholars, to reach the law and truth?" – Chazon Ish, Sheviit, section 20).

Editions of the Chazon Ish published after the author's passing feature his glosses to his books in the final pages, and in later editions, his glosses were incorporated in the body of the text, in square brackets, introduced by "נ"ב" (=marginal inscription).

R. Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz (1879-1953), the Chazon Ish, a foremost scholar in Halacha and Jewish philosophy in our times. A preeminent Torah scholar and hidden righteous man, his first book Chazon Ish was published in 1911 anonymously, and he thereafter became known under that title. In his great modesty, he would sign using his acronym only: "Ish". He authored and published numerous volumes of Chazon Ish, which were written with great toil and in-depth study, covering nearly all Talmudic topics. In 1933, he immigrated to Eretz Israel, where he soon became recognized as the leading Torah and halachic authority, and stood at the helm of the resurrection of the Torah world in our generation. From 1920-1933, the Chazon Ish lived in Vilna. During those years, he would go every day to the home of his brother-in-law R. Shmuel Greineman who lived in a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. He would closet himself in a room which his brother-in-law provided for him, deeply immersing himself in Torah study and recording his novellae. Once his writings accumulated to the volume of a book, he would hand them over to his brother-in-law R. Greineman and the latter would prepare them for print. During the years he resided in Vilna, he composed three books, including this book on Gittin and Kiddushin.

[2], 182 pages. 33 cm. Good condition. Stains. Marginal tears to some leaves. Dry, brittle paper. Original binding.