2005-11
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/31/2005
Two letters by different individuals, mostly about the same subject and separately written on opposite sides of the same lettersheet; the blank third and fourth pages act as cover with address and postal surcharge. (No. 1) by Isaac Finkelstein, and although he addresses it to Leeser, he mentions after his signature that he is sending it to “Rev. Moses Bougin” [sic]. From “St. Louis second day of Rosh Hadesh, Tammuz [July] 1848”: “…again I come to beg of you a favor in the matter of the great and learned Rabbi Moses Katzenellenbogen. We turn to you with letters to be translated from Hebrew into English. These are a few words about our holy religion. Our purpose is that we should be given permission to arrange divorces. This is a matter of great importance for him. That is why I am forced to ask you once more to please let me know…whether the letters reached you…” (No. 2) To Leeser. With full signature of “Moses Bogen” [his Anglicized version of his much longer name ‘Katzenellenbogen’].” He writes: “…I, too, request you grant the wish of my dear friend Finkelstein which is also my wish. …The reasons [I haven’t written earlier] is that I have had no peace from a man who hates me and who is my bitter enemy, Zvi, a scribe from New York who came here last winter and accused me of very ugly doings in N.Y. He went from house to house slaughtering fowl, and with a smooth tongue, he aroused the entire community against me. A long time elapsed until his lies were refuted from N.Y. and all the honor I received there finally became known. Then the dispute quieted down, but two enemies remained, and after Passover, when he departed, I began to open my eyes. …Now the two enemies again aroused themselves. For myself I have always loved peace and have always kept away from disputes. Therefore I ask with my very soul that you be good enough to announce in your newspaper to all the Jews that there is a certain man, a rabbi, a chazan and a Schochet, a reader of the Torah, a Mohel and a shofar blower [that man of many talents being himself !]…and my view is that you should not reveal my name, for as the saying goes ‘One should not throw away muddy water unless he has clean water’ and for a wise man like you this hint is sufficient. I wait expectantly for your reply. Whatever the cost of printing will be, please let me know and I will pay as well as I can. I also have shofars to sell which I am having made by a skilled workman.” Both letters are entirely written in Hebrew / Yiddish except signatures which are in English. Accompanied by two excellent, recent English transcriptions of each letter. Normal aging. Exc.
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