A Book written in an Egyptian Jail: Kerem Dal on the Torah by Daniel Levi

It was 1948, during Israel's Independence War, and Egypt decided to jail many of the leaders and businessman of the Jewish Community, whom they decided were spies or traitors. One of the 200 Jews imprisoned in Abu Qir, was Daniel Levi, a businessman. He used his newly acquired spare time there to write a commentary on the Torah, which was eventually published in Israel in 1959.

The author in his introduction describing his stay in Abu Qir, and how the book was formed

There is a very complimentary Haskamah in the book from Rabbi Ahron Menahem Schweke, originally of Cairo, Egypt and later Rabbi of Kiryat Yovel, Jerusalem. From his Haskamah: 

"Even though I was busy and confused, despite all this, the first night when I went in to my bed to sleep, I took your book with me to skim through, until I fall asleep. I have never been able to read in bed more than a half hour, as sleep would always overpower me and the book would fall from my hands."

"But on this night, it was ten at night when I went to sleep, and when I placed it down, I saw that the time was 1:00 am ! I have read the book for 3 hours, something which has never happened to me before"

Haskamah of Rabbi Ahron Menahem Schweke

Haskamah of Rabbi Ahron Menahem Schweke