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Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Rabbi Avraham Shalom Halberstam of Stropkov testifying regarding the Sanz-Sadigura fight

In 1984 the book Yeushar Ba'aretz was published, authored by a fine Williamsburg Jew, Yeshaya Asher Mendelowitz. At the end of the book, appear in facsimile many rare and otherwise unknown Hasidic letters.

One of the letters reproduced is a letter by Rabbi Shalom Halberstam, the Stropkover Rav, the son of the Shinover Rav and grandson of the Divre Hayyim of Sanz. In it, he writes that "he testifies, from his father and grandfather that people mislead them with false information regarding the dispute with Sadigura, and their intent was not Leshem Shamayim ("For the sake of heaven."). It is clear that if these great giants were not mislead by evil people, these great people would have brought about the final redemption through their Torah and holiness."

This statement would come as a shock to many of the followers of these Hasidic Dynasties today, who believe in the infallibility of their Rebbes. The Sanz-Sadigura dispute, was one of the harshest Rabbinic disputes in history, with several books written about it's history and development, see for example,
The dissertation on the subject by Rabbi Ahron Malkiel,   ספר החסידות של אהרן מרכוס ,  and David Assaf's הציץ ונפגע: אנטומיה של מחלוקת חסידית

Interestingly,  when the book was republished, this letter mysteriously was no longer present.
You can read the letter in it's entirety below. 




A few pages prior in the book, appears this other gem, which you can read below:
from the fifth to bottom line, continues below

continuation from previous photo
hat-tip: Menachem Silber

2 comments:

  1. The letter was actually published prior to יאושר בארץ by his grandson the Stropkever Rebbe from Jerusalem. According to historians and family researchers, the Stropkever does not reffer here to the famous Sanz-Sadugere machlokes, but to diffrent battles on rabbones positions etc.

    ואכמ"ל

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    Replies
    1. Where did the Stropkover Rebbe publish it?

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