"Truth be Told, We did not Know him Well, and did not Appreciate him" - Letter from the Gaon Rabbi Elazar Menachem ...

"Truth be Told, We did not Know him Well, and did not Appreciate him" - Letter from the Gaon Rabbi Elazar Menachem Mann Shach, Regarding the Mussar Personality Rabbi Chaim Friedlander

Lengthy letter, entirely handwritten and signed by Rabbi Elazar Menachem Mann Shach about printing the writings of the gaon Rabbi Chaim Friedlander. Bnei-Brak, 1986.

In this important letter, the gaon Rabbi Elazar Menachem Mann Shach relates Chaim Friedlander's greatness and his modesty - "... from his youth he influenced many, and always with humility. Truth be told, we did not know him well, and did not appreciate him - not his greatness in fear of Heaven, his understanding and his conduct. He was very modest, and this went unobserved. After his passing, notes were found with resolutions he wrote. His greatness was evident in that he walked among us and we did not know him ..." He appeals to people of means to assist in printing the writings left behind, and warmly blesses those who merit participating in this mitzvah.

It is appropriate to note here that the gaon Rabbi Chaim served as mashgiach at the Ponovezh yeshivah, under the leadership of the gaon Rabbi Elazar Menachem Mann Shach. This is a high-level position that demands close familiarity between people, yet despite this, Rabbi Shach states that Rabbi Friedlander managed to conceal his activities from the rosh yeshivah himself!

[1] leaf paper, stationery blank. 17.5x25 cm. A printed copy of the letter is included, with several compilations from among Rabbi Chaim Friedlander's works.

Very fine condition. Few revisions in the original, using correction fluid. Fold mark.

Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for brief biographies of Rabbi Elazar Menachem Mann Shach and Rabbi Chaim Friedlander.