Long Letter Handwritten and Signed by the Chafetz Chaim – 1924

Long Letter Handwritten and Signed by the Chafetz Chaim – 1924
Long letter (2 pages, approximately 26 lines), all in the handwriting and with the signature of Rabbi Yisrael Meir HaCohen of Radin, author of the Chafetz Chaim. [Radin], Adar Bet 1924.
Another letter, by his grandson Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Levinson, manager of the Radin Yeshiva, appears on the second page.
The letter was sent to Rabbi Shmuel Yosef Hillman, a rabbi in London, regarding his book Or HaYashar on Tractates Arachin and Tmura and his previous book on Tractate Bechorot. Further in the letter, the Chafetz Chaim requested assistance for the emissary of the Radin Yeshiva who was at that time in London "Collecting for our yeshiva which is in dire circumstances. About 200 students study here, as well as a number of young married men, great Torah scholars… the yeshiva is very illustrious, teaching also mussar and midot, and including great treasures…". The letter is signed, "The youngest Cohen Yisrael Meir HaCohen of Radin".
The tsaddik, Raban shel Yisrael, Rabbi Yisrael Meir HaCohen of Radin (1837-1933), became known by the name of his first book the Chafetz Chaim. He established and headed the Radin Yeshiva and authored many halachic and mussar books: Mishna Brura, Shemirat HaLashon, Ahavat Chesed and dozens of other books. Letters written in his senior years are very rare; this letter was written at the age of 87 [!]. Apparently, the Chafetz Chaim held Rabbi Hillman in great esteem [due to his study of Seder Kodshin and books written on its tractates], and therefore went to the trouble of sending him this letter in his own handwriting.
The recipient, Rabbi Shmuel Yitzchak Hillman (1868-1953), a student of the Volozhin Yeshiva and an outstanding Torah scholar, was appointed, in 1897, at the age of 19, to the Berezino rabbinate. In 1908, he immigrated to England to serve as Chief Rabbi of Glasgow, Scotland, and six years later was appointed Ra’avad of London. In 1934, he immigrated to Jerusalem and established the Ohel Torah Yeshiva [in which many future Torah leaders studied: Rabbi Y.S. Elyashiv, Rabbi S.Z. Auerbach, Rabbi S. Wosner, etc.]. Rabbi Hillman wrote and printed dozens of books in his Or HaYashar series with novellae, notes and sources on the entire Babylonian and Yerushalmi Talmud, Mishna and Midrashei Halacha, on the Bible and on the Rambam. His son-in-law was Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac HaLevi Herzog, Chief Rabbi of Eretz Israel.
4 pages 20.5 cm. Very good condition.