Letter by Rabbi Yitzchak Ze'ev Soloveitchik and the Brisk Rabbis, 1920

Letter by Rabbi Yitzchak Ze'ev Soloveitchik and the Brisk Rabbis, 1920
Long letter sent to the USA by the management of the Talmud Torah of Brisk, Lithuania, signed by Rabbi "Zvi Hirsh son of R'… Moharam Gimpel Yaffe" and Rabbi "Baruch Bendit… Rosenberg". At the end are 11 lines handwritten and signed by Rabbi "Yitzchak Ze'ev son of... Rabbi Chaim HaLevi Soloveitchik" and his stamp: "Yitzchak Ze'ev HaLevi Soloveitchik – Av Beit Din Brisk of Lithuania". Brisk, Tamuz 1920.
This letter was written when the Gryz began serving in the Brisk rabbinate after the Jews of the city returned from Minsk from their exile during World War I, and following the death of his father, Rabbi Chaim of Brisk, in Warsaw. In the letter, the Gryz thanks the people of Va'ad HaEzra from New York, for their activities on behalf of the city residents and particularly for the large sum of money – 200,000 Marks, sent with a special emissary for the building of the Talmud Torah which had been burnt to the ground, and praises their part in "illuminating their souls with the light of Torah and mitzvoth and you should be blessed with all the blessings which are intended for supporters of Torah in this world and in the World to Come". Further in the letter, he encourages them to add to their donation: "One who begins a mitzvah is told to conclude it, we have strong hopes that you will give your hearts to the Talmud Torah… and increase your help to complete it… and you should be blessed with all good, long lives, wealth and honor".
Rabbi Yitzchak Ze’ev Soloveitchik (1886-1959), son of Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik of Brisk and grandson of the Beit HaLevi, was considered from his youth – even during his father’s lifetime - as one of the famous Torah scholars of his time. In 1920 [at the age of 32], he continued his forefathers’ position as Rabbi of Brisk and managed the matters of the Jewish population of the city and its surroundings.
During the holocaust, he and part of his family were saved and immigrated to Jerusalem where Rabbi Yitzchak Ze’ev rebuilt his yeshiva. His authority was accepted throughout the Torah world in Eretz Israel and abroad. He authored Chiddushei Maran Ryz [R’ Yitzchak Ze’ev] HaLevi on the Rambam and on the Torah. Writings produced from notes taken at his discourses were published in the series Chiddushei HaGryz and still in our times his Torah teachings are some of the basic books for deep Torah study in yeshiva circles.
Three pages, 22 cm. Good condition.
This letter of Rabbi Yitzchak Ze’ev Soloveitchik is not known and is not included in Igrot Maran Riz HaLevi (Jerusalem, 2008).