Rare and Important: Milchemet Mitzvah. Regarding the Division in the Sighet Community. 1888

Rare and Important: Milchemet Mitzvah. Regarding the Division in the Sighet Community. 1888

'Open letter with Sefer Milchemet Mitzvah' - stormy polemic in the town of Sighet due to the establishment of the new community. The sefer was published by the Orthodox community led by the Kedushat Yom Tov of Sighet, and it contains polemic letters from leading Admo"rim. Sighet, 1888.

The sefer was printed as a serial, in booklets bearing different titles. This is the entire work, including all the booklets published throughout the controversy: Ein Mishpat by Rabbi Shlomo Leib Tabak; Yishuv Mishpat by Rabbi Moshe Halberstam, av beit din of Bardyev; Rabbi Yeshayah HaKohen Rubin, av beit din of Mihályi; and Rabbi Pinchas Weinberger, av beit din of Nigrshod; Emek HaMishpat by Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Friedman, av beit din of Niredhaz.

Background to the controversy: After the Yitev Lev's passing, a disagreement broke out in Sighet with respect to the rabbinate. It split the community into two separate communities: 'The Orthodox Community' (Ashkenazim) and 'The Sephard Community' (those who pray in the Sephard nusach). The Yitev Lev's son, Rabbi Chanayah Yom Tov Lipa Teitelbaum, author of Kedushat Yom Tov, led the Orthodox community, and on the other side were the sons of the Kahana family, the gaon R' Yehudah Modran Vachen, a Vizhnitzer Chassid, who split off and formed a separate community, "The Independent Sephard community" or "The Status Quo Community."

The division in the Sighet community split many other communities. Most Hungarian rabbis took part, along with many rabbis from Galicia and Poland. Taking the side of the Sephard community that broke off were, inter alia, the gaon Rabbi Yitzchak Aharon Ittinga, av beit din of Lvov; the gaon Rabbi Yitzchak Shmelkish, author of Beit Yitzchak; the Netzi"v of Volozhin; Rabbi Aryeh Leibush Horowitz, av beit din of Stry, author of Harei Besamim; the Maharsha"m of Brezan; the Admo"r Rabbi Baruch Hager of Vizhnitz, author of Imrei Baruch; and other rabbis. On the other side, supporting the older Orthodox community, were: the Admo"r Rabbi Yechezkel Shraga Halberstam of Shinova; the Admo"r Rabbi Yehoshua Rokeach of  Belz; the Admo"r Rabbi Shlomo Shapira, author of Shem Shlomo of Munkacs; Rabbi Shlomo Leib Tabak, author of Erech Shai; Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Mannheimer, av Beit din of Ungvar; Rabbi Yoel Tzvi Roth, av beit din of Chust, author of Beit HaYotzer; and additional rabbis.

Both sides - 'The Orthodox Community' and 'The Sephard Community' presented their arguments to a special beit din led by Rabbi Baruch Halberstam of Rudnik, son of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz. Mediator Rabbi Baruch Halberstam found in favor of the Orthodox Community.

[1], 157, [2] leaf. Approximately 25 cm.

Fine condition. Owners' signatures and notations from the period of printing. Aging stains.