“It is better that you pray … all year round in your home, because they are the people of controversy like Korach and his congregation" – a letter in the very handwriting of the Holy Man of God, Rabbi Meir of Premishlan.
A letter in the very handwriting of the Holy Rabbi, the chasidic master of Rabbi Meir of Premishlan to his brother-in-law.
Rabbi Meir of Premishlan son of Rabbi Aaron Aryeh Leib son of Rabbi Meir the Great of Premishlan (of the first students of the Ba'al Shem Tov) was born in 5743 (1783) by the blessing of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, a disciple of Rabbi Mordechai of Kremnitz, as well as the Chozeh of Lublin.
He became famous at an early age as one with ru’ach hakodesh, countless miraculous stories that testify to the spirit of his holiness are told by Chasidim according to reliable sources, the righteous of his generation went to him and were amazed by the spirit of his holiness. His extravagance for charity was limitless and in his great humility he referred to himself as a simple benefactor. This is how his what Rabbi Shlomo Kluger writes about him in his eulogy on him: "Even if I know the values and poverty of my deeds, nevertheless the level of the great tzadik man of God… R. Meir of Premishlan… I have known some of his good deeds that are revealed to everyone… I merited to see him twice as one who sees the face of God…"
The letter deals with a controversial matter in the synagogue where his brother-in-law had prayed and Rabbi Meir writes that they are persecuting the truth and they are the people of Korach and his cohorts, and it is preferable to pray at home all year round rather than in the synagogue. He writes that all the worshipers should accept that there will be no quarrel on Sukkot, as happened the year before where the lights were shut to enable each to beat his opponent.
The letter reveals the well-known humility of the Admor of Premishlan, in which he writes that what they are chasing him maybe because they feel that I am bad!!!
[1] Leaf, size 21:18 cm. 13 lines in his hand with his signature, missing the beginning of letter, creased with water damage with no significant loss. Very rare!
The text of his signature in this letter is: the words of your brother-in-law, Rabbi Meir son of the righteous Rabbi Aharon Aryeh z"l, who lives in the city of Kibbutz Mikolayev.
