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Two Torah Giants!
A Fascinating Historic Treasure: Handwritten Letters from the Chasam Sofer and Rebbetzin Sorel Sofer to Their Father and Father-in-Law, Rabbi Akiva Eiger
Pressburg, 1824
Two Torah Giants!
A Fascinating Historic Treasure: Handwritten Letters from the Chasam Sofer and Rebbetzin Sorel Sofer to Their Father and Father-in-Law, Rabbi Akiva Eiger
Pressburg, 1824
A complete handwritten letter by the Chasam Sofer to his father-in-law, the gaon Rabbi Akiva Eiger, with a warm personal letter added in the margins by his wife, Rebbetzin Sorel Sofer, addressed to her father.
Background to the Letter: In Adar 1824, the Chasam Sofer received from his disciple, Rabbi Pinchas Leib Munk, a difficult and highly complex halachic question concerning the laws of chalitzah. The case was especially urgent: unless a valid solution could be found, the young widow involved would remain an agunah for the rest of her life.
After careful consideration, the Chasam Sofer found grounds to permit her to remarry. Yet, he was unwilling to rely on his ruling alone. He stipulated that the ruling should take effect only if two of the gedolei hador agreed with him. He therefore sent the responsum to his father-in-law, Rabbi Akiva Eiger, and to Rabbi Ephraim Zalman Margulies, seeking their agreement.
Presented here is the copy of the teshuvah sent to Rabbi Akiva Eiger. The final page is written in the Chasam Sofer’s own handwriting and contains a personal letter to his father-in-law. In the margin, Rebbetzin Sorel added a personal letter of her own to her father, written in her own handwriting.
The Chasam Sofer starts the letter with an extraordinary outpouring of honor and reverence:
“Peace and every blessing to my teacher and father-in-law — the gaon of the generation, a precious jewel, the crown of Yisrael, the glory and splendor of our generation, the holy and exalted Rabbi Akiva Eiger, Av Beis Din and leader of the community of Posen.”
He then requests his father-in-law’s “holy opinion.”
In addition, he writes to his illustrious father-in-law:
“A thousand thanks for the good news and for the copy of the royal decree. May Hashem be with us and not forsake us.” He was referring to the government decree issued at the time, following denunciations by the maskilim of Posen, ordering the closure of the chadarim and yeshiva in Posen. After extensive efforts, Rabbi Akiva Eiger succeeded in thwarting their plans and informed the Chasam Sofer of the good news in his letter.
“A thousand thanks for the good news and for the copy of the royal decree. May Hashem be with us and not forsake us.” He was referring to the government decree issued at the time, following denunciations by the maskilim of Posen, ordering the closure of the chadarim and yeshiva in Posen. After extensive efforts, Rabbi Akiva Eiger succeeded in thwarting their plans and informed the Chasam Sofer of the good news in his letter.
He concludes with heartfelt blessings:
“May Hashem bless you with abundant joy, and grant you peace and security.” He signs with deep affection as “the one who loves you dearly — your son-in-law who is as a son to you, who seeks your welfare, treasures your Torah and awaits your reply,
Moshe HaKatan Sofer of Frankfurt am Main.”
********
Anyone privileged to hold this sacred document — once held in the holy hands of both the Chasam Sofer and Rabbi Akiva Eiger — cannot help but be deeply moved. It evokes a profound sense of awe, that one is being granted a rare glimpse into the innermost world of two of the greatest Torah giants of recent generations, whose scholarship and righteousness illuminated their generation and continue to inspire all generations.
Son-in-Law and Father-in-Law
The bond of friendship and mutual admiration between these two towering Torah giants — Rabbi Akiva Eiger and the Chasam Sofer — was extraordinary. From the time Rabbi Akiva Eiger’s daughter married the Chasam Sofer, they developed an exceptionally close relationship.
Rabbi Akiva Eiger regarded his son-in-law with profound reverence. He referred to him as “the Prince of Yisrael, ” deferred to his judgment, and even asked him to pray on his behalf. In one remarkable letter, he wrote:
“My illustrious son-in-law brings me honor, but he has no need of any honor from me, for his greatness in Torah and Yiras Shamayim surpasses mine by a thousandfold.”
The Chasam Sofer, in turn, described Rabbi Akiva Eiger as “a holy man of G-d, ” “the one whom all of Klal Yisrael relies upon, ” “the Holy One of Yisrael, ” and “the glory and splendor of the generation.” As in the present letter, he regularly signed as “your son-in-law, who is like your own son, ” and in his eulogy declared, “Who could compare to him? To whom can I liken him?”
They discussed complex halachic issues and consulted one another on matters of communal leadership and the struggle against the Reform movement.
Rebbetzin Sorel connected Pressburg and Posen, binding together the hearts of these two Torah giants.
“Mein Liebe Fater Leben”
Written in the margin of the Chasam Sofer’s letter is a warm and affectionate personal message in Yiddish from Rebbetzin Sorel Sofer, wife of the Chasam Sofer, to her father, Rabbi Akiva Eiger, beginning with the words, “Mein liebe Fater leben” (“My beloved father”), and signed in her handwriting:
“Your devoted and faithful daughter, Sorel, daughter of the gaon Rabbi Akiva.”
She reports that she is well, expresses the hope of hearing good news from her father, conveys greetings from his grandchildren, and inquires after the welfare of her stepmother and the rest of the family.
Rebbetzin Sorel Sofer
The illustrious Rebbetzin Sorel Sofer was the devoted wife of the Chasam Sofer and the matriarch of the illustrious Sofer dynasty.
Her husband famously declared, “Most of my Torah is due to her merit.” (As Rabbi Shlomo Alexandri Sofer heard from his father, the Michtav Sofer; introduction to Chiddushei Chasam Sofer on Chullin.)
In his eulogy for her, he expounded the entire chapter of Eishes Chayil, describing how she enabled him to raise countless disciples and lead Jewish communities. He praised her exceptional concern for kashrus and integrity and recalled that she refrained from wearing fine clothing and jewelry, preferring instead to give generously to the poor. Later, in his eulogy for Rabbi Akiva Eiger, he again referred to her, saying:
“Do you remember your righteous mother zt”l, his daughter? Her greatness cannot be measured, evaluated, or adequately described.”
Among the best-known mementos of their marriage is the beautifully handwritten and illustrated Haggadah that the Chasam Sofer presented to her as a gift in 1816 (published in facsimile, Berlin, 1924).
Born in Lissa in 1787, she was the daughter of Rabbi Akiva Eiger. Her father admired her deeply, describing her as “exceptionally intelligent” and “with excellent middos.” Her uncle, Rabbi Bunim Eiger, wrote in a letter suggesting a shidduch that she “has an excellent character, is God-fearing, loves Torah, is modest in her conduct, exceedingly wise, and is well suited to the responsibilities of a rabbinic household and raising a family.”
Her son, the Michtav Sofer, wrote about her:
“No words can adequately describe her wisdom, her righteousness, and the profound love of Torah that filled her heart” (introduction to Shu”t Ksav Sofer).
She married the Chasam Sofer in Eisenstadt in 1813, a second marriage for both of them, and all of the descendants of the Chasam Sofer were from this marriage.
Because of the Chasam Sofer’s enormous responsibilities as head of his yeshiva and leader of the generation, he entrusted the education of their children to her. In his eulogy, he praised her extraordinary devotion to educating and raising them.
Her influence, however, extended well beyond her own home. She was well-known in Pressburg and inspired Jewish women toward greater modesty and Yiras Shamayim.
She maintained a lifelong correspondence with her father, who always inquired after her welfare in his Torah letters to the Chasam Sofer. During her final years, she suffered greatly from illness and passed away in 1832, at only forty-four years of age. She left a will urging her descendants to devote themselves to Torah and Yiras Shamayim, which the Chasam Sofer read aloud at the beginning of his eulogy for her.
Description:
Pressburg, 1824.
Page Count: [4] large leaves.
Size: 23 × 39 cm.
Six pages contain the copy of the Chasam Sofer’s teshuva that he sent to his talmid Rabbi Pinchas Leib Munk, and was copied here to ask for Rabbi Akiva Eiger’s opinion.
The seventh page contains the letter of the Chasam Sofer and his Rebbetzin.
Condition: Tears with some loss of text, professionally restored with paper infills. The page containing the letters of the Chasam Sofer and the Rebbetzin is complete and without loss. Preserved in an elegant leather binding.
The letter was published in the sefer Lematah Moshe (Jerusalem, 2007), pp. 53–54.
This comprehensive teshuva on the laws of chalitzah was published in Shu”t Chasam Sofer, Even HaEzer II, siman 69. Rabbi Akiva Eiger’s teshuva was published in Shu”t Rabbi Akiva Eiger, Mahadura Kama, siman 98.
As mentioned in the present letter, the Chasam Sofer also sent the question to Rabbi Ephraim Zalman Margulies, whose response — and discussion of Rabbi Akiva Eiger’s ruling — appeared in Beis Ephraim, Mahadura Tinyana II, simanim 5–7, to which the Chasam Sofer replied in siman 70.
In siman 6, the Beis Ephraim marvels that the Chasam Sofer had sought his opinion at all, writing: “Are not these two pillars of halachah [the Chasam Sofer and Rabbi Akiva Eiger] sufficient, upon whom all Klal Yisrael relies? Who could possibly add to their words?”
The story of the shidduch between the Chasam Sofer and the daughter of Rabbi Akiva Eiger is a remarkable story that illustrates the extraordinary humility of these two Torah giants.
When the match was proposed, the Chasam Sofer turned directly to Rabbi Akiva Eiger for information about his daughter, reasoning that no one could speak more honestly than her own father.
Rabbi Akiva Eiger responded with glowing praise, adding only one reservation: surely the Chasam Sofer wished to marry the daughter of a Torah scholar, and, regrettably, he had not yet reached that level!
The Chasam Sofer replied:
“Your holy words are certainly true. As for marrying the daughter of a Torah scholar — that responsibility rests with me. My concern is that you would surely not wish to marry your daughter to an ignoramus!”
Regarding this remarkable exchange, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum later quipped:
“Between two such ‘amei ha’aretz, ’ I would gladly serve as the shadchan.”
_________________
Transcription of the Letter:
Sunday, 23 Adar I, 5584 [1824], Pressburg
Greetings and every blessing to my teacher and father-in-law, a great gaon, a precious jewel, the crown of Klal Yisrael, the splendor and majesty of our generation — our master and teacher, Rabbi Akiva, Av Beis Din and leader of the community of Posen, נ"י,
Your letter has reached me. I was extremely occupied and therefore unable to reply immediately. A thousand thanks for the good news and for the copy of the royal decree. May Hashem be with us and never forsake us.
Please forgive me for troubling you by sending you the teshuva I have written for my student, which you will see for yourself. I would be most grateful to hear your opinion on the matter, in the hope that this woman will not remain an agunah. I have also sent the teshuva to my esteemed friend, Rabbi Zalman Margolios in Brody, since I stipulated that two of the Gedolei Hador must concur with me, or else provide their own clear reasoning for permitting the matter. Their words will be exceedingly precious and welcome to me.
As to your question as to why I did not write “מתמניא אפי’” — Hashem knows that this was simply an error on the part of the copyist.
May Hashem bless you with abundant joy and grant you peace and security, as your holy soul desires.
Your devoted son-in-law, who is like a son to you, and who sends his warmest regards and awaits your reply,
Moshe HaKatan Sofer
From Frankfurt am Main
I really have nothing in particular to report today, but I nevertheless cannot let the opportunity pass without letting my dear father know that, thank G-d, all of us are well. I wish and hope to hear the same from you.
I remain your devoted daughter,
Sorel, daughter of Rabbi Akiva
My warmest regards to my dear stepmother, and to my aunt, the Rebbetzin, as well as to my dear siblings. My children send many, many regards, as does our relative, the young Hirshli.
