(Rosh Yeshiva and Rabbi of Telz, 1860-1930). Autograph Letter Signed in Hebrew, written to his beloved disciple Michal David Meisel.

Rabbi Yoseph Leib Bloch studied in Kelm under his future father-in-law R. Eliezer Gordon before transferring to Volozhin. In 1910, he succeeded his father-in-law as Rabbi and Rosh Yeshiva of Telz. He in turn was succeeded by his older son R. Abraham Isaac in his position as Rosh Yeshiva of Telz in Lithuania, and his younger son, R. Eliahu Meir Bloch, as Rosh Yeshiva of Telz in Cleveland, Ohio, upon the Yeshiva’s transfer to American soil after the war. Rabbi Bloch’s shiurim were originally composed from the transcripts of students’ notes and published in Cleveland, 1947-51, in a mimeographed form under the title Shiurei Rabotheinu. A number of these lectures were later edited by R. Mordechai Gifter, R. Baruch Sorotzkin and others into a more permanent form and eventually published under the title Shiurei Halachah (Tel Aviv, 1958) - the Mussar lectures were published under the title Shiurei Da’ath. In this letter, R. Bloch praises his students’ original thoughts and comments and reports that he showed the students’ writings to “my dear friend Harav Hagaon R. S[himon Shkop].” In reply to his student’s query whether he should study Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah, the advice penned: “You are still young, be happy in your youth and enjoy learning Gemara and Rishonim which is your essence (meat).” Rabbi Bloch influenced thousands of students through his particular style of Talmudic analysis and philosophical discourse known as the “Telzer Derech.” <<Responsa and scholarly correspondence written in his own hand are scarce.>>