(“Chazon Ish”). Autograph Letter Signed

KARELITZ, ABRAHAM ISAIAH

(Bnai Beraq)

n.d

R. Abraham Isaiah Karelitz (b. Kosova 1878 - d. Bnai-Beraq 1953) was noted for his modest, unassuming lifestyle. Hence his use of “stationery:” lined paper lacking letterhead. He was wont to sign “Ish’” (literally “a man”), the of initials “Abraham Isaiah.” His numerous halachic works were titled likewise “Chazon Ish” [Vision of Abraham Isaiah]. For the longest time, the identity of the author remained unclear. Though he refused any official position, preferring to remain a private householder, he was recognized as the spiritual leader of Orthodox Jewry. See EJ, Vol. X, cols. 787-8. In this note to an unnamed person (“my dear one”), Rabbi Karelitz conveys that the three copies of his work on Tractates Demai and Ma’asroth are to be distributed as follows: “One to R. Benjamin Joshua Zilber, one to R. Abraham Shapira, and one for you”