LESSER, ABRAHAM JACOB GERSHON. Shoel Ve’Doresh. Two Parts

(AMERICAN JUDAICA).

Hordok

1866--1875

Autograph Hebrew Manuscript

Abraham Jacob Gershon Lesser (1834-1925), one of America's great early rabbis, was born in Mir and studied in the famous Yeshiva there as well as in Minsk. He was ordained by rabbis Isaac Elchanan, Yechiel Heller and Eisel Shapiro. Lesser served as Rabbi of Amstivava, Holinka near Suvalk (as signed at the end of the first responsa), Hordok near Vilna and in 1880, was invited to be Rabbi in Chicago and later in Cincinnati. After the death of Rabbi Jacob Joseph in New York in 1902, Lesser was one of the founders of the Agudath Ha-Rabanim. The present manuscript contains halachic novellae and responsa between Lesser and various Rabbis in Russia, including: R. Yom Tov Lipman of Mir, R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, R. Yitzchak Elchanan of Kovno, R. Alexander Moshe Lapidus of Rasein, R. Yehuda Leib and R. Nachum Yaffe of Horodna, R. Yisrael Isser Shapiro of Mezritch and R. Azriel Aryeh Leib of Plotzk. Aggadic material is also included. See Abraham Jacob Gershon Lesser by J. Isaacs, in L. Jung (Ed.) Guardians of Our Heritage; and S.N. Gotttlieb, Oholei Shem, p. 309