(Seventh Grand Rebbe of Lubavitch, 1902-94). Typed Letter Signed, with few additional lines in Autograph. Written on letterhead in Hebrew to Zvi Harkavy.

SCHNEERSON, MENACHEM MENDEL.

27th Ellul

Brooklyn

1957

The Lubavitcher Rebbe here explains why he refuses permission for his writings to appear in a Festschriften, as he follows the similar such practice of his father-in-law, the previous Rebbe. Following this is a Halachic discussion concerning a passage in Rabbi Eliezer Waldenberg’s ‘Tzitz Eliezer’ regarding travel on Israeli-flagged ships, about which the Rebbe expresses astonishment, quite certain that the opposite from what was stated is in fact the case.

R. Menachem Mendel Schneerson was one of the great Jewish leaders of the 20th century. Dr. Zvi Harkavy (1908-79) a member of the famed scholarly families Strashun and Harkavy of Lithuania, was an important figure in the Mizrachi movement in Israel. He edited many scholarly volumes and authored more than 150 articles. The Festschriften referred to in this letter is likely that for Harkavy’s father-in-law, R. Reuven Katz of Petach Tikvah.