By COLlive Reporter
A rare and historic manuscript was returned to the Rebbe’s room at 770 Eastern Parkway on Friday, in an emotional visit by West Coast Head Shliach Rabbi Baruch Shlomo Cunin on behalf of Aguch of Russia, and the Rebbe’s Mazkir Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky.
Solemnly entering the Rebbe’s office, Rabbi Cunin broke out in tears, and told the Rebbe about the return of the holy Sefer. Rabbi Cunin and his family have spent decades tirelessly working to rescue to the Chabad Library from the hands of the Russian government.
Also in attendance were Rabbi Yossi Friedman of Kehos and Rabbi Mendel Cunin.
The sefer returned on Friday is the property of the library of Agudas Chasidei Chabad in Brooklyn, NY, and has been returned to its rightful home after several months of intense negotiation. It was transported to the United States from Israel by Rabbi Moshe Orenstein, Rosh Yeshiva of Tomchei Temimim in Netanya, Israel.
This most recent episode is another chapter of Chabad’s long-running legal claims against Russia to recover the “Schneerson collection” archive and library, seized by the Nazis and held illegally by Russia.
In February 2023, the manuscript “Meshivas Nefesh,” was put up for sale at a public auction in Jerusalem, Israel. The manuscript was originally authored by the noted kabbalist Rabbi Yaakov Tzemach in the seventeenth century and has since then never been published.
The present copy was transcribed in 1867 and contains 168 handwritten pages. Additionally, the manuscript has a fascinating letter appended to it, penned by Rabbi Yaakov Meir ben Shlomo Zalman Grodenski, Rabbi in Minsk, which reveals a little-known effort to publish the manuscript for the masses.
Most significant is the label prominently displayed on the endpaper of the present copy reading “Otzar Sifrei Kodesh” — collection of holy books, collected by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneerson, the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Immediately upon learning about the proposed auction, Chabad filed an emergency motion for issuance of a letter of request for international judicial assistance in the United States court. That same day, US District Judge Royce C. Lamberth issued an order to launch an expedited investigation through the Israeli judicial authorities of the proposed public auction scheduled to take place shortly thereafter.
The auction house immediately removed the manuscript from the upcoming auction, and further negotiations by the Israeli judicial authorities and Chabad ensued.
After a circuitous turn of events, the manuscript was transferred to Chabad-Lubavitch hands in Israel and will soon be returned to the Library of Agudas Chassidei Chabad in Brooklyn, New York, after more than a century of separation.
The providential turn of events leading to the return of this precious manuscript was only made possible due to the landmark court decision in the case of Agudas Chassidei Chabad of United States v. Russian Federation, No. 05-cv-1548.
In accordance with the sharp words of the Rebbe regarding those who illegitimately possess articles belonging to the Chabad library, we are confident that these events will serve to inspire anyone who may have property of the Chabad library in his possession, to take note of the legal and spiritual ramifications.
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is how did this sefer end up separated from the library? was it one of those removed by a certain individual in the 80’s and then sold, only to suddenly show up at an auction in Jerusalem?