Sefer From Alter Rebbe’s Family Donated to the Rebbe’s Library

By COLlive reporter

In honor of Hei Teves, a rare and valuable Sefer was presented to the Central Chabad Library at 770 in Crown Heights.

The Halacha Sefer titled Toras Habayis, was printed in Kopust in 1811 and was presented to the Library by Rabbi Shmuel Butler, whose birthday is on Hei Teves and who works to present a yearly gift to the Rebbe’s Library each Hei Teves, last year presenting a rare postcard to the Library. Butler purchased the Sefer from a Seforim dealer in Monroe, NY.

The Sefer was shown on display at the recent Hei Teves Book fair and exhibition for over twelve hundred Talmidim in Oholei Torah. An emphasis was placed on teaching the talmidim about the Rebbe’s request that those who have the ability to do so should gift Seforim and manuscripts to the Rebbe’s Library in honor of Hei Teves.

A select few students had the opportunity to accompany Rabbi Butler to present the Sefer to the chief librarian of the Rebbe’s Library, Rabbi Sholom Ber Levine. Rabbi Levine spoke about the importance of donating to the Rebbe’s Library as well as about the Seforim which are currently being held in Russia.

The Sefer contains the handwriting and personal stamp of the Mitteler Rebbe‘s son-in-law Reb Yekusiel Zalman, who was the grandson of Reb Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev. It also contains the name of the Alter Rebbe‘s daughter-in-law, Rebbetzin Shifra, the wife of R’ Moshe, with inscriptions from when she moved from Uleh to Lubavitch after her husband R’ Moshe went into exile.

The sefer also includes the handwriting of R’ Moshe, the Alter Rebbe’s son as well, with corrections he made on the Sefer.