Important, Interesting Letter by Rabbi Chaim Elazar Wax of Kalisz, Author of "Nefesh Chaya" Praising the Etrogim of ...

Important, Interesting Letter by Rabbi Chaim Elazar Wax of Kalisz, Author of "Nefesh Chaya" Praising the Etrogim of the Land of Israel: "A Top Quality Etrog from the Holy Land … Priceless and Invaluable" - "Not to Betray and Cause Injustice"(!) to the Etrogim of the Land of israel - 1877
Letter handwritten and signed by Rabbi Chaim Eliezer Wax, to the brothers-in-law Rabbi Natan Neta Heinsdorf (of Zagerez) and Rabbi Leibish Posner (the father-in-law of the Rebbe of Ciechanów). The fast of Gedalya 1877.

"I am hereby sending your honors a top quality Etrog from the Holy Land, since such an Etrog from the Holy land is priceless and invaluable". Later, he describes a shipment of additional Etrogim from the Land of Israel.
His handwritten signature after which he added two more lines: "please make an effort that people will not to buy [?] other Etrogim from Corfu, and especially those who had signed themselves [for buying from him Etrogim from the Land of Israel] far be it from them to betray and cause injustice".

Rabbi Chaim Elazar Wax (1822-1889), "the Rabbi of Kalisz", was a well-known Hassidic rabbi, Posek, and a Jewish leader in Poland. He is especially known from his responsa work Nefesh Chaya, and as the president of Kupat Rabbi Meir Ba'al Ha'Nes Kollel Polen, Warsaw region. At age 18 he became the rabbi of Tarnogrod, a post he held for around 20 years. One of his well-known disciples was Rabbi Meir Dan Plotzki, author of "Kli Chemda".

Rabbi Wax was a committed follower of Rabbi Eliyahu Gutmacher of Grodzisk, and supported the idea of colonization and settlement of the holy land, but advocated most for the rights of the Yishuv ha'Yashan, the original settlers who went to Israel to learn the Torah and devote themselves to God. Rabbi Wax advocated an initial strategy of supporting and strengthening Jewish communities in the holy land, with later provisions for new settlers. As president of the Warsaw-Kolel he worked to raise funds for the semi-annual Haluka and developed ideas for a long-term sustainable Israeli economy. With financial support from Sir Moshe Montefiore he advocated for the establishment of Etrog agriculture in Israel. He traveled to Israel in 1886, with his father-in-law Rabbi Trunk, to supervise Etrog plantations he had planted on lands in Kefar Chitin near Tiberius. He called the Jews abroad to buy Etrogim of the Land of israel, which were both top-quality and served as a source of income for the settlers of the land.

13x20 cm.
Condition: Good. Folding marks and slight slits due to them. Time stains.