Interesting Letter from Rabbi Azriel Hildesheimer - Berlin, 1890

Interesting Letter from Rabbi Azriel Hildesheimer - Berlin, 1890
Letter handwritten and signed by R. Azriel Hildesheimer. [Berlin], Sivan 1890. Addressed to R. Binyamin Posen of Frankfurt am Main. R. Azriel Hildesheimer writes to him: "…Many thanks for the precious gift in the Or Zarua books, and treating me with great humility by putting my name at the beginning of [Part] IV. Who am I, and what is my life, that I should merit this. I know my worth in Torah, worship of G-d and charity. And behold, I have received blessing, and I will reply from the depth of my heart, may G-d grant him life, strengthen and fortify him, for the sake of His great Name, and may he merit to rise tremendously just as he was accustomed to do until now, since I know that that is his sole objective - And I will conclude with the blessing of life, blessing and peace. His friend, Azriel Hildesheimer". The background of the letter: The books Or Zarua by R. Yitzchak of Vienna, were first published based on manuscripts, between 1862 and 1890 in four parts. Part III and IV were printed in Jerusalem by R. Binyamin Posen of Frankfurt, a friend of R. Azriel. At the beginning of Part III, he printed the approbation of R. Azriel, and at the beginning of Part IV (on tractates Sanhedrin and Avoda Zara), printed in 1890, he included a magnificent dedication to R. Azriel on the occasion of his seventieth birthday that year (this dedication was included in some copies only, on the page following the title page). In this letter, R. Azriel expresses his appreciation for the precious gift, and in his great modesty, expresses his surprise: "Who am I and what is my life that I should merit this. I know my worth in Torah, worship of G-d and charity". R. Azriel Hildesheimer (1820-1899), a leader in his times, was a disciple of the Aruch LaNer and of R. Yitzchak Bernays of Hamburg. He served as rabbi of Eisenstadt between 1851-1869 where he founded an innovative yeshiva integrating secular studies according to the Torah with Derech Eretz doctrine. This move drew opposition and criticism both from the Reform movement and from certain sects of Orthodox Judaism. However, the leading rabbis of Hungary and Germany recognized his greatness and backed his yeshiva. In 1869, he was appointed rabbi of Berlin, where he established the Rabbinical seminary, standing at the helm of Orthodox Jewry in Germany. Postcard. 14X9 cm. Good condition. Stains. Postmarks from Berlin.