Letter from Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Rabinowitz-Teomim, Rabbi of Ariogala – Twin Brother of the Aderet and Father-in-law ...

Letter from Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Rabinowitz-Teomim, Rabbi of Ariogala – Twin Brother of the Aderet and Father-in-law of Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook
A letter handwritten and signed by R. Tzvi Yehuda Rabinowitz-Teomim of Lygumai [Ariogala? (Lithuania), 1882].
Letter of congratulations and blessing sent to his colleague R. Chaim Nathanson, rabbi of Pikeliai, on the marriage of his daughter "who is marrying, thank G-d, a young man outstanding in his Torah scholarship and fear of Heaven". R. Tzvi Yehuda apologizes for his inability to attend the wedding, and sends "as a token of my esteem" Sefer Turei Even as "a gift for the groom on his sermon (which custom was established during the Talmudic era)." Following the signature, R. Tzvi Yehuda added a note mentioning that his son (R. Yaakov Rabinowitz?) was granted an exemption from the draft: "I will mention…that my son has reached draft age and was granted his exemption last Saturday night, thank G-d".
R. Tzvi Yehuda Rabinowitz-Teomim (1845-1888) was born with his twin brother, Eliyahu David (later known as the Aderet) in Pikeliai, where their father officiated as rabbi. He served as rabbi of Lygumai, and of Ariogala during his final years. He authored approximately twenty books, most of which have remained in manuscript form. He and his brother began composing their work "Shevet Achim" regarding Talmudic principles at age thirteen, demonstrating their profound depth and range of Torah knowledge at an extremely young age (Jerusalem; Ahavat Shalom printing, 2003). R. Avraham Yitzchak Kook was originally married to the daughter of the Aderet, and upon her passing he married her cousin Raiza Rivka, the daughter of R. Tzvi Yehuda. Their son was R. Tzvi Yehuda Kook (1891-1982), Rosh Yeshivat Merkaz Harav, who was named for his grandfather.
The recipient of the letter was R. Tzvi Yehuda's childhood friend R. Chaim Nathanson (1838-1904), son of R. Avraham Nathanson, rabbi of Pikeliai. R. Chaim officiated as rabbi in his hometown of Pikeliai from 1879, and in 1896 became rabbi in Židikai. He authored Sifsei Chen on the Torah (Vilna, 1900), and Responsa Divrei Chen on the Rambam (Piotrkow, 1906). R. Tzvi Yehuda blesses the "respected groom and his father the holy tzaddik" without mentioning their names, but it is almost certain that the groom was R. Yosef Ben-Zion Friedman, rabbi of Pikeliai (1857-1929) and lecturer in Yeshivat Slabodka, prime disciple of R. Yisrael Salanter. His "father the holy tzaddik" was the kabbalist R. Moshe Yaffe, rabbi of Skaudvilė.
[1] leaf. 21.5 cm. Over 20 handwritten lines. Good condition. Folding marks. Stains and slight wear.