There are certain rabbinic luminaries whose intellectual legacies are marked by prolific output, as they corresponded extensively with the global Jewish community and committed their profound thoughts to writing. In contrast, there are others who left behind but a scant written trail, making the acquisition of their letters or autographed Torah insights a rare and arduous endeavor.
One such figure, who lived in the relatively recent past, Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner (1906–1980), is known for leaving behind minimal written records. Most of his Torah teachings and personal correspondence were dictated to his devoted students or his erudite daughter and only child, Bruriah. It was, therefore, a moment of great excitement when I had the privilege of procuring, on behalf of a customer, a postcard entirely penned by Rav Hutner during his youth. This postcard, sent from Warsaw to Berlin, is dated the 3rd of Adar, 1930, and bears a heartfelt and eloquent matrimonial greeting from Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner, offering a glimpse into his early years.
The postcard was sent during a significant and formative period in the life of the young Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner. Renowned as a prodigious scholar at the esteemed Slabodka Yeshiva, he distinguished himself as an extraordinary student, subsequently entrusted by the revered Alter of Slabodka to fortify the yeshiva in Hebron which was founded just a few years prior. There, he encountered Rav A. I. Kook, whose profound spiritual influence played a pivotal role in shaping his intellectual and religious trajectory. Later, Rav Kook would adorn Rav Hutner’s first publication with his approbation, titled Torat HaNazir, published in Kovno in 1932, when Rav Hutner was just 26 years old. Mysteriously, this approbation disappeared in the subsequent editions. In 1929, Rav Hutner returned briefly to his family in Warsaw, while simultaneously pursuing philosophical studies at the University of Berlin. It was there that he crossed paths with Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, who would later ascend to the position of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Rabbi Hutner’s correspondence is imbued with the same rich, poetic, and heartfelt language that characterizes much of his literary style. The letter reads:
My dear friend… Kol sasson ve’kol simcha… It is a time of emergency… And relatives become forcibly separated and I am compelled to satisfy you with this pitiful note. But believe me, my heart is with you!
Please receive these blessings from the bottom of my heart, may your life be crowned with success wherever you go, now and for eternity… And may your house – the one you are building – a nest of Torah and Wisdom. May all the wishes of your heart come true.
My plea, alongside all of your friends, whom I count myself within, Yitzchak Hutner.
