Letter of Ha’Gaon Rabbi Dovid Deutch, author of Ohel Dovid 1829
Halachic query from Ha’Gaon Rabbi Dovid Deutch AB”D Neustadt author of Ohel Dovid, to his friend Ha’Gaon Rabbi Shmuel Leib Koider AB”D Prague. The letter contains Rabbi Dovid’s comments regarding the sefer Ahavas Emes by Rabbi Shmuel Leib, that was printed at that time in Prague.
Rabbi Shmuel Leib responded to the query in the margins of the letter.
Handwritten correspondence between two Gaonim!
Ha’gaon rabbi Dovid Deitch Ba’al Ohel Dovid (1756-1831) was one of the greatest Hungarian Rabbonim. He was AB”D in several cities and in 1810 became AB”D in Neustadt. He was the talmid muvhak of the Noda B’Yehuda, and the many responsa in ‘Noda B’Yehuda’ are witness to their close relationship. He was a friend and contemporary of the ‘Chasam Sofer’ who wrote (Shu”t Chasam Sofer. Yoreh De’ah Ch. 121) "I am confident that with your great love, you will think of me favorably and have me in mind during your tefilos". The Chasam Sofer also wrote a hakdamah to the sefer Ohel Dovid. He was one of the leaders in the battle against haskalah and fiercely fought against the Shas that the maskilim printed in Vienna by Anton Schmidt. He authored Ohel Dovid, a commentary on Shas.
Ha’Gaon Rabbi Shmuel Leib Koider (1770-1838), as a young bochur, was a talmid of Rabbi Michael Bacharach who was a member of the Beis Din in Prague, and Ha’Gaon Rabbi Elazar Kalir Ba’al Ohr Chodosh. He was the son-in-law of the Gaon Rabbi Zalmen Segal Austerlitz, one of the Rabbonim of the Kloiz in Prague. In 1812, He was appointed Rav in the districts of Tábor and Budweig and resided in Kalady, where he taught many talmidim. In 1835
after the passing of Rabbi Shmuel Landau (the son of the Noda B’Yehuda), he was appointed Rava”d in Prague. His esteemed friend Ha’Gaon Rabbi Betzalel Ronsburg, author of Chochmas Betzalel and Horeh Gever, corresponded frequently with him (see Moriah Nissan 1980 p. 84) and lauded him extensively. His children married important families in Prague, including Rabbi Eliezer Flekles Ba’al Teshuvah Mi’Ahava. His works include Shu”t Olas Shmuel, Ahavas Emes on Drush, Derech Emunah on Maseches Avodah Zara, and other seforim.
