"Kol Za’akas Almana" – A Harsh Letter from the Gaon Posek, the Maharshem of Brezhan on Encroaching the Rights of an Almana – 1899
A harsh letter in the handwriting of the wondrous Gaon, Rabbi Sholom Mordechai HaKohen Schwadron, Av Beis Din of Brezhan, addressed to the community of Kopyarad, regarding the encroachment of the rights of the widow of the shochet of that place. It states that one of the sons of the deceased shochet should be appointed as shochet (apparently as an inheritance right), and no other shochet should encroach on his position.
It should be noted that our Rebbe, the Maharshem, elaborated on this matter of the prohibition to eat from the meat of a shochet who encroaches on another’s position, in his sefer ‘Daas Torah’ (Siman 1, S’if 11).
The letter before us – which apparently was not printed – is a fitting supplement to the discussion our Rebbe wrote in the aforementioned sefer.
The wondrous Gaon and brilliant Torah scholar Rabbi Shalom Mordechai HaKohen Schwadron, the Maharshem (1835-1911), one of the greatest poskim of his generation, a Chassid wholly dedicated to the Rizhin dynasty. He was renowned as a pillar of guidance in halacha in his generation, serving as Rav in the cities of Yazlovets, Butchatch, and Brezhan, after which he became known. He was the ‘semicha-giving Rav’ of his generation, and many of those who received semicha were ordained by him. Among his prominent talmidim was the Gaon Rabbi Meir Arik, author of ‘Minchas Pittim’. He corresponded with the greats of his generation, including the ‘Shoel U’Meshiv’, ‘Mahari"l Diskin’, and others, who held him in high esteem. Many great rabbanim refrained from ruling on serious matters without consulting his esteemed opinion. Among his seforim are Shu”T Maharshem (9 volumes), Daas Torah (Orach Chaim and Yoreh De’ah), Mishpat Shalom (Choshen Mishpat), and Psil Techeiles.
