A regular day at the Chabad Yeshiva in Netanya turned into a joyous celebration when Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Moshe Orenshtein brought a priceless handwritten manuscript of the Rebbe Maharash to the yeshiva, shortly before it was to be transferred to the Rebbe’s Library in New York.

Rabbi Orenshtein, who has been involved in the redemption of rare kisvei yad kodesh of the Rebbeim, shared the remarkable story behind the manuscript during six hours of farbrengens with the bochurim. The atmosphere in the yeshiva was described as a true pidyon shvuyim of a bichel, as the bochurim had the rare zechus to see the holy manuscript up close and hear how it was returned to its proper place.

The manuscript had been in the possession of a dealer who had received it from Shimon Abramsky, a professor at Oxford University and the son of the famed gaon Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky, author of Chazon Yechezkel. Shimon Abramsky was known to have been active in communist circles – many communist meetings were held in his home – until he parted ways with them in 5718/1958. The assumption is that the manuscript may have been given to him as a gift by one of the senior figures in the communist movement.

For seven to eight years, Rabbi Orenshtein remained in contact with the dealer in an effort to redeem the manuscript. At one point, the dealer was involved in a din Torah concerning one million dollars, and Rabbi Orenshtein suggested that he ask the Rebbe for a bracha. After the bracha was fulfilled, the dealer agreed to sell the manuscript for a price significantly lower than its original asking price.

The bichel, written in the actual handwriting of the Rebbe Maharash, is now being brought to the Rebbe’s Library, where it will join the treasured collection of kisvei yad kodesh in its rightful home.