How to Learn the Teshuvos of Chasam Sofer- How to date letters & documents written in the month of Av.

How to Learn the Teshuvos of Chasam Sofer

A fascinating insight from the Tchebiner Rav zt”l

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It was asked from The Tchebiner Rav zt”l how to date letters & documents written in the month of Av.

He told them the answer can be found in the Teshuvos Chasam Sofer.

They came back to the Tchebiner Rav and told him they searched the whole Sefer and couldn’t find any such discussion.

He told them:

“when learning a Teshuvas Chasam Sofer, it is not enough to learn the text, but one needs to study how he dated the Teshuva as well.

Teshuvos written before Tisha B'av are dated “Av” and the ones that were written after Tisha B'av are dated "Menachem Av" or just "Menachem".

I leafed through the seven volumes of Shu”t Ch. S. (1246 Teshuvos) and found, there are approximately 150 Teshuvos written by the Chasam Sofer in the month of Av.

All of them follow the rule of the Tchebiner Rav zt”l, The ones dated before 9th Av are dated as Av. The ones after 9th Av are dated as Menachem Av.

Two Exceptions

However, there are two days, the 13th and 15th of Av where the Ch. S. dates them Av, (no Menachem) even though they are after 9th Av.

Perhaps, the 15th of Av being it is mentioned in the Mishna (end m. Ta’anis) as Chamisha Asar B’av, The Ch. S. didn’t want to change from the Loshon of the Mishna*

On the 13th of Av, the only explanation I can think of, being it is the Yahrzeit of his first Rebbetzin

שרה מלכה בת ר' משה ירביץ מפרוסניץ

who died without children.

15th of Av	13th of Av
O.Ch. 60	O.Ch. 115
Y.D. 129	O.Ch. 158
E.H. 2: 72	Y.D. 43
Chelek 6: 41
Chelek 7: 18

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Footnote:

*There is one Teshuva (E.H. 2 : 125) on the 15th he dated as Menachem.