Set of Mishnah Berurah – "Proofread" – Copies Owned by Rabbi Baruch Ber Leibowitz and by Rabbi Moshe Finkel

Six parts of the Mishnah Berurah, commentary on Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim, by R. Yisrael Meir HaCohen of Radin, author of Chafetz Chaim. [Warsaw, Piotrków, 1884-1907. Vol. 1, 3, 4 and 5 are first editions. Vol. 2 and 6 are stereotype editions].
Some volumes bear "proofread" inscriptions in the handwriting of the author of the Chafetz Chaim. The volume which contains the laws of Shabbat bears an ownership inscription on the flyleaf: "Belongs to R. Baruch Duber Leibowitz Rosh Metivta in the great Knesset Beit Yitzchak Yeshiva". Signatures and ownership inscriptions of R. Moshe Finkel, a head of the Knesset Yisrael Yeshiva in Slobodka and Hebron, adorn the five other volumes. A handwritten gloss appears in part 3, p. 42.
R. Baruch Dov (Ber) Leibowitz (1864-1940), author of Birkat Shmuel, taught many disciples. Disciple of R. Chaim of Brisk in the Volozhin Yeshiva, son-in-law of R. Avraham Yitzchak Zimmerman Rabbi of Hlusk. After his father-in-law relocated to the Kremenchuk rabbinate, he succeeded him in the Hlusk rabbinate and established a yeshiva. After a 13-year tenure, he was asked to head the Knesset Beit Yitzchak Yeshiva in Slobodka. During WWI, he wandered with the yeshiva to Minsk, Kremenchuk and Vilna, finally settling in Kamenets. Author of Birkat Shmuel on Talmudic treatises. His writings are basic works of deep yeshiva Torah study.
R. Moshe Finkel, (1884-1925), son of the "Saba of Slabodka", R. Natan Zvi Finkel and son-in-law of the head of the yeshiva R. Moshe Mordechai Epstein, Torah prodigy who amazed both R. Chaim of Brisk and R. Meir Simcha of Dvinsk with his Torah knowledge and profound comprehension and they foresaw that he would be a future Torah luminary. In 1913, he began delivering discourses in the Slabodka Yeshiva. In the month of Adar 1925, he moved to Eretz Israel and officiated as a head of the Knesset Yisrael – Slobodka Yeshiva in Hebron. He died on Chol Hamoed Sukkot 1926 at the age of 42, in the lifetime of his illustrious father.
Six volumes. Part 1: 151, [1] leaves. Part 2: 155 leaves. Part 3: [1], 2-195 leaves (lacking first leaf with the introduction to the Hilchot Shabbat). Part 4: [1], 196-290 leaves. Part 5: 153, [1] leaves. Part 6: 164 leaves. 23 cm. Brittle paper. Condition varies, fair to good-fair. The inside of some volumes is in good-fair condition. Stains and wear. Worming. Detached leaves and few tears. Contemporary bindings, mostly detached. Defects and worming to binding.
The Mishnah Berurah books on Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim were composed and printed by the author of the Chafetz Chaim during the course of 27 years. He toiled greatly in studying the halachot and labored to reach true halachic conclusions (sometimes studying the same topic more than 36 times). These books were accepted by the entire Jewish world and many editions were printed. The Chafetz Chaim was accustomed to inspecting each and every book for defective printing or exchanged leaves and would write in his own handwriting "proofread" on each book which passed his inspection.