The NLI count (ten records in the Bialik House archive) is a partial digital holding, not the true number. In the Lahover edition alone there appear more letters from Bialik to AZR, with large gaps relative to the NLI already in the earliest years: in 5664 (1904) there are four letters in print (nos. 106, 108, 111, 115) against one at the NLI; in 5665 (1905) four in print (nos. 161, 169, 174, 175) against two at the NLI. In other words, the actual correspondence is far more extensive than the digital catalog, and the full text of most of it is already open for reading.
The letters paint a picture of a continuous working relationship in Odessa in 1904–1908: Bialik as editor of the belles-lettres section of "HaShiloah" and manager of the "Moriah" publishing house, and AZR as a veteran author sending stories, seeking publication, and writing textbooks. Three recurring threads:
AZR wrote a textbook, "The History of Hebrew Literature" (Toldot HaSifrut HaIvrit) for young readers, and the "Moriah" editorial board headed by Bialik edited it, added chapters of its own, and printed it (5666/1906). This is primary documentation of a collaboration previously recorded only as an anecdote. In a letter of 4 Av 5666 Bialik describes the mailing of the first printed fascicle:
"We are sending you today… the first fascicle of your book 'The History of Hebrew Literature'… The price of the first fascicle will be 20 kopecks… The words 'with the participation of the Moriah editorial board' on the cover were added only on account of the many additions written into this fascicle by us… The main thing is that you strive to make the whole book one solid piece and not fragments upon fragments." Bialik to A. Z. Rabinovitz, Odessa, 4 Av 5666 (July 13, 1906). Igrot Bialik, vol. 2.
Lahover's note specifies exactly what Bialik added: "the story of Joseph in the Torah and the character portraits of Moses, Saul, and David in the Bible, as well as the description of the Book of Kings."
AZR sent short sketches to "HaShiloah," and Bialik repeatedly found them too small for the monthly — fine for "HaTzofeh," not for "HaShiloah." At the same time he urged him to send "something great and beautiful." Letter of 1 Adar I 5665:
"Your little sketch is too small for 'HaShiloah,' and in its content too it is no more than a pleasant feuilleton for 'HaTzofeh'… and I await a great and beautiful 'thing' from you." Bialik to A. Z. Rabinovitz, Odessa, 1 Adar I 5665 (January 24, 1905). Igrot Bialik, vol. 1 (letter 161).
In the spring of 5665 (1905) Bialik invites AZR to come up to Odessa with his manuscripts and join the work of "Moriah" — not with his money but with his labor:
"It is better for you and for us that you come here and bring your manuscripts with you. With all our heart we will make you a partner in our work; we have no need of your money, for a worker like you will bring benefit to us and to Moriah." Bialik to A. Z. Rabinovitz, Odessa, 22 Iyar 5665 (May 14, 1905). Igrot Bialik, vol. 1 (letter 175).
AZR proposed sustaining Hebrew literature through share-holding societies; Bialik rejected this emphatically, and in his words echoes his conception of literature as sacrifice and as last consolation:
"Woe to a literature that survives by such means… We have nothing left but this. We have nothing, nothing, without this." Bialik to A. Z. Rabinovitz, 1 Adar I 5665 (letter 161); and similarly in the letter of 22 Adar I 5665 (letter 169).
Each row gives: the date of the manuscript in the Bialik House archive, the letter's number in the Lahover edition (where identified), a link to the full text, and a summary of the content. NLI = manuscript source Ben-Yehuda = full text
| Date | Lahover | Content in brief | Text |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Adar I 5665 (Jan. 24, 1905) | 161 | The sketch is too small for "HaShiloah"; rejection of the shares idea; "we have nothing left but this" | Vol. 1 ↗ |
| 22 Adar I 5665 (Feb. 14, 1905) | 169 | Thanks for his book (a gift); again against the shares; on "History of Israel," to be discussed at "Moriah" | Vol. 1 ↗ |
| 12 Iyar 5665 (May 4, 1905) NLI | 174 | Asks about progress on his work for "Moriah," especially "The History of Literature"; the feuilleton "Lokshen" for Lerner | Vol. 1 ↗ |
| 22 Iyar 5665 (May 14, 1905) NLI | 175 | Invitation to come to Odessa with the manuscripts and join "Moriah" | Vol. 1 ↗ |
| ~Kislev 5666 (undated) | (5666) | Editing of "The History of Literature" proceeds slowly because of the pogroms and the book market; asks after his welfare in the Land of Israel | Vol. 2 ↗ |
| 18 Tammuz 5666 NLI | — | Recorded at the NLI; not yet cross-matched with certainty to a printed text | — |
| 4 Av 5666 (July 13, 1906) NLI | (5666) | Dispatch of the "History of Israel" manuscript + the first printed fascicle of "The History of Hebrew Literature" | Vol. 2 ↗ |
| 11/10 Tevet 5667 (Dec. 1906) NLI | 208 | Invitation to write for the relaunched "HaShiloah"; the new chapters are "finer than their fellows"; preparation for print | Vol. 2 ↗ |
| 14 Adar 5667 (Feb. 15, 1907) NLI | 216 | Received his story (to appear in fascicle 3); printing of "The History of Literature" will continue; Steinberg will send children's stories | Vol. 2 ↗ |
| 14 Sivan 5667 (May 14, 1907) | 224 | Confirms receipt of manuscripts (on Proverbs, Job); printing of his work to begin at the start of winter | Vol. 2 ↗ |
The cluster was written against the background of the Odessa pogroms (October 1905), and this is evident in the letters. In one letter (undated, late 5665/early 5666) Bialik explains why the editing of AZR's book is being delayed:
"With the editing of your book, the History of Literature, we are busy and busy again, but the work is hard and abundant, and so it proceeds heavily and sluggishly; and since the book market too is 'proceeding sluggishly' in these days of turmoil, there is naturally no cause for special haste." Bialik to A. Z. Rabinovitz, Odessa, close to the pogroms (5666). Igrot Bialik, vol. 2.
In that very period AZR immigrated to the Land of Israel, via Odessa, together with the teacher and author Y. Yehieli (Lahover's note). Bialik records the moment of parting in a letter to S. Ben-Zion (Gutmann): he and Ravnitzky went to the Odessa harbor to see AZR off, but "a mishap befell us":
"And greetings to our dear and beloved friend R. A. Z. Rabinovitz. When I went with Ravnitzky to the harbor to see him and Yehieli off, a mishap befell us, and to our sorrow we could not kiss him and bless him. Great was our grief that day." Bialik to S. Ben-Zion, Odessa, Kislev 5666 (late 1905). Igrot Bialik, vol. 2; an indirect mention of AZR.
This is a primary anchor for the timing of AZR's aliyah (late 1905, via Odessa, with Yehieli), and a rare human testimony to the parting.
The site's documents (following Tidhar) record AZR's aliyah in 1906. The primary sources here place the departure from Odessa in Kislev 5666 — Bialik's letter to S. Ben-Zion of November 29, 1905 and Lahover's note ("he then left Russia and departed for the Land of Israel via Odessa"). A plausible reconciliation: he left Odessa at the end of 1905 and settled in the Land of Israel in 1906 (sea voyage and acclimatization). Both versions are retained — see the foundation document.
The letter "concerning the printing of AZR's book" (copy, undated and without addressee, [most likely 1924–1934], shelfmark IL-BIAL-92511) is not part of the 1904–1908 cluster above, and is not in the Lahover edition scanned here. The catalog description: Bialik urges a print-shop manager to hurry with the printing of AZR's book. Its full content remains at catalog level only — a follow-up path for transcription. NLI record ↗
Bialik founded the "Dvir" publishing house (1921) and was its key figure. The letter shows him pressing a print-shop manager to hurry with the printing of a book by AZR — precisely the role of the head of "Dvir" vis-à-vis the printing house. The best-fitting candidate: AZR's translation of W. Bacher's "Aggadot HaTanna'im VeHaAmora'im" (Legends of the Tannaim and Amoraim), a huge multi-volume enterprise (up to 12 volumes), which began at the "Dvir" house, Berlin, 5682/1922. Three arguments: (a) "Dvir" = Bialik's publishing house, hence he is the one pressing the printer; (b) a multi-volume scholarly project prints slowly over years — exactly what produces a "hurry up" letter — and fits the dating [1924–1934]: Dvir's printing timeline spans 1922–1938 (Berlin→Tel Aviv; 5682, 5685, 5686, 5688 … and the publication of "Aggadot Amora'ei Eretz Yisrael" was completed in Tel Aviv in 5698/1938), so the later volumes were in press throughout the whole window, precisely while Bialik (head of Dvir until his death in 1934) pressed the printer; (c) the Bacher translation has been described as the "jewel in the crown" of AZR's work (see "Bibliography").
This is a reasoned hypothesis, not a certainty. "AZR's book" could also denote an original work; the letter is undated and without addressee, so the identification requires confirmation — from the body of the letter itself, or from Shmuel Avneri's article, "Bialik and AZR: The Story of a Publisher and His Published Author" ("Haaretz," December 13, 2013), which deals directly with "the story of a publisher." (An attempt to read the book's title in the NLI scan of the letter failed — the document viewer does not load in the tool; Avneri's article is paywalled.) But the 1922–1938 printing timeline strongly reinforces the hypothesis. Identification warning: the "Rabinovitz" whom Bialik proposed as manager of "Dvir" (and who managed the "Einot" publishing house) is Yaakov Rabinovitz, not AZR. In Bialik's circle there were several Rabinovitzes (ShFR = Shaul Pinchas; Yaakov; AZR) — they must not be conflated.
Two paths are ripe, both at Project Ben-Yehuda (public domain, full text):