In our town of Zabludow there was an old, bent wooden stand that stood in the middle of the market among a long line of stands. This was the stand of Reiza Riva, and all the residents knew her. She was the first wife of the great scholar, astronomer and philosopher, Chaim Zelig Slonimsky, editor of "Hatsfirah": a simple woman whose face was scarred. She talked fast. In her little shop she sold food, like cheese, butter and milk, and some other things like small boxes for sniffing tobacco, ploughshares, hayforks etc. This shop provided for herself, her husband and two daughters. She alone provided for the family and she did not disturb his study and work on philosophy and astronomy books. He usually sat in her father's attic, which was in the middle of the market.
When passing by his home people immediately remember the great man that lived here during the most ten beautiful years of his youth. In this home he began to write some of his famous books. Here he spent days and nights of conversations with his learned philosopher friend Zed Wolf Hirschfeld, discussing issues of Torah and wisdom. While he was in Warsaw the two friends corresponded. The Hirschfeld family of lodge still keeps the treasure of hundred of letters; their historical value is high.
The elders of the town told that, after his wedding Chaim Zelig Slonimsky taught in Beit Hamidrash and won a big number of students. In the old Pinkas of the shas association the name of R' Chaim Zelig appears as one who had joined the learners. The extremely pious highly criticized him and harassed him for his enlightened opinions. They named him "berlintchik" because his beard was shaped a little. Following his divorce he moved to Warsaw with his two daughters. His second wife was the daughter of the Warsaw censor Avraham Ya'acov Stern.
When he was the editor of "Hatsfira" he did not forget his first wife. He used to send her money for support and copies of Hatsfirah so she can sell them and make few more rubles. She sometimes visited Warsaw. He welcomed her and would go with her to visit the daughters.
Following their divorce she continued with her business but it was barely enough. The rich man of the town Herschel Heffner bought from her dairy products. The maid once brought them wrapped in a big paper. He looked at it and saw that it was the Ketubah* of Chaim Zelig and Reiza. Heffner kept the Ketubah in the safe and, on one of the visits to Warsaw he went to Slonimsky and gave it to him. The latter greatly thanked him and said: "you know, this document is very dear to me…."
*Ketubah- Jewish marriage contract.
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