This piece of fabric that was part of a robe worn by Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, Hasidic Judaism’s founder, will be auctioned off by Kedem Auction House. Photo: Kedem Auction House.

JNS.org – A Jerusalem auction house is set to take bids for items belonging to two founders of Judaism’s Hasidic movements.

Kedem Auction House Tuesday will auction off a piece of fabric that was part of a robe worn by Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, known as “the Baal Shem Tov,” who founded the broader Hasidic movement, and a tobacco pipe that once belonged to Rabbi Yaakov Yitzhak Rabinowitz, founder of the Gur Hasidic sect.

The piece of garment is made of woven floral fabric and was handed down by the descendants of the Baal Shem Tov as a family heirloom. The family tradition claims the fabric was taken from the robe of “Or Shivat HaYamim,” which the Baal Shem Tov wore from age 26 until he died at 60.

The second item, Rabinowitz’s tobacco pipe, is crafted from sepiolite and silver and was also a family heirloom passed down for generations. The tobacco pipe holds special meaning in Hasidic tradition, as it is recounted that Hasidic spiritual leaders performed Kabbalistic meditations and “unifications” of holy names using their smoking pipes.