There is an interesting phenomenon in rabbinic responsa where you can regularly find differences – between the manuscript and printed versions – in the honorary titles given to the person posing the question. Recently I came across several such examples. One example was an autograph responsum written by the author of the Avnei Nezer, R. Avrohom Bornsztain (1838 – 1910), addressed to Rabbi Chaim Elazar Wachs, who served as rabbi of Kalisch. The introduction and details of the recipient are present in the manuscript, but in the printed edition have been omitted for some unknown reason.
Another well-known example that I obtained recently is the first edition of the Shu”t Meshiv Davar, containing the responsa of R. Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (1816-1893), best known by his acronym the Netziv, who served as rosh yeshiva of the Volozhin Yeshiva for decades. In siman 61, discussing the laws relating to the firstborn, there are two variant printings of the book. In the responsum, the author discusses the words of the Shulchan Aruch HaRav by the Ba’al HaTanya, the founder of the Chabad movement, and sharply disagrees with him. Originally there was an opening paragraph addressing the recipient and with a sentence that was interpreted by some as to be mocking the Ba’al HaTanya. In all future printings, the opening sentences were omitted in its entirety.
Another example I have in manuscript is an autograph teshuva of Rav Moshe Feinstein. In the manuscript form, we find the recipient addressed in an honorable way but not overly so. In the manuscript, Rav Moshe added at a later date some additional titles above the text, and when compared to the printed edition we see that additional honorary titles were inserted in the printed edition. Presumably, the addressee of the responsum was young and not too famous at the time of the writing, but by the time of publication his achievements were such that additional honorary titles were befitting and thus added.
