Rabbi Avraham Eliyahu Ki Tov (Mokotovsky) 1912-1976) was a public businessman who was one of the Paji people (Agudat Israel workers), an editor in the Town "Hakol", a person Education and a talented writer. Already a young man at the age of seventeen, he moved to Warsaw. In Warsaw, he engaged in various fields such as arduous handicrafts, independent study in the Beit Midrash, and also in public activity in 'Agudat Israel', a mainly educational activity, within the framework of which he also lectured to his friends and apprentices regular lessons in the Talmud, and in thought books. At the same time he married Hinda Rivka, the younger sister of Alexander Zosha Friedman and also engaged in volunteering in teaching and education in secular institutions for abandoned children - until he immigrated to Israel in 1935. During his participation in the activities of the Pagi (פאג"י) movement, he was one of the editors of the movement's newspaper - "The Voice - הקול", in which he published hundreds of speeches and articles in which he appears with different nicknames on various topics. He also edited the movement's newspaper "The Diary" and the periodicals "Atidino" and "Comemiut". His articles He signed his literary name Eliyahu Ki Tov, which he later adopted as his public name.
Eliyahu Ki Tov, after being disappointed in public engagement, decided in 1954 to separate from all political activity and founded a small book publishing house called: 'A' Book Publishing Institute (today 'Yad Eliyahu Ki Tov'), through which he published his books that he wrote. Since then And until the end of his days, for about twenty years, he was mainly involved in writing and editing. During those years, he was involved in chapters on education, tutoring teachers, lectures and articles he published, mainly in the United States.
Rabbi Avraham Eliyahu had many faces because he was good. With breadth of mind and depth of thought he studied Torah and taught it, with good faith of heart and soul he served his Creator, with wisdom and love he dealt with mankind, with benevolences in money, in deed and words. Through this publication he published his 12 books. Additional articles have not yet been printed. From then until the end of his days he was mainly engaged in writing and editing. Wrote dozens of books, among which "Sefer haTodaha - ספר התודעה" stands out.
And the minister of the giant was in his action in the Torah rabbet in Israel. And even though he knew the power of the influence of his books, and as mentioned also he strove to teach the good people he met - nevertheless he did not see himself in writing his books as anything other than an artisan engaged in his craft to make a living from it. He used to say: My writing is nothing but an act of art, and a craft is all the crafts that people engage in for their livelihood. And just as the craftsman works hard on his craft to do it faithfully so that it is properly modified for human needs, so I do in my craft.
The author's first book, במעונות אריות tells in a fascinating way about the first Chassidim, the students of the Beshat, appeared in the winter of 2005. After the second book, כחודו של מחט, on Beit Midrash of Przysucha and Kotzk, it also appeared in 2015. The third in the series, Be Chesed Alyon - בחסד עליון, by Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sessov, appeared at the beginning of 1955, while the fourth book, הפותח שער ( which in a certain sense is unusual in this series, and was indeed written by order) which were written by Rabbi Zalman in the Haran of the Builders of Jerusalem and the Beloved of Her Sons - appeared in the summer of 1977, and at the same time signed off the series of books of stories.
Rabbi Avraham Eliyahu Ki Tov passed away in Adar 1 5536 (1976) and was buried in the Har Hamanouch cemetery, near the grave of Rabbi Meir Shapira of Lublin. Rabbi Yerahmiel Yehuda Meir Kalish of Amshinov attended his funeral, with whom Rabbi Ki Tov was in contact.
Books by Rabbi Avraham Eliyahu Chi Tov:
במעונות אריות - ten stories about the first Hasidim and their ways
כחודו של מחט - seven stories from the world of the followers of Przysucha and Kotzk
Be Chesed Alyon - בחסד עליון - the heroic deeds and exploits of Rabbi Moshe Leib Sassover
כחודו של מחט - Rabbi Zalman in the Haran, his history, his life and work
Keter Malchut - four stories about Rabbi Yisraelchi Riziner and his secret and seven other different stories
איש וביתו - practices and practices for the Jewish home
ספר הפרשיות - a large-scale work on the interpretation of the Torah. At first it came out in the form of pamphlets, one for each parsha, then his son-in-law Hanoch ben Erza published them in ten thick and elegant volumes.
ספר התודעה - laws, customs and reference material for all times of the year
כבשי דרחמנא - about the days 5 Bayer and 28 Bayer, chapters he wanted to include in the book of consciousness.
כפתור ופרח - a compilation of sayings of sages with explanations