Shlomo Rabinowicz | |
|---|---|
| Title | First Radomsker Rebbe |
| Personal life | |
| Born | Shlomo Hakohen Rabinowicz 1801 Włoszczowa, Poland |
| Died | 16 March 1866 (29Adar 5626) Radomsko, Poland |
| Spouse | Gitele[1] |
| Children | Leibusz Hirsz Meir Avraham Yissachar Dov Sarah Rikvah Rochel[2] |
| Parent |
|
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Jewish leader | |
| Successor | Avraham Yissachar Dov Rabinowicz |
| Began | 1843 |
| Ended | 1866 |
| Main work | Tiferes Shlomo |
| Buried | Radomsko, 16 March 1866 |
| Dynasty | Radomsk |
Shlomo Hakohen Rabinowicz (also spelledRabinowitz,Rabinowich,Rabinovitch) (1801 – 16 March 1866) was the firstRebbe of theRadomskHasidic dynasty and one of the greatHasidic masters of19th-century Poland. He is known as theTiferes Shlomo after the title of hissefer, which is considered a classic in Hasidic literature.
Rabinowicz's year of birth is variously cited as 1795,[3] 1796,[4] 1800,[5] 1801,[6] or 1803.[7][8][9] He was born inWłoszczowa, Poland[4] to Dov Zvi (d. 1839), theav beis din (head of the rabbinical court) of Włoszczowa.[5] Like most of the Jews of Poland, he was called by his first name andpatronymic; his children were the first to begin using the surname Rabinowicz.[4] He was a descendant ofNathan Nata Spira (1585 – 1633), a leading PolishKabbalist and author ofMegaleh Amukos.[3]
Rabinowicz studied in the yeshiva inPiotrków Trybunalski, where he was regarded as a prodigy. By hisbar mitzvah, he knew the entireUrim Ve'tumim ofYonatan Eibeshutz by heart and had composed his ownchiddushim (novel Torah thoughts). Late at night, he would study Kabbalah texts.[1]
Later he became a disciple of Rabbi Meir of Apta,[10][11] who was, in turn, a disciple of theChozeh of Lublin. He became a Hasid of rabbis Meir of Apta, Fishele of Strikov, Yehoshua ofPshedburz andMoshe Biderman ofLelov. He also traveled to theModzitzer rebbe, and to rabbisYechezkel of Kuzmir, andChaim Halberstam ofSanz.[4] Though he was born 14 years after the death of RebbeElimelech of Lizhensk, he also considered himself a disciple of the latter and visited his grave every year. Since as aKohen he was not allowed to come in contact with graves, he had a wall built around the area so that he could pray there.[12]
Rabinowicz married Gitele, who lived to the age of 92.[1] After his marriage, he studied in thebeth midrash in Włoszczowa while his wife ran a small store to support them. The store was not successful, however, and for this reason, when Rabinowicz was offered the position of Rav of the small Polish town ofRadomsko (Radomsk), his rebbe, Rabbi Meir of Apta, advised him to accept.[1] Rabinowicz became Rav of Radomsk in 1834.[3][4][8] His weekly salary was 15Polish gulden (2rubles and 25kopeks), an apartment, and anetrog forSukkot. Later his salary increased to 6 rubles per week, and his wife was allowed to run her own business.[1][4]
When RabbiMoshe Biderman ofLelov moved toJerusalem in 1850 and instructed his Hasidim to follow Rabinowicz, the latter's influence as a rebbe grew significantly.[8][13] He went on to attract thousands of Hasidim[citation needed] and Radomsk grew into a major center of Hasidut.[3] The masses revered their Rebbe for his lofty prayers, beautiful singing voice, and benevolence towards their needs,[4][14] while the more scholarly Hasidim admired his profound discourses inHalakha andKabbalah.[3][15] Rabinowicz was a master at interpreting Torah verses throughgematria and Hebrew letter permutations.[16] Among his Hasidim were philosopher Aaron Marcus Verus and physician Chaim David Bernard of Piotrków.[14]
When local Jews were conscripted by the Czar's army, he and hisgabbai went door to door, collectingmoney to bribe the officials to release them. He also collected money for the poor to buy firewood in the winter, and to makematzos atPesach.[1] He spoke out often on the challenges facing the Jewish people of his day, includingassimilation.[2] In 1862 he pronounced a ban on the wearing ofhoop skirts by Jewish women.[1]
Rabinowicz was also achazzan and composer of Hasidic music. OneShavuot. he visited theTzadik of Kuzmir, Rabbi Emanuel ofPashdeborz, and was asked to lead theAkdamutpiyyut. Rabinowicz requested the accompaniment of 80 singers, and the resulting choir, with his voice soaring over all, had a powerful effect.[17] Rabinowicz used his soul-stirringnigunim to rouse his Hasidim to great fervor onShabbat and Jewish holidays.[18] He sent money to one of his Hasidim inSafed, Israel so that the latter would organize a RadomskerShalosh Seudos meal every Shabbat at which hisniggunim would be sung.[6]
Rabinowicz died on Friday, 16 March 1866 (29Adar 5626)[13] and was buried later that day in anohel on the grounds of the Jewish cemetery in Radomsk; His son and grandson were later buried in the sameohel.[19]
He left three daughters and three sons,[1] including Hirsz (Zvi) Meir (d. 1902), who presided asav beis din of Radomsk[20] and succeeded his father as rabbi of the town;[2][5] andAvraham Yissachar Dov, theChesed LeAvraham (1843–1892), who succeeded his father as Radomsker rebbe.[10][13]
Rabinowicz's discourses on theChumash andchagim (Jewish festivals) were published posthumously inWarsaw in 1867–1869 as the two-volumeTiferes Shlomo.[5][10] This work, considered a textbook of Hasidic thought,[12] met with widespread acclaim and has been continuously reprinted.[18][21]
