Chanokh Heynekh HaKohen Levin (1798 – March 21, 1870) of Aleksander served as the rebbe

Rebbe

Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...

 of a community of thousands of Hasidim

Hasidic Judaism

Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...

 during the "interregnum

Interregnum

An interregnum is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order...

" between the Chidushei HaRim

Yitzchak Meir Alter

Yitzchak Meir Alter , is considered to be the first Rebbe of the Ger Hasidic dynasty, which he founded in the town of Góra Kalwaria , Poland. He was also known as the Chidushei HaRim for his Torah books...

 of Ger

Ger (Hasidic dynasty)

Ger, or Gur is a Hasidic dynasty originating from Ger, the Yiddish name of Góra Kalwaria, a small town in Poland....

 and the Sfas Emes

Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter

Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter , also known by the title of his main work, the Sfas Emes, was a Hasidic rabbi who succeeded his grandfather, Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Alter, as the av beis din and Rav of Góra Kalwaria, Poland , and succeeded the Rebbe, Reb Heynekh of Alexander, as Rebbe of the Gerrer...

.

Biography

Chanokh Heynekh was one of the leading students of the Rebbe Reb Simcha Bunim of Peshischa

Simcha Bunim of Peshischa

Rabbi Simcha Bunim Bonhart of Peshischa was one of the main leaders of Hasidic Judaism in Poland. After studying Torah at yeshivas in Mattersdorf and Nikolsburg, he was introduced to the world of Hasidism by his father-in-law, and became a chasid of Rabbi Yisroel Hopsztajn , and then Rabbi...

. After the latter's death he became one of the most prominent followers of Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Kotzk

Menachem Mendel of Kotzk

Menachem Mendel Morgensztern of Kotzk, better known as the Kotzker Rebbe was a Hasidic rabbi and leader.-Life:Born to a non-Hasidic family in Goraj near Lublin, Poland, he became attracted to Hasidim in his youth. He was known for having acquired impressive Talmudic and Kabbalistic knowledge at a...

 and the senior disciple of Chidushei hoRim. Following the death of the Chidushei hoRim in 1866, the bulk of his numerous chasidim chose Rabbi Chanokh Heynekh as the next rebbe.

Chanokh Heynekh served as the Rabbi in the Jewish communities of Aleksander from 1837 (or earlier) till 1853, Nowy Dwór

Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki

Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki is a town in central Poland with ca. 42500 inhabitants . It is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship ; previously, it was in Warszawa Voivodeship...

 from 1853 to 1859, and Przasnysz

Przasnysz

Przasnysz is a town in Poland. Located in the Masovian Voivodship, about 110 km north of Warsaw and about 115 km south of Olsztyn, it's the capital of Przasnysz County. It has 18,093 inhabitants . One of the most important towns in Mazovia during the Middle Ages. City laws - 1427.-Famous...

from 1859 to 1864 (or 1866). After his tenure In Przasnysz he retired from the rabbinate and settled in Aleksander, where he lived during his period of leadership as rebbe.

His teachings are collected in Chashovoh leToivo (first published in 1929), and are quoted widely.