Joseph Meir Weiss
Encyclopedia
Joseph Meir Weiss , also known as the Imrei Yosef after his major work, (March 15, 1838 – May 26, 1909) was a Hungarian
rabbi and founder of the Spinka
Hasidic
dynasty.
, Ukraine). Weiss attended the yeshiva
of Rabbi Meir Eisenstaedter
in Ungvar, Hungary (now Uzhhorod
, Ukraine).
When Meir Eisenstaedter died in 1852, Weiss continued his studies under Meir's son, Rabbi Menachem Eisenstaedter. Weiss then studied at Rabbi Shmuel Smelke Klien of Hust, Hungary (now Khust
, Ukraine), author of Tzeror HaChaim. His foremost mentor of Hasidism
was Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Eichenstein of Ziditshov. Eichenstein said of his student Weiss: I don't know why [Weiss] continues to visit us...He certainly does not need to acquire the fear of God from me." Weiss was also influenced by Rabbis Chaim Halberstam
of Sanz, Sholom Rokeach of Belz, and Menachem Mendel Hager, the first Rebbe of Vizhnitz
.
In 1854, when Weiss was 16, his mother died. That year, he married the daughter of Mordechai of Borşa
(now Romania
), but she died three years later. Weiss married again and had two daughters, but his second wife died in 1868. In 1870, he married Perl, the daughter of Ezra Yaakov Basch of Săpânţa
(Yiddish
: Spinka), Maramureş
, Romania
, near the Hungarian
border.
with a high level of Talmud
ic studies that drew students from other countries. Following the death of his mentor, the Rebbe of Zadaczov, in June 1873, Weiss established his own Hasidic sect in his third wife's hometown of Spinka.
Weiss was called a "miracle worker", and attracted thousands of followers. He was also known for his self-mortification and ecstatic prayers. He prayed during festivals with the words from Musaf Amidah
:
, Israel.
Weiss was succeeded as Rebbe by his son, Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Weiss (1875–1944). When World War II broke out, Yitzchak Isaac moved the Spinka court to Munkacs. Yitzchak Isaac was murdered by the Nazis
in the Auschwitz concentration camp
, together with thirty one family members, in 1944. After the war, Yitzchak Isaac's grandson, Jacob Joseph Weiss, re-established the dynasty in Jerusalem. Other offshoots were established by descendants of Yosef Meir in Williamsburg
, Boro Park
, Flatbush
, Queens
, Kiryas Joel
, London
, Antwerp, and Bnei Brak.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
rabbi and founder of the Spinka
Spinka (Hasidic dynasty)
Spinka is the name of a Hasidic group within Orthodox Judaism. The group originated in a city called Săpânţa , Maramureş, Romania, near the Hungarian border.-Spinka rebbes:...
Hasidic
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...
dynasty.
Early life
Weiss was born in Munkacz, Hungary (now Mukachevo, Ukraine). His father, Rabbi Samuel Zevi (Shmuel Tzvi) Weiss, was Av Beit Din of Munkacz, and his mother was the daughter of Tzvi Hirsch of Drohobycz, Hungary (now DrohobychDrohobych
Drohobych is a city located at the confluence of the Tysmenytsia River and Seret, a tributary of the former, in the Lviv Oblast , in western Ukraine...
, Ukraine). Weiss attended the yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
of Rabbi Meir Eisenstaedter
Meir Eisenstaedter
Rabbi Meir Eisenstaedter - or Meir Ash - known as the Maharam Ash was one of the greatest Talmudists of the nineteenth century. He is best known as author of "Imre Esh" - the collection of his responsa published by his son in 1864...
in Ungvar, Hungary (now Uzhhorod
Uzhhorod
Uzhhorod or Uzhgorod is a city located in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. It is the administrative center of the Zakarpattia Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Uzhhorodskyi Raion within the oblast...
, Ukraine).
When Meir Eisenstaedter died in 1852, Weiss continued his studies under Meir's son, Rabbi Menachem Eisenstaedter. Weiss then studied at Rabbi Shmuel Smelke Klien of Hust, Hungary (now Khust
Khust
Khust is a city located on the Khustets River in the Zakarpattia oblast in western Ukraine. It is near the confluence of the Tisza and Rika Rivers...
, Ukraine), author of Tzeror HaChaim. His foremost mentor of Hasidism
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...
was Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Eichenstein of Ziditshov. Eichenstein said of his student Weiss: I don't know why [Weiss] continues to visit us...He certainly does not need to acquire the fear of God from me." Weiss was also influenced by Rabbis Chaim Halberstam
Chaim Halberstam
Chaim Halberstam of Sanz , known as the Divrei Chaim after his magnum opus on halakha, was a famous Hasidic Rebbe and the founder of the Sanz Hasidic dynasty....
of Sanz, Sholom Rokeach of Belz, and Menachem Mendel Hager, the first Rebbe of Vizhnitz
Vizhnitz (Hasidic dynasty)
Vizhnitz is the name of a Hasidic dynasty founded by Rebbe Menachem Mendel Hager. Vizhnitz is the Yiddish name of Vyzhnytsia, a village in present-day Ukraine.Followers of the rebbes of Vizhnitz are called Vizhnitzer chasidim....
.
In 1854, when Weiss was 16, his mother died. That year, he married the daughter of Mordechai of Borşa
Borsa
Borșa is a town in eastern Maramureş County, northern Romania, in the valley of the Vişeu River and near the Prislop Pass. Linking Transylvania to Bukovina, Prislop Pass is surrounded by the Rodna and Maramureş Mountains, both ranges of the Carpathians...
(now Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
), but she died three years later. Weiss married again and had two daughters, but his second wife died in 1868. In 1870, he married Perl, the daughter of Ezra Yaakov Basch of Săpânţa
Sapânta
Săpânţa is a commune in Maramureş County in northern Romania, 15 kilometers northwest of Sighet and just south of the Tisza River. It is composed of a single village, Săpânţa....
(Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
: Spinka), Maramureş
Maramures
Maramureș may refer to the following:*Maramureș, a geographical, historical, and ethno-cultural region in present-day Romania and Ukraine, that occupies the Maramureș Depression and Maramureș Mountains, a mountain range in North East Carpathians...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, near the Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
border.
Rabbinate
In Munkacs, Weiss established a yeshivaYeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
with a high level of Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
ic studies that drew students from other countries. Following the death of his mentor, the Rebbe of Zadaczov, in June 1873, Weiss established his own Hasidic sect in his third wife's hometown of Spinka.
Weiss was called a "miracle worker", and attracted thousands of followers. He was also known for his self-mortification and ecstatic prayers. He prayed during festivals with the words from Musaf Amidah
Amidah
The Amidah , also called the Shmoneh Esreh , is the central prayer of the Jewish liturgy. This prayer, among others, is found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book...
:
Legacy
Weiss died in 1909 and in 1972, his remains were reinterred in Petah TikvaPetah Tikva
Petah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately...
, Israel.
Weiss was succeeded as Rebbe by his son, Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Weiss (1875–1944). When World War II broke out, Yitzchak Isaac moved the Spinka court to Munkacs. Yitzchak Isaac was murdered by the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
in the Auschwitz concentration camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
, together with thirty one family members, in 1944. After the war, Yitzchak Isaac's grandson, Jacob Joseph Weiss, re-established the dynasty in Jerusalem. Other offshoots were established by descendants of Yosef Meir in Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
, Boro Park
Borough Park, Brooklyn
Borough Park , is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City in the United States....
, Flatbush
Flatbush, Brooklyn
Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods.The name Flatbush is an Anglicization of the Dutch language Vlacke bos ....
, Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, Kiryas Joel
Kiryas Joel, New York
Kiryas Joel is a village within the town of Monroe in Orange County, New York, United States...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Antwerp, and Bnei Brak.
Works
Weiss died in 1909. His writings, published posthumously, were:- Imrei Yosef (1910–27) – a four-volume commentary on the Chumash
- Imrei Yosef (1931) – sermons on the festivals and their customs
- Hakdamat Likkutei Torah ve-ha-Shas (1911) – sermons and Hasidic teachings
- Peirush la-Haggadah shel Pesach (1964) – a commentary on the PassoverPassoverPassover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
Haggadah - Tefillot u-Minhagim (1912) – a collection of prayers and customs