Mezhbizh (Hasidic dynasty)
Encyclopedia
Medzhybizh
Medzhybizh, previously known as Mezhybozhe, population 1731, is a town in the Khmelnytskyi Oblast of western Ukraine. It is located in the Letychivsky Raion , 25 kilometres from the Khmelnytskyi on the main highway between Khmelnytskyi and Vinnytsia at the confluence of the Southern Buh and...
in the present Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
which is significant as both the source of a Hasidic dynasty that bears its name and as a symbolic name for the roots 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...
.
The Mezhbizh dynasty served as the earliest "trunk" of Hasidic Judaism
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...
, led by the Baal Shem Tov and his direct descendants.
The town of Mezhbizh in Hasidic history
The Mezhbizh dynasty is more than just a branch of Hasidic JudaismHasidic 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...
because it was the small town from where 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...
eventually spread throughout the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
.
Geographically, the Hasidic movement originated in Mezhbizh, where the movement's founder, Yisroel ben Eliezer made his home, Beis Medrash (a synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
and place of Torah study
Torah study
Torah study is the study by Jewish people of the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Talmud, responsa, rabbinic literature and similar works, all of which are Judaism's religious texts...
), held court, and is buried. He came to be known as the Baal Shem Tov ("master [of the] good name" in Hebrew) abbreviated as BESHT, a name that was given to various Jewish miracle workers in the Middle Ages.
The Hasidic dynasty of Mezhbizh
Besides the position of the Mezhbizh dynasty as a "trunk" of Hasidic JudaismHasidic 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...
, an important branch of Hasidism led by the Baal Shem Tov's descendants and heirs evolved from there as well.
The Baal Shem Tov's grandson, Reb Boruch
Boruch of Medzhybizh
Rabbi Boruch of Medzhybizh , was a grandson of the Baal Shem Tov.Reb Boruch was the first major "rebbe" of the Hasidic movement to hold court in Mezhbizh in his grandfather's hometown and Beis Medrash, which he inherited.As recorded in the early Hasidic work...
(known in his childhood as Reb Boruch'l, a Yiddish diminutive, and subsequently as Reb Boruch'l HaKadosh) was the first "rebbe" of the Hasidic movement to hold court in Mezhbizh in his grandfather's home and Beis Medrash, which he inherited. He was the son of R' Yechiel Mikhl Ashkenazi and Udl, only daughter of the Baal Shem Tov.
As recorded in the early Hasidic work Mekor Boruch (first published in 1880 from handwritten manuscripts), at the time of the Baal Shem Tov's death, Reb Pinchos of Korets and Reb Yosef of Polonoe, two of the Baal Shem Tov's closest followers, reported to the Hasidim that the Baal Shem Tov had designated Reb Boruch as his successor, and instructed Reb Pinchos to take responsibility for carrying out those wishes. Reb Boruch was not yet bar mitzvah (under 13 years) at the time of his grandfather's death, and he was then taken to live in Reb Pinchos' home, where the Baal Shem Tov's other close Hasidim and other leaders of the Hasidic movement visited regularly to check on his progress and assist with his preparation to assume his grandfather's mantle.
Reb Boruch remained with Reb Pinchos of Korets until the Chevraya Kadisha ("holy circle"), as the close inner circle of the Baal Shem Tov was known, decided that he was ready to return to Mezhbizh and become "The Rebbe." When he finally returned to Mezhbizh, all of the Hasidic leaders of that time regularly visited Reb Boruch, including the Maggid
Maggid
Maggid , sometimes spelled as magid, is a traditional Eastern European Jewish religious itinerant preacher, skilled as a narrator of Torah and religious stories. A preacher of the more scholarly sort was called a "darshan", and usually occupied the official position of rabbi...
of Chernobyl, the Magid of Mezritch
Dovber of Mezeritch
Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezeritch was a disciple of Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism, and was chosen as his successor to lead the early movement...
, Reb Shneur Zalman of Liadi
Shneur Zalman of Liadi
Shneur Zalman of Liadi , also known as the Baal HaTanya, , was an Orthodox Rabbi, and the founder and first Rebbe of Chabad, a branch of Hasidic Judaism, then based in Liadi, Imperial Russia...
(founder of the Chabad-Lubavitch
Chabad-Lubavitch
Chabad-Lubavitch is a Chasidic movement in Orthodox Judaism. One of the world's larger and best-known Chasidic movements, its official headquarters is in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York...
Hasidic movement), and others.
From Reb Boruch the mantle of leadership was inherited by his son-in-law Reb Yitzchok Drubitsher, who was a son of Reb Yosef of Yampol
Yampil, Khmelnytskyi Oblast
Yampil or Yampol is a town in the Khmelnytskyi Oblast, in the Volyn region of western Ukraine. It is located 25 miles SE of Kremenets.-Jewish community:The Jewish community of Yampol dates back to the 15th century, and maybe much earlier than that...
, the son of Reb Yechiel Michl, the Magid of Zlotshov. Reb Yitzchok's son, Reb Yechiel Michl (known as Reb Mekhl Drubitsher), succeeded him, followed by his son, Reb Mordechai. Both Reb Yechiel Michl and his son Reb Mordechai married descendants of the Chernobyl Hasidic dynasty
Chernobyl (Hasidic dynasty)
Chernobyl is a Hasidic dynasty that was founded by Grand Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky, known by the name of his work as the "Meor Einayim Chernobyl is a Hasidic dynasty that was founded by Grand Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky, known by the name of his work as the "Meor Einayim Chernobyl is a...
.
The last rebbe of this lineage to be born in Mezhbizh was Grand Rabbi Yaakov Yisroel Korff. Son of the last Mezhbizher Rebbe, Reb Mordechai, he was a direct descendant of the Baal Shem Tov and his grandson, Reb Boruch of Mezhbizh (the first Rebbe), and the Hasidic dynasties of the Rebbes of Mezhbizh, Chernobyl
Chernobyl (Hasidic dynasty)
Chernobyl is a Hasidic dynasty that was founded by Grand Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky, known by the name of his work as the "Meor Einayim Chernobyl is a Hasidic dynasty that was founded by Grand Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky, known by the name of his work as the "Meor Einayim Chernobyl is a...
, Karlin
Karlin (Hasidic Dynasty)
Karlin-Stolin is a Hasidic dynasty originating with Rebbe Aaron the Great of Karlin in present-day Belarus. Karlin was one of the first centres of Hasidim to be set up in Lithuania....
, Ryzhin
Ruzhin (Hasidic dynasty)
The Ruzhin Hasidic dynasty was founded by Rabbi Yisroel Friedman of Ruzhyn, . Today, Ruzhyn is an urban-type settlement in Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine. Rav Yisroel's father was the Rebbe Sholom Shachne of Prhobisht, who was a son of Rabbi Avrohom "HaMalach"...
, and Apt. Reb Yaakov Yisroel married the daughter of the Zvhiller Rebbe of that time, Reb Yichiel Michl. He subsequently succeeded his father-in-law as Zvhiller Rebbe until his own father, Reb Mordechai of Mezhbizh died, after which he then became the Zvhil-Mezhbizh Rebbe, continuing the dynasty after his father, although he continued to be known as the Zvhiller Rebbe (see also Zvhil (Hasidic dynasty).
Lineage of the Mezhbizh dynasty
- 1. Rebbe Yisroel Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760) - founder of Hasidism
- Rabbi Tsvi of PinskPinskPinsk , a town in Belarus, in the Polesia region, traversed by the river Pripyat, at the confluence of the Strumen and Pina rivers. The region was known as the Marsh of Pinsk. It is a fertile agricultural center. It lies south-west of Minsk. The population is about 130,000...
(died 1780) - (son of the Baal Shem Tov; did not serve as an admor).- Rebbe Aharon of Titiov (died 1800) – son of Rabbi Tsvi.
- Rabbi Hershl of Skver - son of Rebbe Aharon
- Rebbe Dov Ber of Ulanov – son of Rabbi Tsvi.
- Rebbe Aharon of Titiov (died 1800) – son of Rabbi Tsvi.
- Rabbi Yechiel Mikhl Ashkenazi of Tulchyn - married Udl, daughter of the Baal Shem Tov
- 2. Rebbe Boruch of MezhbizhBoruch of MedzhybizhRabbi Boruch of Medzhybizh , was a grandson of the Baal Shem Tov.Reb Boruch was the first major "rebbe" of the Hasidic movement to hold court in Mezhbizh in his grandfather's hometown and Beis Medrash, which he inherited.As recorded in the early Hasidic work...
(1753-1811) - author of Butsina diNehoiro - (son of Rabbi Yechiel Mikhl; son-in-law of R. Aharon of Titiov).- Rebbe Yitschak Drubitsher (son-in-law of Rebbe Boruch, son of Rabbi Yosef of YampolYampil, Khmelnytskyi OblastYampil or Yampol is a town in the Khmelnytskyi Oblast, in the Volyn region of western Ukraine. It is located 25 miles SE of Kremenets.-Jewish community:The Jewish community of Yampol dates back to the 15th century, and maybe much earlier than that...
, son of Rabbi Yekhiel Mikhl of ZlotshevZolochivZolochiv is a town located in the Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Zolochiv Raion ....
; succeeded his father-in-law as rebbe in Mezhbizh).- Rebbe Yekhiel Mikhl (son of Rebbe Yitschak; son-in-law of Rebbe MotlMordechai TwerskyRabbi Mordechai Twersky, known as the Maggid of Chernobyl, was the son of Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky of Chernobyl and the second rebbe of the Chernobyl Hasidic dynasty...
of ChernobylChernobyl (Hasidic dynasty)Chernobyl is a Hasidic dynasty that was founded by Grand Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky, known by the name of his work as the "Meor Einayim Chernobyl is a Hasidic dynasty that was founded by Grand Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky, known by the name of his work as the "Meor Einayim Chernobyl is a...
)- Rebbe Mordechai of Mezhbizh (son of Rebbe Yekhiel Mikhl)
- Rebbe Yakov Israel Korff (son of Rebbe Mordechai, son-in-law of Rebbe Yekhiel Mikhl of Zvhil-Korets)
- Rebbe Itzhak Aron Korff (grandson of Rebbe Yakov Israel)
- Rebbe Yakov Israel Korff (son of Rebbe Mordechai, son-in-law of Rebbe Yekhiel Mikhl of Zvhil-Korets)
- Rebbe Mordechai of Mezhbizh (son of Rebbe Yekhiel Mikhl)
- Rebbe Boruch Rabinovich of YasIasiIași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
- Rebbe Eliezer Chaim of Skolye (died 1916) (the first rebbe in America) – son of Rebbe Boruch
- Rebbe Shmuel Avrohom of Mezhbizh (1883- ) – son of Rebbe Eliezer Chaim
- Rebbe Eliezer Chaim of Skolye (died 1916) (the first rebbe in America) – son of Rebbe Boruch
- Rebbe Yekhiel Mikhl (son of Rebbe Yitschak; son-in-law of Rebbe Motl
- Rabbi Yaakov Pinchos Averbuch/Auerbach (son-in-law of Rebbe Boruch).
- Rabbi Israel of Mezhbizh – (son of Rabbi Yaakov Pinchos).
- Rebbe Yitschak Drubitsher (son-in-law of Rebbe Boruch, son of Rabbi Yosef of Yampol
- 2. Rebbe Boruch of Mezhbizh
- Rabbi Tsvi of Pinsk