Rimnitz (Hasidic dynasty)
Encyclopedia
Chaim Zanvl Abramowitz known as the Ribnitzer Rebbe, was considered a great Hasidic
tzadik
and miracle worker from Rybnitsa (now in Transnistria
, Moldova
).
Abramowitz was a prominent follower of Rabbi Avrohom Matisyohu of Shtefanesht
.
He lived in the USSR under Stalin's rule, yet lived a fully Jewish religious life. He served as mohel
and shochet.
He fasted very often, and immersed himself many times daily in water that was sometimes only accessible by chopping away very thick ice. His Tikkun Chatzos (midnight prayer service) in sackcloth and ashes regularly lasted 6–7 hours, sometimes stretching as long as 12. He cried so much during Tikkun Chatzos that when he was done, the tears and ashes mingled so that he was sitting in mud.
The Russian gentiles feared and revered him. The KGB
brought their wives and children for blessings and experienced miracles.
He left Russia in 1970 and moved to the Mattersdorf
section of Jerusalem, where he lived for a few years before moving to the United States
. He lived in Miami, Los Angeles
, Boro Park, Seagate, Brooklyn
, and finally settled in Monsey, New York
.
Abramowitz died on Isru Chag
Succos, 1995, in Monsey
, New York. He is buried in the Vizhnitzer
Cemetery.
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...
tzadik
Tzadik
Tzadik/Zadik/Sadiq is a title given to personalities in Jewish tradition considered righteous, such as Biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The root of the word ṣadiq, is ṣ-d-q , which means "justice" or "righteousness", also the root of Tzedakah...
and miracle worker from Rybnitsa (now in Transnistria
Transnistria
Transnistria is a breakaway territory located mostly on a strip of land between the Dniester River and the eastern Moldovan border to Ukraine...
, Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
).
Abramowitz was a prominent follower of Rabbi Avrohom Matisyohu of Shtefanesht
Shtefanesht (Hasidic dynasty)
After the passing of Rabbi Yisroel Friedman of Ruzhin in 1851, his fourth son, Menachem Nuchem Friedman, born in 1823, settled in the town of Shtefanesht, Romania, and subsequently founded the Shtefanesht Hasidic dynasty. In 1869 he died and his only son, Avraham Mattisyahu succeeded him.Reb...
.
He lived in the USSR under Stalin's rule, yet lived a fully Jewish religious life. He served as mohel
Mohel
A mohel is a Jewish person trained in the practice of brit milah "covenant of circumcision."-Etymology of the Hebrew and Aramaic term:...
and shochet.
He fasted very often, and immersed himself many times daily in water that was sometimes only accessible by chopping away very thick ice. His Tikkun Chatzos (midnight prayer service) in sackcloth and ashes regularly lasted 6–7 hours, sometimes stretching as long as 12. He cried so much during Tikkun Chatzos that when he was done, the tears and ashes mingled so that he was sitting in mud.
The Russian gentiles feared and revered him. The KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
brought their wives and children for blessings and experienced miracles.
He left Russia in 1970 and moved to the Mattersdorf
Mattersdorf
Mattersdorf may refer to:* a town in the former Kingdom of Hungary, now Mattersburg in Austria* Kiryat Mattersdorf, a neighborhood in Jerusalem, Israel...
section of Jerusalem, where he lived for a few years before moving to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He lived in Miami, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Boro Park, Seagate, Brooklyn
Seagate, Brooklyn
Sea Gate is a private, gated community at the far western end of Coney Island at the southwestern tip of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It contains mostly single-family homes, some directly on Gravesend Bay...
, and finally settled in Monsey, New York
Monsey, New York
Monsey is a hamlet , in the Town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of the state of New Jersey; east of Suffern; south of Airmont and west of Nanuet...
.
Abramowitz died on Isru Chag
Isru Chag
Isru Chag refers to the day after each of the three pilgrimage festivals in Judaism: Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot. The origins of the phrase ‘Isru Chag’ is from the verse in that states “Bind the festival offering with cords to the corners of the altar.” This verse, according to the Sages of the...
Succos, 1995, in Monsey
Monsey, New York
Monsey is a hamlet , in the Town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of the state of New Jersey; east of Suffern; south of Airmont and west of Nanuet...
, New York. He is buried in the Vizhnitzer
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....
Cemetery.
External links
- www.Ribnitz.org
- Video of The Ribnitzer saying sheva brachos
- Jungreis, EstherEsther JungreisEsther Jungreis is the founder of the international Hineni movement in America. A Holocaust survivor, she has made it her life's mission to bring back Jews to Orthodox Judaism.-Biography:...
. "There Are No Accidents", hineni.org. Accessed 2007-07-09. "A story is told about the Ribnitzer Rebbe..." - A message from MBD, the3ms.co.uk. Accessed 2007-07-09. "During the years of 1975 through 1980 I had the distinct honor and privilege to be in the presence of and to personally care for - one of the greatest Tzadikim and giants of the past generation, the Ribnitzer Rebbe TZ"L."