Zvi Yosef Resnick
Encyclopedia
Rabbi Zvi Yosef HaKohen Resnick (1841–1912) was a well-known orthodox
Russian rabbi
and Rosh yeshivah (Dean of a Talmudic Academy
), also known as Rebbe Hirsch Meitsheter (reportedly because Meitshet—the Yiddish term for Molczad—was the birthplace of his wife).
, and at least one of his children was born there, but it is not clear where he himself was born. He taught in Slonim
for many years, where his reputation grew to such an extent that he was often referred to as The Slonimer. He was widely respected as one of the great Torah sages of his time, able to quote from the entire Talmud
and its commentaries from memory. In 1894, he was appointed Dean of the famous yeshivah in Suwałki, Poland, Ohel Yitzhak, established by Rabbi Isaac Wildmann. He held this position during increasingly violent times, as evidenced by the story recorded in Yizkor-Book Suwalk, relating how he narrowly averted a severe beating by local Jews who suspected he was a Czarist spy because—as a result of poor eyesight in his later years—he would peer at them in a way that was interpreted as spying. According to this story, Hona, the local baker, recognized him as the yeshiva dean, and dispersed the gang gathering to attack him.
He remained Rosh Yeshivah until his death. He was buried in the Jewish cemetery of Suvalk alongside the great sages of the time, but in World War II the Nazis vandalized the cemetery, stealing most of the gravestones for construction projects, including a swimming pool.
The son of Yitzchak Yaakov Resnick, Resnick was a Kohen
-- a descendent of Aaron
, the brother of Moses
-- and at his funeral, the eulogy delivered by Rabbi Moshe Bezalel Luria, of Suvalk, stated that if the Temple in Jerusalem
were still standing, Resnick would have been worthy of serving as the Kohen Gadol
, the High Priest of the Jewish people
.
The status of being Kohanim, members of the Priestly tribe, was important to both Resnick and his son, Risikoff, but because of a sense of history and responsibility, not pride, and in Risikoff's book, HaKohanim vHaLevi'im, he recalls how his father taught the importance of humility, and the avoidance of any action or word based on pride or the desire for prestige. He writes that
Resnick even forbade him to tell stories about him that could be considered to be praise, unless there was some musar
, ethical teaching, that could be derived from the story. So, for example, Risikoff relates in this book how once there was a large fire in Slonim, when his father lived there—and many people in the town, including other Kohanim, were bringing their belongings to the cemetery, which was located in one of the safe areas—but his father, based on the fact that Kohanim were not normally allowed to enter cemeteries, refused to do so, saying it was better to lose all their belongings than to go to the cemetery.
Resnick was so respected that distinguished rabbis including Rabbi Yossel Shlufefer, the rabbi of Slonim, would come to Resnick every year before the holy day of Yom Kippur
to request his blessing, and the well-known Slonim rabbi Rabbi Yehoshua Isaac Shapiro (known as "Reb Eizel Charif"), went on record as saying that anyone who had not studied under Resnick was "no scholar."
Resnick rejected many requests to accept positions of official community rabbi , or to publish his teachings and commentaries, stating that such work would detract from his studies. However, some of his teachings are recorded in the works of his son, Rabbi Mnachem HaKohen Risikoff
, especially in the book, MiTorat Zvi Yosef, From the Torah of Zvi Yosef. In this work, Risikoff, a renowned scholar in his own right, reminisces about his father, noting that his own knowledge, compared to that of his father, is like "a drop in the ocean." He writes that his father shunned fame, although many of his students went on to accept positions of rabbi for important cities, and that his father not only denied himself the time to write down his teachings (although many of his students did write and publish his ideas), he even denied himself the time for correspondence, only including a few brief short sentences in letters he had to write, or letters he wrote to his children. He also notes that his father was not only renowned for his knowledge of Torah (and all Jewish teachings), but for his nature: that he never had an altercation or bad relationship, and that he was not only respected by his students, but beloved by them, as well.
Resnick was mentioned in a number of works by others, including Rabbi Avraham Aaron Yudlovitz, in "Darash Av"; and in the article, "Kehilat Yaakov BeSlonim," by the Slonim author, M. Zavlutzky, published in "Kneset HaGedolah" (Vol 4), in Warsaw, in 1891.
, Steven (Shlomo Chaim) Resnicoff, and Joseph Simckes. Another son of Resnick, Shlomo Chaim Resnick, was a well-known cantor
, known as the Grajewo
Hazzan
.
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
Russian rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
and Rosh yeshivah (Dean of a Talmudic Academy
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...
), also known as Rebbe Hirsch Meitsheter (reportedly because Meitshet—the Yiddish term for Molczad—was the birthplace of his wife).
Life and work
Resnick lived in Zhetel (Dziatlava), a town in BelarusBelarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, and at least one of his children was born there, but it is not clear where he himself was born. He taught in Slonim
Slonim
Slonim is a city in Hrodna Voblast, Belarus, capital of the Slonim District. It is located at the junction of the Shchara and Isa rivers, 143 km southeast of Hrodna. The population in 2008 was 50,800.-Etymology and historical names:...
for many years, where his reputation grew to such an extent that he was often referred to as The Slonimer. He was widely respected as one of the great Torah sages of his time, able to quote from the entire 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....
and its commentaries from memory. In 1894, he was appointed Dean of the famous yeshivah in Suwałki, Poland, Ohel Yitzhak, established by Rabbi Isaac Wildmann. He held this position during increasingly violent times, as evidenced by the story recorded in Yizkor-Book Suwalk, relating how he narrowly averted a severe beating by local Jews who suspected he was a Czarist spy because—as a result of poor eyesight in his later years—he would peer at them in a way that was interpreted as spying. According to this story, Hona, the local baker, recognized him as the yeshiva dean, and dispersed the gang gathering to attack him.
He remained Rosh Yeshivah until his death. He was buried in the Jewish cemetery of Suvalk alongside the great sages of the time, but in World War II the Nazis vandalized the cemetery, stealing most of the gravestones for construction projects, including a swimming pool.
The son of Yitzchak Yaakov Resnick, Resnick was a Kohen
Kohen
A Kohen is the Hebrew word for priest. Jewish Kohens are traditionally believed and halachically required to be of direct patrilineal descent from the Biblical Aaron....
-- a descendent of Aaron
Aaron
In the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, Aaron : Ααρών ), who is often called "'Aaron the Priest"' and once Aaron the Levite , was the older brother of Moses, and a prophet of God. He represented the priestly functions of his tribe, becoming the first High Priest of the Israelites...
, the brother of Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
-- and at his funeral, the eulogy delivered by Rabbi Moshe Bezalel Luria, of Suvalk, stated that if the Temple in Jerusalem
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
were still standing, Resnick would have been worthy of serving as the Kohen Gadol
Kohen Gadol
The High Priest was the chief religious official of Israelite religion and of classical Judaism from the rise of the Israelite nation until the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem...
, the High Priest of the Jewish people
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
.
The status of being Kohanim, members of the Priestly tribe, was important to both Resnick and his son, Risikoff, but because of a sense of history and responsibility, not pride, and in Risikoff's book, HaKohanim vHaLevi'im, he recalls how his father taught the importance of humility, and the avoidance of any action or word based on pride or the desire for prestige. He writes that
Resnick even forbade him to tell stories about him that could be considered to be praise, unless there was some musar
Mussar movement
The Musar movement is a Jewish ethical, educational and cultural movement that developed in 19th century Eastern Europe, particularly among Orthodox Lithuanian Jews. The Hebrew term Musar , is from the book of Proverbs 1:2 meaning instruction, discipline, or conduct...
, ethical teaching, that could be derived from the story. So, for example, Risikoff relates in this book how once there was a large fire in Slonim, when his father lived there—and many people in the town, including other Kohanim, were bringing their belongings to the cemetery, which was located in one of the safe areas—but his father, based on the fact that Kohanim were not normally allowed to enter cemeteries, refused to do so, saying it was better to lose all their belongings than to go to the cemetery.
Resnick was so respected that distinguished rabbis including Rabbi Yossel Shlufefer, the rabbi of Slonim, would come to Resnick every year before the holy day of Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
to request his blessing, and the well-known Slonim rabbi Rabbi Yehoshua Isaac Shapiro (known as "Reb Eizel Charif"), went on record as saying that anyone who had not studied under Resnick was "no scholar."
Resnick rejected many requests to accept positions of official community rabbi , or to publish his teachings and commentaries, stating that such work would detract from his studies. However, some of his teachings are recorded in the works of his son, Rabbi Mnachem HaKohen Risikoff
Mnachem Risikoff
Mnachem HaKohen Risikoff , was an orthodox rabbi in Russia and the United States, and a prolific author of scholarly works, written in Hebrew. Risikoff used a highly stylized and symbolic pen-name, יאמהדנונחהים, made up of the Hebrew letters of his first name, the Hebrew word for Lord, and the...
, especially in the book, MiTorat Zvi Yosef, From the Torah of Zvi Yosef. In this work, Risikoff, a renowned scholar in his own right, reminisces about his father, noting that his own knowledge, compared to that of his father, is like "a drop in the ocean." He writes that his father shunned fame, although many of his students went on to accept positions of rabbi for important cities, and that his father not only denied himself the time to write down his teachings (although many of his students did write and publish his ideas), he even denied himself the time for correspondence, only including a few brief short sentences in letters he had to write, or letters he wrote to his children. He also notes that his father was not only renowned for his knowledge of Torah (and all Jewish teachings), but for his nature: that he never had an altercation or bad relationship, and that he was not only respected by his students, but beloved by them, as well.
Resnick was mentioned in a number of works by others, including Rabbi Avraham Aaron Yudlovitz, in "Darash Av"; and in the article, "Kehilat Yaakov BeSlonim," by the Slonim author, M. Zavlutzky, published in "Kneset HaGedolah" (Vol 4), in Warsaw, in 1891.
Family
In addition to his son, Mnachem Risikoff, many other descendants of Resnick became rabbis, including grandson Leon Risikoff, and great-grandsons Arnold ResnicoffArnold Resnicoff
Arnold E. Resnicoff is an American Conservative rabbi, a decorated retired military officer and military chaplain, and a consultant on leadership, values, and interreligious affairs to military and civilian leaders...
, Steven (Shlomo Chaim) Resnicoff, and Joseph Simckes. Another son of Resnick, Shlomo Chaim Resnick, was a well-known cantor
Hazzan
A hazzan or chazzan is a Jewish cantor, a musician trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer.There are many rules relating to how a cantor should lead services, but the idea of a cantor as a paid professional does not exist in classical rabbinic sources...
, known as the Grajewo
Grajewo
Grajewo , is a town in north-eastern Poland with 23,302 inhabitants .It is situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship ; previously, it was in Łomża Voivodeship...
Hazzan
Hazzan
A hazzan or chazzan is a Jewish cantor, a musician trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer.There are many rules relating to how a cantor should lead services, but the idea of a cantor as a paid professional does not exist in classical rabbinic sources...
.
External links
- Dorot HaAchronim: Hebrew biographical article
- Introduction, HaKohanim VHaLevi'im (The Priests and the Levites), Mnachem Risikoff, 1940. Resnick's son reminisces about his father's decision that it was better to lose all they had during a fire in Slonim than to "go to the cemetery," ignoring their Priestly status and responsibilities.