Chaim Halberstam
Encyclopedia
Chaim Halberstam of Sanz
(1793–1876) , known as the Divrei Chaim after his magnum opus
on halakha
, was a famous Hasidic
Rebbe
and the founder of the Sanz Hasidic dynasty
.
He was a pupil of Rabbi Moshe Yehoshua Heshl Orenstein and the Rebbe, Rabbi Naftali Zvi of Ropshitz. His first rabbinical position was in Rudnik
. In 1830 he was appointed as the town rabbi of Sanz, where he founded a Hasidic dynasty. He attracted many followers, and students, due to his piety and greatness. Sanz has been succeeded nowadays by the Sanz-Klausenberg and the Bobov Hasidic dynasties, among others.
, Poland
.
His first wife was the daughter of Rabbi Boruch Frenkl-Thumim; she died childless. He then married her sister, Rochl Feyga, who bore him five sons. His third wife was Rechl Unger.
The Divrei Chaim had seven sons and seven daughters. His seven sons were:
The Divrei Chaim's sons all became famous rebbes (except for Myer Noson, who predeceased him). His seven daughters all married Hasidic leaders.
The Divrei Chaim died in Sanz, Austria-Hungary
(now Poland) in 1876 (25 Nisan
5636).
ists, poskim
and Kabbalistic
authorities of his time, he received queries from Rabbis and communities from all over the world. His responsa
, as well as his Torah commentaries, published under the title Divrei Chaim, reflect his Torah greatness, his humility, and his compassionate nature. He was a champion of the poor and established many organizations to relieve them of their poverty. He was the first Honorary President of Kolel Chibas Yerushalayim
. His compassion and generosity was legendary; he literally gave away everything he had for the needy; and went to sleep penniless.
During his 46 years as Rabbi of Sanz; that city was transformed into a vibrant center of Hasidism, attracting tens of thousands of followers. Among his many disciples, are counted such leaders as Rabbi Zvi Hirsh Friedlander of Liska
, the Tiferes Shlome of Radomsk
, Rabbi Meir Horowitz of Dzhikov
, and the Yetev Lev of Sighet. He studied with his brother-in-law, Yosef Babad
, author of the Minchat Chinuch
.
Nowy Sacz
Nowy Sącz is a town in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the district capital of Nowy Sącz County, but is not included within the powiat.-Names:...
(1793–1876) , known as the Divrei Chaim after his magnum opus
Masterpiece
Masterpiece in modern usage refers to a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or to a work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship....
on halakha
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
, was a famous 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...
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...
and the founder of the Sanz Hasidic dynasty
Sanz (Hasidic dynasty)
The Sanz Hasidic dynasty was founded by Rabbi Chaim Halberstam Rabbi of Nowy Sącz , author of Divrei Chaim and a son-in-law of Rabbi Boruch Frankel Thumim , Rabbi of Lipník nad Bečvou , author of Boruch Taam.-Founder of dynasty:The Divrei Chaim was a disciple of Rabbi Naftali of Ropshitz, who was...
.
He was a pupil of Rabbi Moshe Yehoshua Heshl Orenstein and the Rebbe, Rabbi Naftali Zvi of Ropshitz. His first rabbinical position was in Rudnik
Rudnik nad Sanem
Rudnik nad Sanem is a town in Nisko County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland, with a population of 6,765 . The town is located next to the river San, hence the "nad Sanem" part of the name, which was appended to the official name in 1997...
. In 1830 he was appointed as the town rabbi of Sanz, where he founded a Hasidic dynasty. He attracted many followers, and students, due to his piety and greatness. Sanz has been succeeded nowadays by the Sanz-Klausenberg and the Bobov Hasidic dynasties, among others.
Family life
The Divrei Chaim was born in 1793, in TarnogródTarnogród
Tarnogród is a town in Biłgoraj County, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland. It has a population of 3,399 .The history of the town dates back to the Middle Ages settlement, then known as Cierniogród...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
His first wife was the daughter of Rabbi Boruch Frenkl-Thumim; she died childless. He then married her sister, Rochl Feyga, who bore him five sons. His third wife was Rechl Unger.
The Divrei Chaim had seven sons and seven daughters. His seven sons were:
- Rabbi Yechezkel Shraga HalberstamYechezkel Shraga HalberstamRabbi Yechezkel Shraga Halberstam, , known as the Shinever Rov , was the eldest son of the Divrei Chaim, Rabbi Chaim Halbertam of Sanz. He was famous for his disagreements with his father on matters of halakha...
(1814–1898) of ShinoveSieniawaSieniawa is a town in southeastern Poland. It had a population of 2,127 inhabitants . Since 1999, Sieniawa has been part of Subcarpathian Province.-References:Notes... - Rabbi Duvid Halberstam (1821–1894) of ChrzanówChrzanówChrzanów is a town in south Poland with 39,704 inhabitants . It is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship and is the capital of Chrzanów County.- To 1809:...
- Rabbi Myer Noson Halberstam (1827–1855), father of Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam, the first Bobover Rebbe
- Rabbi Boruch Halberstam (1829–1906) of GorliceGorliceGorlice is a city and an urban municipality in south eastern Poland with around 29,500 inhabitants . It is situated south east of Kraków and south of Tarnów between Jasło and Nowy Sącz in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , previously in Nowy Sącz Voivodeship...
- Rabbi Aharon Halberstam, his successor in Nowy SączNowy SaczNowy Sącz is a town in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the district capital of Nowy Sącz County, but is not included within the powiat.-Names:...
- Rabbi Shulem Lazer Halberstam of RatzfertÚjfehértóÚjfehértó is a small town in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary.- See also :* Teitelbaum, Satmar, Klausenberg* Nagykalló, Kalov-External links:*...
(1862–1944), who was murdered by the Nazis in the HolocaustThe HolocaustThe Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi... - Rabbi Yeshaye Halberstam of CzchówCzchówCzchów is a town in Brzesko County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with 2,205 inhabitants ....
(Yiddish: טשחויוו Tshkhoiv) (1864–1944), who was also murdered by the Nazis.
The Divrei Chaim's sons all became famous rebbes (except for Myer Noson, who predeceased him). His seven daughters all married Hasidic leaders.
The Divrei Chaim died in Sanz, Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
(now Poland) in 1876 (25 Nisan
Nisan
Nisan is the first month of the ecclesiastical year and the seventh month of the civil year, on the Hebrew calendar. The name of the month is Babylonian; in the Torah it is called the month of the Aviv, referring to the month in which barley was ripe. It is a spring month of 30 days...
5636).
Leadership
The Divrei Chaim was acclaimed by the leading rabbis of his generation as one of the foremost TalmudTalmud
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....
ists, poskim
Posek
Posek is the term in Jewish law for "decider"—a legal scholar who decides the Halakha in cases of law where previous authorities are inconclusive or in those situations where no halakhic precedent exists....
and Kabbalistic
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
authorities of his time, he received queries from Rabbis and communities from all over the world. His responsa
Responsa
Responsa comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them.-In the Roman Empire:Roman law recognised responsa prudentium, i.e...
, as well as his Torah commentaries, published under the title Divrei Chaim, reflect his Torah greatness, his humility, and his compassionate nature. He was a champion of the poor and established many organizations to relieve them of their poverty. He was the first Honorary President of Kolel Chibas Yerushalayim
Kolel Chibas Yerushalayim
Kolel Chibas Jerusalem , also known as the Charity of Rabbi Meyer Ba'al Ha-Nes — named after the great 2nd century Jewish sage Rabbi Meyer — is a large charitable organization based in Jerusalem's Meah Shearim neighbourhood.-History:-Founding:...
. His compassion and generosity was legendary; he literally gave away everything he had for the needy; and went to sleep penniless.
During his 46 years as Rabbi of Sanz; that city was transformed into a vibrant center of Hasidism, attracting tens of thousands of followers. Among his many disciples, are counted such leaders as Rabbi Zvi Hirsh Friedlander of Liska
Liška
Liška or Liska may refer to:*Ad Liska , a pitcher in Major League Baseball*Alois Liška , a Czech army officer who served in both World Wars*Bernard J...
, the Tiferes Shlome of Radomsk
Radomsko
Radomsko is a town in central Poland with 50,618 inhabitants . It is situated on the Radomka river in the Łódź Voivodeship , having previously been in Piotrków Trybunalski Voivodeship . It is the capital of Radomsko County....
, Rabbi Meir Horowitz of Dzhikov
Tarnobrzeg
Tarnobrzeg is a city in south-eastern Poland, on the east bank of the river Vistula, with 49,419 inhabitants, as of December 31, 2009. Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship since 1999, it had previously been the capital of Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship...
, and the Yetev Lev of Sighet. He studied with his brother-in-law, Yosef Babad
Yosef Babad
Yosef Ben Moshe Babad was a Rabbi, posek and Talmudist, best known for his work, the Minchat Chinuch, a commentary on the Sefer Hachinuch. He studied under Chaim Halberstam, the Sanzer Rov, and enjoyed close relationships with the various Hasidic leaders of Galicia...
, author of the Minchat Chinuch
Minchat Chinuch
Minchat Chinuch is a legal commentary on the Sefer ha-Chinuch. It was written by Yosef Babad , Av Beit Din of Ternopil...
.