Yaakov Meir Shechter
Encyclopedia
Rabbi Yaakov Meir Shechter (born 1932) is a leading figure in the Breslov
Hasidic
movement in Israel
. He is a well-known kabbalist
and a rosh yeshiva
of both the main Breslov
Yeshiva
in Meah Shearim, Jerusalem, and the Non-Breslov Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva
in Mekor Baruch
.
, who had immigrated to Israel
from Uman, Ukraine in 1936.
The Shechter family was expelled from the Old City together with the rest of the Jewish population by the Jordanian army
during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
. They resettled in the Katamon neighborhood of Jerusalem, where a Breslov yeshiva
was founded. Later, the family moved again to the Meah Shearim neighborhood of Jerusalem near the main Breslov yeshiva, which was founded in 1953.
Hundreds of people of all backgrounds flock to him for guidance on all matters.
as In All Your Ways: A Guide to Avodas Hashem (Moznaim Publishers). This work incorporates Shechter's broad knowledge of Talmud
, Midrash
, Mussar
, Breslov Hasidut, and Kabbalah into an inspirational guide for the spiritual seeker.http://www.eichlers.com/Product/Books/Self_Improvment/In_All_Your_Ways_MOZ515-0.html
Breslov (Hasidic dynasty)
Breslov is a branch of Hasidic Judaism founded by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov a great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism...
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...
movement in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. He is a well-known kabbalist
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...
and a rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
of both the main Breslov
Breslov
Breslov may refer to one of the following.*Bratslav, a town in modern Ukraine.*Breslov , founded in Bratslav....
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...
in Meah Shearim, Jerusalem, and the Non-Breslov Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva
Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva
Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva, located in the Mekor Baruch neighborhood of Jerusalem, was founded in 1906 by Rabbi Chaim Yehuda Leib Auerbach, author of Chacham Lev, and kabbalist Rabbi Shimon Tzvi Horowitz, for the purpose of teaching and studying the kabbalah of the Arizal...
in Mekor Baruch
Mekor Baruch
Mekor Baruch is a neighborhood in Jerusalem, Israel.The neighborhood is bordered by Sarei Israel Street to the north, the Jerusalem Central Bus Station to the west, Jaffa Street to the south and the Zikhron Moshe neighborhood to the east....
.
Early life
Shechter was born in the Old City of Jerusalem to a prominent Breslover family headed by his father, Rabbi Dovid Shechter. During his youth in the Old City, Shechter learned from Breslov elders of the previous generation — especially Rabbi Abraham SternhartzAbraham Sternhartz
Abraham Sternhartz , also known as Avraham Shternhartz, was an Orthodox rabbi in Ukraine and a unique and unsurpassed figure in the chain of transmission of Breslover teachings from the early generations of the movement to the latter ones....
, who had immigrated to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
from Uman, Ukraine in 1936.
The Shechter family was expelled from the Old City together with the rest of the Jewish population by the Jordanian army
Arab Legion
The Arab Legion was the regular army of Transjordan and then Jordan in the early part of the 20th century.-Creation:...
during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
. They resettled in the Katamon neighborhood of Jerusalem, where a Breslov 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...
was founded. Later, the family moved again to the Meah Shearim neighborhood of Jerusalem near the main Breslov yeshiva, which was founded in 1953.
Breslov leader
Shechter heads the faction of Breslov which is connected to the larger Ashkenazi Hasidic community, centered in Meah Shearim.Hundreds of people of all backgrounds flock to him for guidance on all matters.
Publications
A selection of Shechter's talks from Leket Amarim (A Collection of Talks) was translated into EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as In All Your Ways: A Guide to Avodas Hashem (Moznaim Publishers). This work incorporates Shechter's broad knowledge 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....
, Midrash
Midrash
The Hebrew term Midrash is a homiletic method of biblical exegesis. The term also refers to the whole compilation of homiletic teachings on the Bible....
, Mussar
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...
, Breslov Hasidut, and Kabbalah into an inspirational guide for the spiritual seeker.http://www.eichlers.com/Product/Books/Self_Improvment/In_All_Your_Ways_MOZ515-0.html