Menachem Shlomo Bornsztain
Encyclopedia
Menachem Shlomo Bornsztain (11 October 1934–10 August 1969), also spelled Borenstein, Bornstein, or Bernstein, was the fifth Rebbe
of the Sochatchov Hasidic
dynasty. He acceded to the position of Rebbe following the death of his father, Rabbi Chanoch Henoch Bornsztain
, the fourth Rebbe of Sochatchov. He was officially known as the Sochatchover-Radomsker Rebbe, having also accepted the leadership of the Radomsk Hasidic dynasty upon the request of its surviving Hasidim, whose leaders had been murdered in the Holocaust
. He served as Rebbe for only four years; he was killed in a traffic accident at the age of 34.
, founder of the Sochatchover dynasty. His mother, Freidel, was a daughter of Rabbi Noson Nochum of Krimelov and a granddaughter of the Kenesses Yechezkel of Radomsk
. At his brit milah
, which was delayed until his sixth week of life due to illness, he was named Menachem Shlomo after his paternal great-grandfather, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk
, and his maternal ancestor, Rabbi Shlomo Hakohen Rabinowicz
, the Tiferes Shlomo of Radomsk.
As a young child, Bornsztain was noted for his clever mind and ability to express himself. He attended a private Talmud Torah
in Jerusalem and became a student at the Knesses Chizkiyahu
yeshiva in Zikhron Ya'akov in 1950, where he showed great diligence in his Torah learning. The rosh yeshiva
, Rabbi Noah Shimonowitz, arranged chavrusos for him with the yeshiva's top students, as well as with the rosh yeshiva himself, to develop young Bornsztain's abilities. Two years later, when Rabbi Elyah Lopian
entered the yeshiva as Mashgiach Ruchani
, Bornsztain developed a very close relationship with this Mussar
giant.
. Thereafter, his father, the Sochatchover Rebbe, who lived in Jerusalem, dispatched him to Tel Aviv in order to oversee the Sochatchover shtiebel
there. Bornsztain moved to Tel Aviv and learned in Kollel Beis Yehudah, led by Rabbi Michel Feinstein, the son-in-law of the Brisker Rav. In 1960, he was officially appointed Rav of the Sochatchover shteibel on Rashi Street in Tel Aviv.
As Rav of the Sochatchover shtiebel, Bornsztain established times for Torah shiur
im, most of which he delivered himself, drawing large crowds from throughout the neighborhood. He also worked to convince secular families to send their children to yeshiva
s. He was known to spend countless hours dispensing solace and advice to people who came to him with their troubles.
When the Rav of Tel Aviv's Yad Eliyahu
neighborhood died suddenly during Hanukkah
1963, a new leader was sought to lead and unite the various factions in the neighborhood. Although he was only 30 years old, Bornsztain was unanimously selected for the post after delivering a brilliant speech in the local synagogue
. He was inducted on 6 January 1965 in a festive ceremony. His father, Rabbi Chanoch Henoch, was unable to attend due to poor health.
As Rav of the Yad Eliyahu neighborhood, Bornsztain supervised the renovation of old shuls, the expansion of Torah shiurim, and the establishment of tzedakah
and chesed
organizations. At the same time, Bornsztain was chosen to lead the Radomsker Kollel Kesser Torah in Bnei Brak, named after the yeshiva network headed in Poland by his uncle, Rabbi David Moshe Rabinowicz, who had been murdered in the Warsaw Ghetto
. He assumed this position on 3 May 1965, commuting daily between Tel Aviv and Bnei Brak.
, Bornsztain officially became known as the Sochatchover-Radomsker Rebbe.
His first move as Rebbe was to establish a yeshiva where he himself gave shiurim. He gave himself over completely to his Hasidim, his students, and the community at large.
On 10 August 1969 (26 Av
5729), Bornsztain was traveling home by taxi from a visit to an elderly Hasid hospitalized at Tel HaShomer
. An army vehicle crashed into his car head-on, throwing Bornsztain from the cab. Twenty-four hours later, he died of his injuries. He left behind his Rebbetzin and children, all under the age of bar mitzvah.
A few years after his death, his Hasidim crowned his eldest son, Shmuel
, as the sixth Sochatchover Rebbe. They also appointed another son, Avraham Nosson Bornsztain, as Radomsker 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...
of the Sochatchov 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...
dynasty. He acceded to the position of Rebbe following the death of his father, Rabbi Chanoch Henoch Bornsztain
Chanoch Henoch Bornsztain
Rabbi Chanoch Henoch Bornsztain , also spelled Borenstein or Bernstein, was the fourth Rebbe of the Sochatchov Hasidic dynasty. He acceded to the position of Rebbe following the death of his older brother, Rabbi Dovid Bornsztain, the third Sochatchover Rebbe, who died in the Warsaw Ghetto during...
, the fourth Rebbe of Sochatchov. He was officially known as the Sochatchover-Radomsker Rebbe, having also accepted the leadership of the Radomsk Hasidic dynasty upon the request of its surviving Hasidim, whose leaders had been murdered in the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The 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...
. He served as Rebbe for only four years; he was killed in a traffic accident at the age of 34.
Early life
Bornsztain's father, Rabbi Chanoch Henoch, was the son of the Shem MiShmuel and the grandson of the Avnei NezerAvrohom Bornsztain
Avrohom Bornsztain , also spelled Avraham Borenstein or Bernstein, was a leading posek in late-nineteenth-century Europe and founder and first Rebbe of the Sochatchover Hasidic dynasty. He is known as the Avnei Nezer after the title of his posthumously-published set of Torah responsa...
, founder of the Sochatchover dynasty. His mother, Freidel, was a daughter of Rabbi Noson Nochum of Krimelov and a granddaughter of the Kenesses Yechezkel 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....
. At his brit milah
Brit milah
The brit milah is a Jewish religious circumcision ceremony performed on 8-day old male infants by a mohel. The brit milah is followed by a celebratory meal .-Biblical references:...
, which was delayed until his sixth week of life due to illness, he was named Menachem Shlomo after his paternal great-grandfather, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk
Menachem Mendel of Kotzk
Menachem Mendel Morgensztern of Kotzk, better known as the Kotzker Rebbe was a Hasidic rabbi and leader.-Life:Born to a non-Hasidic family in Goraj near Lublin, Poland, he became attracted to Hasidim in his youth. He was known for having acquired impressive Talmudic and Kabbalistic knowledge at a...
, and his maternal ancestor, Rabbi Shlomo Hakohen Rabinowicz
Shlomo Rabinowicz
Shlomo Hakohen Rabinowicz was the first Rebbe of the Radomsk Hasidic dynasty and one of the great Hasidic masters of 19th-century Poland...
, the Tiferes Shlomo of Radomsk.
As a young child, Bornsztain was noted for his clever mind and ability to express himself. He attended a private Talmud Torah
Talmud Torah
Talmud Torah schools were created in the Jewish world, both Ashkenazic and Sephardic, as a form of public primary school for boys of modest backgrounds, where they were given an elementary education in Hebrew, the Scriptures , and the Talmud...
in Jerusalem and became a student at the Knesses Chizkiyahu
Knesses Chizkiyahu
Knesses Chizkiyahu was one of the first Lithuanian yeshivas founded after the establishment of the State of Israel and one of the first Torah institutions in the northern part of the country...
yeshiva in Zikhron Ya'akov in 1950, where he showed great diligence in his Torah learning. The 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...
, Rabbi Noah Shimonowitz, arranged chavrusos for him with the yeshiva's top students, as well as with the rosh yeshiva himself, to develop young Bornsztain's abilities. Two years later, when Rabbi Elyah Lopian
Elyah Lopian
Eliyahu Lopian , known as Reb Elyah, was among the most prominent rabbis of the Mussar Movement. As a disciple of the Kelm Talmud Torah method, he was known for his strict keeping of order and strong self-control...
entered the yeshiva as Mashgiach Ruchani
Mashgiach ruchani
Mashgiach ruchani or mashgiach for short, means a spiritual supervisor or guide. It is a title which usually refers to a rabbi who has an official position within a yeshiva and is responsible for the non-academic areas of yeshiva students' lives.The position of mashgiach ruchani arose with the...
, Bornsztain developed a very close relationship with this 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...
giant.
Marriage
Bornsztain married the daughter of Rabbi Daniel Movshowitz, one of the rabbis of Tel AvivTel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. Thereafter, his father, the Sochatchover Rebbe, who lived in Jerusalem, dispatched him to Tel Aviv in order to oversee the Sochatchover shtiebel
Shtiebel
A shtiebel is a place used for communal Jewish prayer. In contrast to a formal synagogue, a shtiebel is far smaller and approached more casually. It is typically as small as a room in a private home or a place of business which is set aside for the express purpose of prayer, or it may be as large...
there. Bornsztain moved to Tel Aviv and learned in Kollel Beis Yehudah, led by Rabbi Michel Feinstein, the son-in-law of the Brisker Rav. In 1960, he was officially appointed Rav of the Sochatchover shteibel on Rashi Street in Tel Aviv.
As Rav of the Sochatchover shtiebel, Bornsztain established times for Torah shiur
Shiur
Shiur is a lesson on any Torah topic, such as Gemara, Mishnah, halakha, Tanakh, etc.-History:The shiur has been a primary method of teaching since Mishnaic times. In a famous Talmudic passage, Rabbi Judah haNasi averred that he gained his sharp mind from watching Rabbi Meir deliver the shiur...
im, most of which he delivered himself, drawing large crowds from throughout the neighborhood. He also worked to convince secular families to send their children to 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...
s. He was known to spend countless hours dispensing solace and advice to people who came to him with their troubles.
When the Rav of Tel Aviv's Yad Eliyahu
Yad Eliyahu
Yad Eliyahu is a neighborhood in the south-east part of Tel Aviv, Israel. The neighborhood was established in 1945 mainly for british army veterans, especially from the local population...
neighborhood died suddenly during Hanukkah
Hanukkah
Hanukkah , also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE...
1963, a new leader was sought to lead and unite the various factions in the neighborhood. Although he was only 30 years old, Bornsztain was unanimously selected for the post after delivering a brilliant speech in the local 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...
. He was inducted on 6 January 1965 in a festive ceremony. His father, Rabbi Chanoch Henoch, was unable to attend due to poor health.
As Rav of the Yad Eliyahu neighborhood, Bornsztain supervised the renovation of old shuls, the expansion of Torah shiurim, and the establishment of tzedakah
Tzedakah
Tzedakah or Ṣ'daqah in Classical Hebrew is a Hebrew word commonly translated as charity, though it is based on the Hebrew word meaning righteousness, fairness or justice...
and chesed
Chesed
The Hebrew noun khesed or chesed is the Hebrew word for "kindness." It is also commonly translated as "loving-kindness," or "love." Love is a central Jewish value, and leads to many particular commandments. Chesed is central to Jewish ethics and Jewish theology...
organizations. At the same time, Bornsztain was chosen to lead the Radomsker Kollel Kesser Torah in Bnei Brak, named after the yeshiva network headed in Poland by his uncle, Rabbi David Moshe Rabinowicz, who had been murdered in the Warsaw Ghetto
Warsaw Ghetto
The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest of all Jewish Ghettos in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II. It was established in the Polish capital between October and November 15, 1940, in the territory of General Government of the German-occupied Poland, with over 400,000 Jews from the vicinity...
. He assumed this position on 3 May 1965, commuting daily between Tel Aviv and Bnei Brak.
Becoming Rebbe
With the sudden death of his father, Rabbi Chanoch Henoch, on 23 September 1965, Rabbi Menachem Shlomo was asked by the Sochatchover Hasidim to become their Rebbe. Although he initially refused, he eventually agreed to be crowned as the fifth Rebbe of the dynasty. As a descendant of the Radomsker dynasty, Bornsztain was also asked by the Radomsker Hasidim who had survived the Holocaust to become their Rebbe as well. After consulting with gedolei TorahGadol
Gadol or godol גדול , is a Hebrew term used mostly by Haredi Litvish Jews to refer to the most revered rabbis of their generation. These rabbis are usually held in high esteem by other Haredi or Orthodox Jews, though not necessarily to the same degree as by Litvish Jews...
, Bornsztain officially became known as the Sochatchover-Radomsker Rebbe.
His first move as Rebbe was to establish a yeshiva where he himself gave shiurim. He gave himself over completely to his Hasidim, his students, and the community at large.
On 10 August 1969 (26 Av
Av
Av is the eleventh month of the civil year and the fifth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. The name is Babylonian in origin and appeared in the Talmud around the 3rd century. This is the only month which is not named in the Bible. It is a summer month of 30 days...
5729), Bornsztain was traveling home by taxi from a visit to an elderly Hasid hospitalized at Tel HaShomer
Tel HaShomer
Tel HaShomer is a district in Gush Dan in central Israel. It is located east of Ramat Gan, and is bordered to the north by Kiryat Ono, to the east by Yehud, and to the south by Or Yehuda...
. An army vehicle crashed into his car head-on, throwing Bornsztain from the cab. Twenty-four hours later, he died of his injuries. He left behind his Rebbetzin and children, all under the age of bar mitzvah.
A few years after his death, his Hasidim crowned his eldest son, Shmuel
Shmuel Bornsztain (II)
Shmuel Bornsztain , also spelled Borenstein or Bernstein, is the sixth Rebbe of the Sochatchov Hasidic dynasty. He acceded to the position of Rebbe following the sudden death of his father, Rabbi Menachem Shlomo Bornsztain, the fifth Rebbe of Sochatchov, in a traffic accident in Jerusalem...
, as the sixth Sochatchover Rebbe. They also appointed another son, Avraham Nosson Bornsztain, as Radomsker Rebbe.
Rebbes of Sochatchov
- Avrohom BornsztainAvrohom BornsztainAvrohom Bornsztain , also spelled Avraham Borenstein or Bernstein, was a leading posek in late-nineteenth-century Europe and founder and first Rebbe of the Sochatchover Hasidic dynasty. He is known as the Avnei Nezer after the title of his posthumously-published set of Torah responsa...
, the Avnei Nezer (1838–1910) - Shmuel Bornsztain (I), the Shem Mishmuel (1856–1926)
- Dovid BornsztainDovid BornsztainDovid Bornsztain , also spelled Borenstein, Bornstein and Bernstein, was the third Rebbe of the Sochatchov Hasidic dynasty. He succeeded his father, Rabbi Shmuel Bornsztain , as Rebbe upon the latter's death in 1926.-Early life:Bornsztain was born in the Hebrew month of Elul 5636 in Nasielsk, Poland...
(1876–1942) - Chanoch Henoch BornsztainChanoch Henoch BornsztainRabbi Chanoch Henoch Bornsztain , also spelled Borenstein or Bernstein, was the fourth Rebbe of the Sochatchov Hasidic dynasty. He acceded to the position of Rebbe following the death of his older brother, Rabbi Dovid Bornsztain, the third Sochatchover Rebbe, who died in the Warsaw Ghetto during...
(d. 1965) - Menachem Shlomo Bornsztain (1934–1969)
- Shmuel Bornsztain (II)Shmuel Bornsztain (II)Shmuel Bornsztain , also spelled Borenstein or Bernstein, is the sixth Rebbe of the Sochatchov Hasidic dynasty. He acceded to the position of Rebbe following the sudden death of his father, Rabbi Menachem Shlomo Bornsztain, the fifth Rebbe of Sochatchov, in a traffic accident in Jerusalem...
(b. 1961)