Shmuel Bornsztain
Encyclopedia
Shmuel Bornsztain also spelled Shmuel Borenstein or Bernstein, was the second Rebbe
of the Sochatchov Hasidic
dynasty. He was known as the Shem Mishmuel
by the title of his nine-volume work of Torah and Hasidic
thought. He was a leading Hasidic thinker in early 20th-century Europe and a Rebbe to thousands of Hasidim in the Polish
cities of Sochaczew
(Sochatchov) and Łódź.
, author of Avnei Nezer and the first Sochatchover Rebbe. He had one younger sister, Esther. Through his father's line, he was a descendent of the Rema
and the Shach
. His grandfather was Rabbi Ze'ev (Wolf) Nachum Bornsztain, Rav of Biala
and a Hasid of the Kotzker Rebbe
. His mother, Sara Tzina Morgenstern, was the daughter of the Kotzker Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Morgenstern
.
Shmuel was born in the home of his maternal grandfather, the Kotzker Rebbe, in Kotzk
during the time that his father was being supported by his father-in-law, as was the custom in those days. He spent his childhood in the towns of Parczew
and Krośniewice
, where his father held positions as Rav. Rabbi Avrohom Bornsztain was his son's primary Torah
teacher throughout his childhood, and a close and long-lasting bond developed between the two. Even later in life, as the father of a large family, Shmuel regarded himself as his father's talmid (student) and learned with him every day. In his writings, Shmuel synthesized the values and insights of Kotzker
Hasidut—as taught by his grandfather, the Kotzker Rebbe
—and Peshischa Hasidut, synthesizing them into the unique style that became Sochatchover Hasidut.
In 1874 Bornsztain married Yuta Leah Litmanowicz, the daughter of Rabbi Eliezer Lipman Litmanowicz, who was the son-in-law of the first Radomsker Rebbe, Rabbi Shlomo Rabinowicz
(the Tiferes Shlomo), and a dedicated Kotzker Hasid. Unlike the prevailing custom of moving in with or near his father-in-law, the newlywed Bornsztain chose to live near his father, Rabbi Avrohom, in Krośniewice, and followed him to the towns of Nasielsk
and Sochaczew
(Sochatchov) when the latter assumed the leadership of those communities. In Sochatchov, Bornsztain and his family lived in a separate house in the center of the city and earned a living from a wine
store run by an associate. Bornsztain and his wife had two sons, Dovid
and Chanoch Henoch
.
In 1891, Rabbi Avrohom sent his son to Palestine
to purchase land for a Hasidic colony. However, the Turkish ban
on selling land to foreigners prevented him from accomplishing this goal.
Bornsztain's wife died on 24 November 1901 (13 Kislev
5662). He remarried to Mirel Shapiro, daughter of Rabbi Moshe Nathan Kahana-Shapiro, Rav of Kshoynz
, in 1903.
.
On his father's first yahrzeit, Bornsztain established Yeshivat Beit Avrohom in Sochaczew and appointed Rabbi Aryeh Tzvi Frumer, av beit din of Koziegłowy, as rosh yeshiva
. This yeshiva taught hundreds of boys and operated until the outbreak of World War I.
Bornsztain also labored over the compilation and publication of his father's manuscripts. He published his father's voluminous responsa
on every section of Shulchan Aruch
in seven volumes, under the title Avnei Nezer ("Stones of the Crown"). In his own lessons and writings, Bornsztain was seen as less of an innovator than an interpreter of his father's teachings.
ist government, he could not return to Sochaczew, but resettled in Łódź with his family. Here he acted as a guide and advisor to his own Hasidim as well as Hasidim of other dynasties and non-Hasidim seeking encouragement and support.
In 1915, the town of Sochaczew was overrun and destroyed by the German army.
In 1919, Bornsztain chose to leave the tumult of the big city, which was taking its toll on his health as well as his ability to concentrate on his holy work, and relocated to Zgierz
, a small town near Łódź . Here he established his yeshiva and led his Hasidic court.
His health worsened in 1926 and, upon the advice of his doctors, he moved to Otwock
, a resort near Warsaw
. There he died at the age of 70 on 8 January. He was brought to burial in the same ohel (covered grave) as his father, the Avnei Nezer, in Sochaczew. His son, Dovid
, succeeded him as third Sochatchover 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 was known as the Shem Mishmuel
Shem Mishmuel
Shem Mishmuel is the name of a nine-volume collection of homiletical teachings on the Torah and Jewish holidays delivered by Rabbi Shmuel Bornsztain, the second Sochatchover Rebbe, between the years 1910-1926...
by the title of his nine-volume work of Torah and 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...
thought. He was a leading Hasidic thinker in early 20th-century Europe and a Rebbe to thousands of Hasidim in the Polish
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...
cities of Sochaczew
Sochaczew
Sochaczew is a town in central Poland, with 38,300 inhabitants . Situated in the Masovian Voivodeship , previously in Skierniewice Voivodeship . It is the capital of Sochaczew County....
(Sochatchov) and Łódź.
Early life
Shmuel Bornsztain was the only son of Rabbi Avrohom BornsztainAvrohom 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...
, author of Avnei Nezer and the first Sochatchover Rebbe. He had one younger sister, Esther. Through his father's line, he was a descendent of the Rema
Moses Isserles
Moses Isserles, also spelled Moshe Isserlis, , was an eminent Ashkenazic rabbi, talmudist, and posek, renowned for his fundamental work of Halakha , entitled ha-Mapah , an inline commentary on the Shulkhan Aruch...
and the Shach
Shabbatai ha-Kohen
Shabbatai ben Meir ha-Kohen was a noted 17th Century talmudist and halakhist. He became known as the Shakh, which is an abbreviation of his most important work, Siftei Kohen , and his rulings were considered authoritative by later halakhists.- Biography :Shabbatai ha-Kohen was born either in ...
. His grandfather was Rabbi Ze'ev (Wolf) Nachum Bornsztain, Rav of Biala
Biala
Biała is a Polish word for white. It appears in many Polish toponyms:-Towns:* Biała, also called Biała Prudnicka, in Opole Voivodeship* Biała Piska, in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship* Biała Podlaska, in Lublin Voivodeship...
and a Hasid of the Kotzker Rebbe
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...
. His mother, Sara Tzina Morgenstern, was the daughter of the Kotzker Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Morgenstern
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...
.
Shmuel was born in the home of his maternal grandfather, the Kotzker Rebbe, in Kotzk
Kock
Kock is a town in eastern Poland, about 45 km north of Lublin and 120 km south-east of Warsaw. It lies in Lublin Voivodeship, in Lubartów County. It is the capital of the Kock Commune.As of 2004, its population numbered 3,509.-History:...
during the time that his father was being supported by his father-in-law, as was the custom in those days. He spent his childhood in the towns of Parczew
Parczew
Parczew is a town in eastern Poland, with a population of 10,281 . Situated in the Lublin Voivodeship , previously in Biała Podlaska Voivodeship . It is the capital of Parczew County.-History:...
and Krośniewice
Krosniewice
Krośniewice is a town in Kutno County, Łódź Voivodeship, Poland, with 4,753 inhabitants .The European routes E30 and E75 used to intersect in the town until a bypass was built around the town in 2010. The main railway between Warsaw and Poznań passes through it...
, where his father held positions as Rav. Rabbi Avrohom Bornsztain was his son's primary Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
teacher throughout his childhood, and a close and long-lasting bond developed between the two. Even later in life, as the father of a large family, Shmuel regarded himself as his father's talmid (student) and learned with him every day. In his writings, Shmuel synthesized the values and insights of Kotzker
Kotsk (Hasidic dynasty)
Kotsk is the name of a Hasidic dynasty founded by Rebbe Menachem Mendel Morgenstern, known as the Kotzker Rebbe.Kotsk is the Yiddish name of Kock, a town in present-day Poland....
Hasidut—as taught by his grandfather, the Kotzker Rebbe
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 Peshischa Hasidut, synthesizing them into the unique style that became Sochatchover Hasidut.
In 1874 Bornsztain married Yuta Leah Litmanowicz, the daughter of Rabbi Eliezer Lipman Litmanowicz, who was the son-in-law of the first Radomsker Rebbe, Rabbi Shlomo 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), and a dedicated Kotzker Hasid. Unlike the prevailing custom of moving in with or near his father-in-law, the newlywed Bornsztain chose to live near his father, Rabbi Avrohom, in Krośniewice, and followed him to the towns of Nasielsk
Nasielsk
Nasielsk is a small town in Masovian Voivodeship, Poland. It is located on a major Warsaw-Gdańsk rail line and serves as a junction, with an additional connection to Sierpc....
and Sochaczew
Sochaczew
Sochaczew is a town in central Poland, with 38,300 inhabitants . Situated in the Masovian Voivodeship , previously in Skierniewice Voivodeship . It is the capital of Sochaczew County....
(Sochatchov) when the latter assumed the leadership of those communities. In Sochatchov, Bornsztain and his family lived in a separate house in the center of the city and earned a living from a wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
store run by an associate. Bornsztain and his wife had two sons, Dovid
Dovid Bornsztain
Dovid 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...
and Chanoch Henoch
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...
.
In 1891, Rabbi Avrohom sent his son to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
to purchase land for a Hasidic colony. However, the Turkish ban
Ban (law)
A ban is, generally, any decree that prohibits something.Bans are formed for the prohibition of activities within a certain political territory. Some see this as a negative act and others see it as maintaining the "status quo"...
on selling land to foreigners prevented him from accomplishing this goal.
Bornsztain's wife died on 24 November 1901 (13 Kislev
Kislev
Kislev Kislev Tiberian ; also Chislev is the third month of the civil year and the ninth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar....
5662). He remarried to Mirel Shapiro, daughter of Rabbi Moshe Nathan Kahana-Shapiro, Rav of Kshoynz
Ksiaz Wielkopolski
Książ Wielkopolski is a town in Śrem County, Poland, with 2,663 inhabitants ....
, in 1903.
As Rebbe
Shmuel Bornsztain was crowned second Sochatchover Rebbe following the death of his father in 1910. He was accepted by all the elder Hasidim of his father's court, including Rabbi Yoav Yehoshua of Kinczek and Rabbi Yitzchak Feigenbaum, the av beit din of WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
.
On his father's first yahrzeit, Bornsztain established Yeshivat Beit Avrohom in Sochaczew and appointed Rabbi Aryeh Tzvi Frumer, av beit din of Koziegłowy, as 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...
. This yeshiva taught hundreds of boys and operated until the outbreak of World War I.
Bornsztain also labored over the compilation and publication of his father's manuscripts. He published his father's voluminous 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...
on every section of Shulchan Aruch
Shulchan Aruch
The Shulchan Aruch also known as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most authoritative legal code of Judaism. It was authored in Safed, Israel, by Yosef Karo in 1563 and published in Venice two years later...
in seven volumes, under the title Avnei Nezer ("Stones of the Crown"). In his own lessons and writings, Bornsztain was seen as less of an innovator than an interpreter of his father's teachings.
World War I
At the outbreak of World War I, Bornsztain was visiting a spa in Germany and was arrested as a Russian citizen. Only after much effort did he succeed in returning to Poland with other Rebbes who had been similarly detained. Due to persecution of Jews by the TsarTsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
ist government, he could not return to Sochaczew, but resettled in Łódź with his family. Here he acted as a guide and advisor to his own Hasidim as well as Hasidim of other dynasties and non-Hasidim seeking encouragement and support.
In 1915, the town of Sochaczew was overrun and destroyed by the German army.
In 1919, Bornsztain chose to leave the tumult of the big city, which was taking its toll on his health as well as his ability to concentrate on his holy work, and relocated to Zgierz
Zgierz
Zgierz is a town in central Poland, located just to the north of Łódź and part of the metropolitan area centered on that city. As of 2007, it had a population of 58,164....
, a small town near Łódź . Here he established his yeshiva and led his Hasidic court.
His health worsened in 1926 and, upon the advice of his doctors, he moved to Otwock
Otwock
Otwock is a town in central Poland, some southeast of Warsaw, with 42,765 inhabitants . It is situated on the right bank of Vistula River below the mouth of Swider River. Otwock is home to a unique architectural style called Swidermajer....
, a resort near Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. There he died at the age of 70 on 8 January. He was brought to burial in the same ohel (covered grave) as his father, the Avnei Nezer, in Sochaczew. His son, Dovid
Dovid Bornsztain
Dovid 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...
, succeeded him as third Sochatchover 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 BornsztainMenachem Shlomo BornsztainMenachem Shlomo Bornsztain , 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...
(d. 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)