Yaakov Yitzchak of Lublin, also
Jacob Isaac of Lublin,
or Y. Y. HorowitzHorowitz , also transcripted as Horovitz/Hurwitz/Gurvich/Gurevich, is a surname that has its origin in the Yiddish name for the town of Hořovice in Bohemia, near Prague...
, known as "
The Chozeh of Lublin" (החוזה מלובלין, The Seer of Lublin), or simply as the "
Chozeh", (1745-July 15, 1815) was a Hasidic
rebbeRebbe , 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...
from
PolandPoland , 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...
.
A leading figure in the early Hasidic movement, he became known as the
chozeh, which means "seer" or "visionary" in
HebrewHebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, due to his great intuitive powers. He was a disciple of the
Maggid of MezritchRabbi Dov Ber of Mezeritch was a disciple of Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism, and was chosen as his successor to lead the early movement...
. He continued his studies under Rabbi
ShmelkeShmelke of Nikolsburg was one of the great early Chasidic Rebbes. Born Shmuel Horowitz Shmelke of Nikolsburg (1726 Chortkiv, Galicia - 1778 Nikolsburg, Moravia) was one of the great early Chasidic Rebbes. Born Shmuel Horowitz Shmelke of Nikolsburg (1726 Chortkiv, Galicia - 1778 Nikolsburg,...
of
NilkolsburgMikulov is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic with a population of 7,608 . It is located directly on the border with Lower Austria. Mikulov is located at the edge of a hilly area and the three Nové Mlýny reservoirs...
and Rabbi
ElimelechElimelech Weisblum of Lizhensk , a Rabbi and one of the great founding Rebbes of the Hasidic movement, was known after his hometown, Leżajsk near Rzeszów in Poland...
of
LizhenskLeżajsk is a town in southeastern Poland with 14,127 inhabitants . It has been situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodship since 1999 and is the capital of Leżajsk County. Leżajsk is famed for its Bernadine basilica and monastery, built by the architect Antonio Pellacini...
. He lived for a while in Lantzut before moving to
LublinLublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
.
After Yaakov Yitzchak moved to Lublin, thousands of Hasidim flocked to learn from him. Among his discples were such Hasidic luminaries as the Yid Hakodesh ("The Holy Jew"), Rabbi
Simcha Bunim of PeshischaRabbi Simcha Bunim Bonhart of Peshischa was one of the main leaders of Hasidic Judaism in Poland. After studying Torah at yeshivas in Mattersdorf and Nikolsburg, he was introduced to the world of Hasidism by his father-in-law, and became a chasid of Rabbi Yisroel Hopsztajn , and then Rabbi...
, Rabbi Meir of Apta, Rabbi David of Lelov, the
Yismach MosheRabbi Moshe Teitelbaum , also known as the Yismach Moshe, was the Rebbe of Ujhely in Hungary. According to Löw, he signed his name "Tamar", this being the equivalent of Teitelbaum, which is the Yiddish for "palm-tree"...
, Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov, Rabbi
Naftali Zvi of RopshitzRabbi Naftali Zvi Horowitz of Ropczyce was born on the day that the Baal Shem Tov died, to Rabbi Menachem Mendel Rubin of Linsk. His mother Beila was the daughter of Rabbi Yitzchak Halevi Horowitz. Naftali Tzvi adopted the surname of his maternal grandfather.He was the first Ropshitzer Rebbe...
, the
Ma'or Vashemesh, and
Sar ShalomSholom Rokeach , also known as the Sar Sholom , was the first Belzer Rebbe.To Belzer Hasidim, he is known as "Der Ershter Rov" , but in the city of Belz itself he was called "Der Alter Rov" in deference to the Bach, who presided as rabbi of Belz in the sixteenth century.-Biography:His father was...
of
BelzBelz , a small city in the Lviv Oblast of Western Ukraine, near the border with Poland, is located between the Solokiya river and the Rzeczyca stream....
. During his stay in Lublin Yaakov Yitzchak was opposed by a prominent rabbi, Rabbi Ezriel Horowitz.
He was injured in a fall from a window on
Simchat TorahSimchat Torah or Simḥath Torah is a celebration marking the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle...
, and died almost a year later on
Tisha B'av|Av]],") is an annual fast day in Judaism, named for the ninth day of the month of Av in the Hebrew calendar. The fast commemorates the destruction of both the First Temple and Second Temple in Jerusalem, which occurred about 655 years apart, but on the same Hebrew calendar date...
from injuries relating to this fall. Hasidic lore has it that he was dragged through the window by angels (or demons).
On the day he died, July 15, 1815 (
9th of Av|Av]],") is an annual fast day in Judaism, named for the ninth day of the month of Av in the Hebrew calendar. The fast commemorates the destruction of both the First Temple and Second Temple in Jerusalem, which occurred about 655 years apart, but on the same Hebrew calendar date...
, 5575, on the
Hebrew CalendarThe Hebrew calendar , or Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today predominantly for Jewish religious observances. It determines the dates for Jewish holidays and the appropriate public reading of Torah portions, yahrzeits , and daily Psalm reading, among many ceremonial uses...
), he allegedly prophesized that 100 years from that day (according to the Hebrew Calendar), the Russians would lose their reign over Poland. On July 20, 1915 (the 9th of Av, 5675 on the Hebrew Calendar), the
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
ns conquered Lublin, and the Chozeh's prophecy was noted in the Polish newspapers.
Works
His writings are contained in four books:
- Divrei Emet
- Zot Zikaron
- Zikaron Zot
- Zikaron Tov
In a compilation of these works, entitled
Torat HaChozeh MiLublin, his commentaries are arranged alphabetically according to topics and according to the
weekly Torah portionThis article is about the divisions of the Torah into weekly readings. For this week's Torah portion, see Torah portionThe weekly Torah portion |Sidra]]) is a section of the Torah read in Jewish services...
.