Rabbi Asher Perlow of Stolin (; ) (1759 – 27 October 1826) was the son of Rabbi Aharon the Great of Karlin and the third

Admor A Rebbe () or Admor () is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spirituality (Audio)''. UCTV, 20 Oct 2011. web. 3 ...

of the Karlin dynasty, and the founder of its Stolin subdynasty.

Biography

Perlow was born in 1759 to Rabbi Aharon of the Great of the Karlin dynasty and his wife Leah. His father, a disciple of the

Maggid of Mezeritch Dov Ber ben Avraham of Mezeritch (; died December 4, 1772 O.S.), also known as the ''Maggid of Mezeritch'' or ''Mezeritcher Maggid'', was a disciple of Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer (the Baal Shem Tov), the founder of Hasidic Judaism, and was chosen ...

, passed away when he was 12 years old, and was raised in his adolescence by his father's disciple, Rabbi Shlomo of Karlin. Following Shlomo's passing in 1792, most of his disciples turned to Perlow for guidance, serving in Karlin. Following a prohibition of

Hasidim Ḥasīd (, "pious", "saintly", "godly man"; plural "Hasidim") is a Jewish honorific, frequently used as a term of exceptional respect in the Talmudic and early medieval periods. It denotes a person who is scrupulous in his observance of Jewish ...

from growing payos in the locality, he moved his residence to

Stolin Stolin is a town in Brest Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Stolin District, the largest district in the region. Stolin is located from the Belarus–Ukraine border. As of 2025, it has a population of 14,034. Stolin i ...

. In between the period of the head of Shlomo and Asher was leaders of the Karlin-Stolin movement, he traveled extensively with his friend, Rabbi Mordechai of Lechwitz, visiting people such as Rabbi

Boruch of Medzhybizh Rabbi Boruch of Medzhybizh (1753–1811), was a grandson of the Baal Shem Tov. Reb Boruch (known in his childhood as Reb Boruch'l, a Yiddish diminutive, and subsequently as ''Reb Boruch'l HaKadosh'') was the first major "rebbe" of the Hasidic mov ...

, Rabbi Pinchas of Koritz, Avraham of Apta, and the Magid of Kuzhnitz, the latter of whom was a matchmaker for Perlow, matching him with a woman named Feiga (who was his 3rd wife). In 1798, Perlow was imprisoned by the Russian government due to his dissidential speech, along with Rabbi

Shneur Zalman of Liadi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, (; September 4, 1745 – December 15, 1812 O.S. / 18 Elul 5505 – 24 Tevet 5573) commonly known as the Alter Rebbe or Baal Hatanya, was a rabbi and the founder and first Rebbe of Chabad, a branch of Hasidic Judaism. He ...

and Rabbi Mordechai of Lechwitz. He was released in

Kislev Kislev or Chislev (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Hebrew language#Modern Hebrew, Standard ''Kīslev'' Tiberian vocalization, Tiberian ''Kīslēw''), is the third month of the civil year and the ninth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew c ...

of that year. He was banished and lived Koźnitz and Želechow before later returning to Stolin. He encouraged his followers to immigrate to

Eretz Yisrael The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine. The definitions ...

, and worked to raise funds for the emigration. He worked on the contemporary movement of immigration with

Abraham Kalisker Abraham HaKohen of Kalisk (1741–1810) was a prominent Chassidic rabbi of the 3rd generation of Chassidic leaders. He was a disciple of Dov Ber of Mezeritch. Biography Kalisker was born in 1741 in Kalyshki, Belarus to Alexander. In his youth, ...

, who himself had made Aliyah in the 1770s. He stood out from other Hasidic rabbis due to his passionate prayers. He was used as a public messenger on behalf of the community. Rabbi David of Stepin testified that at the coming of the

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...

and the seven shepherds with him, they will honor Rabbi Asher of Stolin to pray before the ark. He led his congregation for 35 years until his death in Karlin on 26

Tishrei Tishrei () or Tishri (; ''tīšrē'' or ''tīšrī''; from Akkadian ''tašrītu'' "beginning", from ''šurrû'' "to begin") is the first month of the civil year (which starts on 1 Tishrei) and the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year (wh ...

in the Gregorian year of 1826. His son, Rabbi Aharon II of Karlin succeeded him as the fourth Rebbe in the dynasty.

Family

Perlow had no children from his first marriage. From his second marriage, he had a daughter named Pearl who married Rabbi Aharon Yaffe of Lechvitch, the son of Rabbi Mordechai of Liakhovichi. His third wife, Feiga, bore him his son Aharon II. Aharon bore a son, Rabbi Shlomo Chaim Perlow, who founded the Koidanov dynasty after studying under Asher.

References

{{Authority control, qid=Q23662254 1759 births 1826 deaths Karlin-Stolin (Hasidic dynasty) Hasidic Judaism in Belarus 18th-century rabbis from the Russian Empire 19th-century rabbis from the Russian Empire