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Dovid Halberstam (1821–1894) was a religious leader of the
Dovid Halberstam was the second son of
It is not clear if Halberstam had served as rebbe before moving to Chrzanow; also the exact date of him assuming the post is unknown (probably around 1860).
During his tenure, he became engaged in the growing rivalry between the Sanz and the Radomsker schools. Though the Radomsk leader, Tiferes Schlomo, was a disciple of his father and the two maintained fairly respectful relations, Dovid Halberstam aggravated them by his personal intransigence.
Highly respected as a religious leader, Halberstam was appreciated for his scholarly competence and pious zeal. However, he turned out to be a divisive figure within the local Jewish community. This was due to rigorous application of his teaching, his firm grip on leadership and the uncompromising style. As a result, a number of civil libel charges were brought against him. Also, despite some attempts, his authority has never stretched beyond the Chrzanow area.
Over time the influence of Halberstam grew so significant that he became the founder of the dynasty of Chrzanow rebbes, which guided the Jewish population of the town for almost a century. His son Naftoli and then his grandson Mendel succeeded him at the post and led the local religious community until its destruction in 1942–1943.
* Sanz dynasty
*
M. Bochner, Chrzanow. The Life and Destruction of a Jewish Shtetl
Virtual Shtetl: Chrzanow
My Heritage David Halberstam page
Geni David Halberstam page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Halberstam, Dovid 1821 births 1894 deaths Sanz (Hasidic dynasty) Hasidic rabbis in Europe People from Chrzanów Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe) Hasidic rebbes
Hasidic
Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most of those aff ...
Jewish community of Chrzanow.
Family life
Dovid Halberstam was the second son of Chaim Halberstam
Chaim Halberstam of Sanz (1793–1876) (), known as the ''Divrei Chaim'' after the title of his writings, was the rabbi of Sanz (), and the founding rebbe of the Sanz dynasty of Hasidic Judaism.
Life
Halberstam was a pupil of Rabbi Sho ...
or ''Divrei Chaim'', the founder of the Sanz Hasidic dynasty of rebbe
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. ...
s, which enjoyed enormous influence over the Hasidic Jewry in Western Galicia during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Raised in a family of enormous prestige, from childhood and early youth he was exposed to Talmud
The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...
ist, poskim
In Jewish law, a ''posek'' ( , pl. ''poskim'', ) is a legal scholar who determines the application of ''halakha'', the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah, in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities are inconc ...
and Kabbalistic
Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ().
Jewi ...
disputes of his time, and was trained to be a religious leader. Like his older brother Yechezkel Halberstam he did not succeed his father in Sanz; the rabbinical position went to his younger brother Aharon Halberstam instead.
Married twice, Halberstam had at least three sons, Moses, Joshua and Naftoli, and a number of grandsons. Many of them became distinct figures within the Chrzanow Hasidic population.
He is buried at the Chrzanow Jewish cemetery, his family ohel is well maintained.
Leadership
It is not clear if Halberstam had served as rebbe before moving to Chrzanow; also the exact date of him assuming the post is unknown (probably around 1860).
During his tenure, he became engaged in the growing rivalry between the Sanz and the Radomsker schools. Though the Radomsk leader, Tiferes Schlomo, was a disciple of his father and the two maintained fairly respectful relations, Dovid Halberstam aggravated them by his personal intransigence.
Highly respected as a religious leader, Halberstam was appreciated for his scholarly competence and pious zeal. However, he turned out to be a divisive figure within the local Jewish community. This was due to rigorous application of his teaching, his firm grip on leadership and the uncompromising style. As a result, a number of civil libel charges were brought against him. Also, despite some attempts, his authority has never stretched beyond the Chrzanow area.
Over time the influence of Halberstam grew so significant that he became the founder of the dynasty of Chrzanow rebbes, which guided the Jewish population of the town for almost a century. His son Naftoli and then his grandson Mendel succeeded him at the post and led the local religious community until its destruction in 1942–1943.
See also
* Sanz dynasty
* Chaim Halberstam
Chaim Halberstam of Sanz (1793–1876) (), known as the ''Divrei Chaim'' after the title of his writings, was the rabbi of Sanz (), and the founding rebbe of the Sanz dynasty of Hasidic Judaism.
Life
Halberstam was a pupil of Rabbi Sho ...
* Chrzanow
References
* M. Bochner, ''Chrzanow. The Life and Destruction of a Jewish Shtetl'', New York 1989, , 9780657137274External links
M. Bochner, Chrzanow. The Life and Destruction of a Jewish Shtetl
Virtual Shtetl: Chrzanow
My Heritage David Halberstam page
Geni David Halberstam page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Halberstam, Dovid 1821 births 1894 deaths Sanz (Hasidic dynasty) Hasidic rabbis in Europe People from Chrzanów Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe) Hasidic rebbes