Malka Rokeach () (1780-1850 CE) was the first ''

rebbetzin Rebbetzin () or Rabbanit () is the title used for the wife of a rabbi—typically among Orthodox, Haredi, and Hasidic Jews—or for a female Torah scholar or teacher. Etymology The Yiddish word has a trilingual etymology: Hebrew, רבי ' ...

'' of the

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 ...

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

Belz Belz (, ; ; ) is a small city in Lviv Oblast, western Ukraine, located near the border with Poland between the Solokiya River (a tributary of the Bug River) and the Richytsia stream. Belz hosts the administration of Belz urban hromada, one of ...

. She was the wife of

Rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

Sholom Rokeach, the first ''

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. ...

'' of Belz, and the mother of the second ''rebbe'' of the dynasty, Rabbi Yehoshua Rokeach. She was directly involved in the ongoings in her husband's court.

Life

She was born in 1780 to Rabbi Yissachar Dov Ramraz of

Sokal Sokal (, ) is a city located on the Bug River in Sheptytskyi Raion, Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Sokal urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The population is approximately History The first written ...

, Galicia and Rebbetzin Chana Rachel (née Tisminitzer), a great-granddaughter of Rabbi Zechariah Mendel ben Aryeh Leib of Cracow, author of '' Ba'er Hetev'' on ''

Yoreh De'ah ''Yoreh De'ah'' () is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of halakha (Jewish law), the ''Arba'ah Turim'', written around 1300. This section treats all aspects of Jewish law not pertinent to the Hebrew calendar, finance, torts, marr ...

'' and ''

Choshen Mishpat ''Choshen Mishpat'' (Hebrew: חושן משפט) is the Hebrew for "Breastplate of Judgement". The term is associated with one of the four sections of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of halakha (Jewish law), Arba'ah Turim. This section treats a ...

''. Malka married her first-cousin, Rabbi Sholom Rokeach, son of Rabbi Elazar Rokeach and Rebbetzin Rivka Henna Ramraz, her father's sister. They had five sons and two daughters. Rabbi Sholom considered Malka as his partner in his

Torah study Torah study is the study of the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Talmud, responsa, rabbinic literature, and similar works, all of which are Judaism's Sifrei kodesh, religious texts. According to Rabbinic Judaism, the study is done for the purpose of the ''mi ...

and in all of his spiritual endeavors. He said that when he took it upon himself to remain awake one thousand nights to study Torah, Malka stood at his side to ensure that his candle remained lit so that he shouldn't have to interrupt his Torah study. Malka died in September 1853 (8

Elul Elul (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Hebrew language#Modern Hebrew, Standard , Tiberian vocalization, Tiberian ) is the twelfth month of the civil year and the sixth month of the Jewish religious year, religious year in the Hebrew calendar. It is a m ...

, 5613 A.M.) and was buried in

. Each year on the day of her ''

yahrzeit Yahrzeit (, plural , ) is the anniversary of a death in Judaism. It is traditionally commemorated by reciting the Kaddish in synagogue and by lighting a long-burning candle. Name The word ''Yahrzeit'' is a borrowing from the Yiddish (), ul ...

'', 8 Elul, Belzer Hasidim continue to light

candle A candle is an ignitable candle wick, wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a Aroma compound, fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. ...

s in her memory. The

girls' school Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education, same-sex education, same-gender education, and gender-isolated education, is the practice of conducting education with male and female students attending separate classes, perhaps in se ...

s of the Belzer Hasidim are named in her honor. Her brother was the father-in-law of Rabbi Yechezkel Shraga Halberstam, in the latter's fourth marriage.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rokeach, Malka 1780 births 1853 deaths Belz (Hasidic dynasty) Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe) Rebbetzins 19th-century religious leaders 19th-century Jews