Mordechai Twersky (c. 1770–1837), known as Motele, was a Ukrainian

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 ...

. He was the son of Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky of Chernobyl and the second

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 the Chernobyl

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. The family surname is Russian for "native of

Tver Tver (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is situated at the confluence of the Volga and Tvertsa rivers. Tver is located northwest of Moscow. Population: The city is ...

", although Hasidic tradition connects it with the city of

Tiberias Tiberias ( ; , ; ) is a city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's Four Holy Cities, along with Jerusalem, Heb ...

. Unlike his father, who had lived frugally, he was known for requisitioning wealth from his followers. Seven of his eight sons were rebbes, from whom several branches of Hasidism emerged, including Skver, Chernobyl and Rachmastrivka.

Biography

Twersky was born in Chernobyl to Sarah and Rabbi Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl, a disciple of the

Baal Shem Tov Israel ben Eliezer (According to a forged document from the "Kherson Geniza", accepted only by Chabad, he was born in October 1698. Some Hasidic traditions place his birth as early as 1690, while Simon Dubnow and other modern scholars argue f ...

and the Maggid of Mezeritch and author of the book ''Me'or Einayim''. Twersky married Chaya Sara the daughter of Rabbi Aharon of Karlin; after her death he married Faiga the daughter of Rabbi Dovid Leykes who was a student of the Baal Shem Tov. His thoughts, sermons and discourses were published in his book ''Likutei Torah''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Twersky, Mordechai People from Kiev Voivodeship Rebbes of Chernobyl 1770 births 1837 deaths