Mordechai Yosef Leiner
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Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica (מרדכי יוסף ליינר) known as "the Ishbitzer" ( ''Izhbitze, Izbitse, Ishbitze'') (1801-1854The State Archive of Lublin
"Jewish Civil Registry of Izbica Lubelski", 1854, Akt#: 6, Registration Type: death, Registration Year: 1854, Location: Izbica Lubelski, Surname: Lajner, Given Name: Mordko. Indexed by JRI-Poland.
) was a
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 ...
nic Hasidic thinker and founder of the Izhbitza-Radzyn dynasty of
Hasidic Judaism Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a Spirituality, spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most ...
. He is best known for his work ''Mei Hashiloach''.


Biography

Mordechai Yosef Leiner was born in Tomashov () in 1801. His father Yaakov, who died when he was two, was the son of Mordechai of Sekul, a descendant of Rabbi
Saul Wahl Saul Wahl Katzenellenbogen (1541–1617) was a wealthy and politically influential Polish Jews, Polish Jew who is in Jewish folk legends said to have Pro tempore, briefly occupied the King of Poland, throne of Poland on 18 August 1587. He has his ...
. He became a disciple of Simcha Bunim of Peshischa where he joined Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk and Rabbi Yosef of Yartshev; both were also born in Tomashov. When Menachem Mendel became Rebbe in Kotzk, Leiner became his disciple there; then in 1839 became himself a rebbe in Tomaszów, moving subsequently to
Izbica Izbica ( ''Izhbitz, Izhbitze'') is a town in the Krasnystaw County of the Lublin Voivodeship in eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina administrative district called Gmina Izbica. It lies approximately south of Krasnystaw and south-east of ...
. His leading disciple was Rabbi Yehuda Leib Eiger (1816-1888The State Archive of Lublin
"Jewish Civil Registry of Lublin", 1888, Akt#: 46, Registration Type: death, Registration Year: 1888, Location: Lublin, Surname: Ejger, Given Name: Lejbus, Father: Szloma, Mother: Golda Rywka. Indexed by JRI-Poland.
), grandson of Rabbi
Akiva Eiger Akiva Eiger (, also spelled Eger; , ), or Akiva Güns (8 November 1761 – 12 October 1837) was a Talmudic scholar, halakhic decisor and leader of European Jewry during the early 19th century. Eiger is considered one of the greatest Talmudic ...
. His students included Rabbi Zadok HaKohen of
Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...
(1823–1900), his son, Rabbi Yaakov Leiner (1828–1878) and his grandson Rabbi Gershon Henoch Leiner of Radzyn. Leiner is buried in an ohel in the Jewish cemetery in Izbica.


Relationship with the Kotzker Rebbe

Leiner was the right-hand man of the Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, by whom he was charged with overseeing the Hasidim. In 1840 Leiner had a public and dramatic falling out with him. On the day after
Simchat Torah Simchat Torah (; Ashkenazi: ), also spelled Simhat Torah, is a Jewish holiday that celebrates and marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle. Simchat Torah is a component of the Hebrew Bible ...
of that year, Leiner left Kotzk with many of his followers to form his own hasidic circle. The reasons given for the break are varied.


Thought

Leiner is best known for his work ''Mei Hashiloach'' ("מי השילוח") a popular collection of his teachings on the
weekly Torah portion The weekly Torah portion refers to a lectionary custom in Judaism in which a portion of the Torah (or Pentateuch) is read during Jewish prayer services on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. The full name, ''Parashat HaShavua'' (), is popularly abbre ...
and
Jewish holidays Jewish holidays, also known as Jewish festivals or ''Yamim Tovim'' (, or singular , in transliterated Hebrew []), are holidays observed by Jews throughout the Hebrew calendar.This article focuses on practices of mainstream Rabbinic Judaism. ...
, published by his grandson, Rabbi Gershon Henoch Leiner, Gershon Leiner, and usually printed in 2 volumes. It has twice been translated into English. J. Hershy Worch (2019). ''Mei Hashiloach: A Hebrew-English Translation of the Hasidic Commentary on the Torah by the Ishbitzer Rebbe.'' The work was however controversial; attempts were even made to sabotage the press on which it was being printed. In particular Leiner's view regarding
Free will Free will is generally understood as the capacity or ability of people to (a) choice, choose between different possible courses of Action (philosophy), action, (b) exercise control over their actions in a way that is necessary for moral respon ...
was at serious odds with the standard Jewish view. Here Leiner expressed the doctrine that all events, including human actions, are absolutely under God's control, or as Rabbinic discourse would phrase it, by " ''hashgacha pratis''." Thus, if everything is determined by God, then even sin is done in accordance with God's will. He presents defenses of various Biblical sins, such as Korach's rebellion, Zimri during the Heresy of Peor, and Judah's incident with Tamar. One of his most cited comments is on '' Leviticus'' 21:1 "None shall defile himself for any eadperson among his kin." Rabbi Leiner read the verse as a warning against the defilement of the soul. The soul is defiled when it is infected with the bitterness and rage that comes with senseless suffering and tragedy. Those who — like the
Kohanim Kohen (, ; , ، Arabic كاهن , Kahen) is the Hebrew word for "priest", used in reference to the Aaronic priesthood, also called Aaronites or Aaronides. They are traditionally believed, and halakhically required, to be of direct patriline ...
— would serve God, are commanded to find the resources to resist the defilements of despair and darkness. Despair is the ultimate denial of God, and surrender to darkness is the ultimate blasphemy.


Influence

Leiner's thought influenced (mostly indirectly, through the work of his student, Tzadok Hakohen) the ''mussar'' of Rabbi Isaac Hutner and Rabbi Moshe Wolfson. Leiner's thought continued to have influence in the twentieth century, especially on
Neo-Hasidism Neo-Hasidism, also Neochassidut or Neo-Chassidus, is an approach to Judaism in which aspects of Hasidic Judaism are incorporated into non-Hasidic religious Jewish practice. Over the 20th century, neo-Hasidism was popularized by the works of write ...
, and the teachings of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. Carlebach is credited with the recent popularization of Rabbi Leiner's teachings. He apparently came across Leiner's work in an old Jewish book store. He is quoted as saying that after initially being perplexed as to the peculiar nature of the teachings he quickly realized that in it lay the "secret for turning Jews on to the deeper meanings of Judaism".


Bibliography

*Alan Brill, ''Thinking God: The Mysticism of Rabbi Zadok HaKohen Of Lublin'' (Yeshiva University Press, Ktav 2002) *Morris M. Faierstein, ''All is in the Hands of Heaven: The Teachings of Rabbi Mordecai Joseph Leiner of Izbica'' (New York: Ktav, 1989) (2nd revised edition, Gorgias Press, 2005) * Shaul Magid, ''Hasidism on the Margin'' (University of Wisc. 2003) * Allan Nadler, "Hasidism on the Margin: Reconciliation, Antinomianism, and Messianism in Izbica/Radzin Hasidism (review)" ''Jewish Quarterly Review'' - Volume 96, Number 2, Spring 2006, pp. 276–282 *Rivka Schatz, "Autonomy of the Spirit and the Law of Moses" (Hebrew), Molad 21 (1973–1974), pp. 554–561 *Joseph Weiss, "A Late Jewish Utopia of Religious Freedom," in David Goldstein, ed., ''Studies in Eastern European Jewish Mysticism'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1985) * Jonatan Meir
"The Status of Commandments in the Philosophy of Rabbi Mordechai Joseph Leiner of Izbica’, Mishlav 35 (2000), pp. 27-53
*Herzl Hefter
"In God's Hands: the Religious Phenomenology of R. Mordechai Yosef of Ishbitz"
Tradition 46:1(2013), pp. 43–65.


Notes


References


External links


Mei Hashiloach: A Hebrew-English Translation of the Hasidic Commentary on the Torah by the Ishbitzer Rebbe by J. Hershy Worch

Mei HaSiloach
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Leiner, Mordechai Yosef Rebbes of Izhbitza–Radzin Polish Hasidic rabbis Hasidic rabbis in Europe Determinists 19th-century Polish rabbis 19th-century Jewish theologians Philosophers of Judaism Jewish philosophers People from Tomaszów Lubelski 1801 births 1854 deaths