Rabbi Tsvi Hirsh Bonhardt (–1810), also known as the ''

Maggid A maggid (), also spelled as magid, is a traditional Jewish religious itinerant preacher, skilled as a narrator of Torah and religious stories. A chaplain of the more scholarly sort is called a ''Darshan (Judaism), darshan'' (). The title of ''m ...

of Voydislav'', was an 18th-century German-born Polish preacher and rabbi.

Biography

R. Tsvi Hirsh Bonhardt was born in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, to a rabbinic family. His father, R. Yehudah Leib Bonhardt, was a prominent rabbi and scholar. In his youth, R. Tsvi Hirsh studied at the leading Yeshivot in Germany, later immigrating to Voydislav,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

for economic reasons. R. Tsvi Hirsh married Sarah, the daughter of R. Betsalel ha-Levi of Zhovkve (died 1802), who in part was a descendant of R. Yoel Sirkis (1561–1640). Even after immigrating to Poland, R. Tsvi Hirsh was known to have fervently held on to his German identity. He dressed in contemporary German fashion and gave most of his sermons in German, rather than Yiddish or Polish.

Relationship with the Hasidic community

Though not

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 ...

, R. Tsvi Hirsh had a close personal relationship with many of the early Hasidic tsaddikim such as R. David Biderman of Lelov (1746–1814), R. Yisrael Hopstein of Kozhenits (1737–1814) and R. Moshe Leib of Sasov (1745–1807). Hasidic literature recalls how on one of R. Tsvi Hirsh's lengthy trips across Poland, he ran into R. David of Lelov, who told R. Tsvi Hirsh he was on his way to Voydislav. R. Tsvi asked R. David if he could deliver his family three rubles which R. Tsvi had saved. R. David agreed and when he reached R. Tsvi's house in Voydislav, he was greeted by R. Tsvi's daughter, who was physically disabled. R. David gave her the three rubles and as he was leaving he said to her "zei gezunt" (a Yiddish interjection used when departing meaning "be well"). Very soon after, R. Tsvi's daughter reportedly had a miraculous recovery. It was this daughter who later married R. Yehoshua Leib Goldschmidt of Breslau.

Philosophical influence

R. Tsvi Hirsh favoured the simple interpretation of rabbinic texts (

peshat ''Peshat'' (also ''P'shat'', ) is one of the two classic methods of Jewish biblical exegesis, the other being Derash. While ''Peshat'' is commonly defined as referring to the surface or literal (direct) meaning of a text,Goldin, S. (2007). Unloc ...

) and studied medieval Jewish philosophy. He published two compilations of his collected sermons, “Asara L'me'a” published in 1801 and “Erertz Tzvi” published in 1786, both of which were widely received in Poland, with the latter reviving an approbation from the famous R. Yehezkel Landau of Prague (1713–1793). R. Tsvi Hirsh is however best remembered as the father of famed Hasidic tsadik, R. Simcha Bunim Bonhardt (1765–1827), who was the second Peshischa Rebbe and was succeeded by his son R. Avraham Moshe Bonhardt (1800–1829). Many rationalist aspects of R. Simcha Bunim's thought are attributed to R. Tsvi Hirsh who is considered to have been a traditional rational

pietist Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christianity, Christian life. Although the movement is ali ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonhardt, Tzvi Hirsh 18th-century Polish rabbis Authors of Rabbinic works Maggidim 1740s births 1810 deaths Year of birth uncertain