Rabbi Uri Klughaft of Strelisk () (nicknamed HaSharaf "the burning Angel"; 1757 – 7 September 1826) was a

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 ...

Rabbi and member of the notable for his spread of Hasidism in Galicia.

Biography

Klughaft was born in Janów to a poor and old artisan, Pinchas. He had met with the

Maggid of Mezeritch Dov Ber ben Avraham of Mezeritch (; died December 4, 1772 O.S.), also known as the ''Maggid of Mezeritch'' or ''Mezeritcher Maggid'', was a disciple of Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer (the Baal Shem Tov), the founder of Hasidic Judaism, and was chosen ...

who had foretold that his wife would give birth to a son "who will be a light that illuminates the world". By the time he was grown up, Klughaft married a woman named Beloma, the daughter of Rabbi Yaakov Koppel Hager (a student of the

Besht 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 for ...

) and the sister of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Hager of Kosov. He would study under Rabbi

Elimelech of Lizhensk Elimelech Weisblum of Lizhensk (1717–March 11, 1787) was a rabbi and one of the founding Rebbes of the Hasidic movement. His hometown was Leżajsk () near Rzeszów in Poland. He was part of the inner "Chevraya Kadisha" (Holy Society) school o ...

and Rabbi Shlomo of Karlin, a personal mentor of his. He also took influence from Rabbi . In the year 1792, upon the murder of Shlomo of Karlin by

Cossack The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Rus ...

forces, Klughaft began to lead Hasidism in

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

, and from there he moved to Strelisk under the guidance of Rabbi and The

Seer of Lublin Yaakov Yitzchak HaLevi Horowitz (), known as "the Seer of Lublin" (), ''ha-Chozeh MiLublin''; (c. 1745 - August 15, 1815) was a Chasidic Judaism, Hasidic rebbe from Poland. "Rabbi Yaacov Yitzchak, the Chozeh of Lublin, is one of the truly beloved ...

. As his mentor, Shlomo, was known for passionate prayer, it is said that after his murder, Rabbis Asher of Stolin (I) and Mordechai of Liakhovichi traveled to Rabbi

Boruch of Medzhybizh Rabbi Boruch of Medzhybizh (1753–1811), was a grandson of the Baal Shem Tov. Reb Boruch (known in his childhood as Reb Boruch'l, a Yiddish diminutive, and subsequently as ''Reb Boruch'l HaKadosh'') was the first major "rebbe" of the Hasidic mov ...

, but Klughaft did not join them, as he said he did not see the work of prayer in Baruch. Klughaft's leadership of his followers followed similar patterns of his childhood, and he did not preach a material life, embracing poverty. He once told Rabbi Yisrael Friedman of Ruzhin, who embraced materialism, that his followers do not want wealth. When Friedman's followers were gathered, they were asked if they wanted to become rich. They unanimously answered no, except for one follower who said that his wife wanted to be rich, and he became one of the governors of Rabbi Friedman's court. Uri died in Sterlisk on the 23rd of Elul, 5586, and was buried in the town. A collection of his sayings, the ''Amri Kadush'', was published posthumously. His son Rabbi Shlomo filled his role as the Rabbi of Strelisk, however, after Klughaft's death, most of his followers went to Rabbi Yisrael Friedman instead.

Legacy

Poet

Uri Zvi Greenberg Uri Zvi Greenberg (; September 22, 1896 – May 8, 1981; also spelled Uri Zvi Grinberg) was an Israeli poet, journalist and politician who wrote in Yiddish and Hebrew. Widely regarded among the greatest poets in the country's history, he was a ...

is one of his descendants, and the Rabbi is mentioned in one of his poems. The character of Rabbi Klughaft is described in

Shmuel Yosef Agnon Shmuel Yosef Agnon (; August 8, 1887 – February 17, 1970) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Israeli novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was one of the central figures of modern Hebrew literature. In Hebrew, he is known by the pseudonym Shai A ...

short story, "The Beginning of the Use of the Sharaf". It was used again by Agnon in creating the character of Rabbi Uriel in the story "The Rejected".

Notable students

Notable students of Klughaft include the following: * Rabbi * Rabbi

Shlomo Flam Shlomo Flam (died January 1813), known as the Lutzker Maggid, was a Volhynian Hasidic rabbi and ''maggid'' in Lutsk and in Sokal. He was a disciple of Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezeritch and the teacher of several prominent rabbis including Rabbi Shol ...

* Rabbi

Sholom Rokeach Sholom Rokeach (1781 – September 10, 1855), also known as the ''Sar Sholom'' (, "Angel of Peace"), was the first rebbe (hereditary hasidic leader) of the Belz dynasty . Belzer Hasidim call him "Der Ershter Rov" (the first rabbi); in the city of ...

* Rabbi * Rabbi * Rabbi * Rabbi * Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac of Zidichov

References

{{Authority control, qid=Q12403612 Hasidic rabbis People from Podlaskie Voivodeship Hasidic Judaism in Ukraine 1757 births 1826 deaths Hasidic rebbes 18th-century Polish–Lithuanian rabbis 19th-century rabbis from the Russian Empire