Shmelke of Nikolsburg

Shmelke of Nikolsburg
Shmelke of Nikolsburg
	The tombstone of Shmuel Shmelke HaLevi שמוא-ל שמעלקי הלוי [1] on the Rabbinic Hill at the Jewish cemetery in Nikolsburg.
Title	Shmuel Shmelke of Nikolsburg
Personal
Born	Shmuel Shmelke ben Tzvi Hersh HaLevi Horowitz; 1726; Chortkiv, Galicia, Poland
Died	April 28, 1778; Nikolsburg, Moravia
Religion	Judaism
Parents	Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Horowitz (father);
Main work	Divre Shmuel
Dynasty	Nikolsburg

Shmuel Shmelke Halevi Horowitz of Nikolsburg (1726 in Chortkiv, Galicia, Poland – April 28, 1778 in Nikolsburg, Moravia)[2] was one of the great early Hasidic Rebbes.

Biography

He was named Shmuel ben Tzvi Hersh HaLevi (Horowitz) (commonly known by the diminutive "Shmelke") and was the oldest son of Tzvi Hirsh Horowitz of Chortkiv. A Levite, Shmuel Shmelke traced his lineage back directly to the prophet Samuel who was also a Levite.

In their early years, he and his brother Pinchas - who would also become a famous rabbi - studied Torah together.[3] After traveling to Mezritch and meeting the great hasidic master Dovber of Mezeritch, they became his ardent followers.

After serving as rabbi in Ryczywół and Shineva, Horowitz was invited, in 1773, to become the rabbi of Nikolsburg in Moravia, where he served until 1778.[4] On the first day of his being rabbi of Nikolsburg, Abraham Trebitsch, a native of Nikolsburg, reported him performing a miracle and bringing rain. It is told that his strong attachment to hassidism angered many members of the community, which led to bitter quarrels that were quelled as a result of the personal intervention of Elimelech of Lizhensk.

His students

He was a mentor of Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev;[3] they were both disciples of the Maggid of Mezritch.

Horowitz established a major yeshiva that attracted numerous outstanding students. Among these were such luminaries as Rabbis

Another student, Baruch of Kalev, also became his son-in-law.[2]

Dynasty

At the time of the founding of the Nikolsburg dynasty, Nikolsburg was the capital of Moravia, a province within Austria-Hungary (subsequently a part of Czechoslovakia).[6]

Earlier rabbis of the area included Yom-Tov Lipman Heller and the MaHaRaL of Prague.

As capital of Moravia, the chief rabbi of Nikolsburg was automatically chief rabbi of Moravia[6] - as per Shmuel Shmelke, in his time.

The Nikolsburg Hasidic dynasty and the Boston Hasidic dynasty descend from him.

Works

His works included:

Divrei Shmuel (1862)[7]
Nezir HaShem (1869)[8]

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