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The History Behind the Biala Dynasty |
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| History
The Biala dynasty comes from Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak Rabinowitz, the
Holy Jew of Peshischa, who was a disciple of the Seer of Lublin. The
Seer was a disciple of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizensk, who was a disciple of
the Preacher of Mezritch, who was a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov, the
founder of Hasidism.
1. Grand Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak Rabinowitz, the "Holy Jew" of
Peshischa (1766-1813), disciple of the Chozeh of Lublin.
2. Grand Rabbi Yerachmiel Rabinowitz of Peshischa (d. 1831), son of
the Holy Jew.
3. Grand Rabbi Nathan David Rabinowitz of Shidlovtza (d. 1865), son
of Rebbe Yerachmiel
4. Grand Rabbi Yitzchok Yaakov Rabinowitz of Biala the author of
Divrei Binah (d. 1905), youngest son of Rebbe Nathan David, son-in-law
of Rebbe Yehoshua of Ostrovoh, author of Toldos Adam.
5. Grand Rabbi Yerachmiel Tzvi Rabinowitz of Biala-Shedlitz, son of
the Divrei Binah.
6. Grand Rabbi Yechiel Yehoshua Rabinowitz Biala Rebbe of Jerusalem
(1900-1981), author of Chelkas Yehoshua and Seder HaYom.
7. Grand Rabbi David Matisyahu Rabinowitz (1928-1997), author of
Lehavas Dovid, Biala Rebbe of Bnei Brak, son of Rebbe Yechiel Yehoshua.
8. Grand Rabbi Aharon Shlomo Chaim Eleazar Rabinowitz , Biala Rebbe
of America, in the Boro Park section of Brooklyn, NY, son of Rabbi David
Matisyahu |
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GRAND
RABBI DAVID MATTISYAHU RABINOWITZ, ZY"A
PREVIOUS BIALA REBBE OF BNEI BRAK |
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GRAND
RABBI DAVID MATTISYAHU RABINOWITZ, ZT"L |
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BIALA
REBBE OF BNEI BRAK |
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Grand
Rabbi David Mattisyahu Rabinowitz was
born in Shedlitz, Poland on the eve of
Hanukkah, 5689, (December 7, 1928). He
was named David after his
great-grandfather, Rabbi Nathan David of
Shidlovtza, and Mattisyahu after the
hero of the Hanukkah story, since his
bris was on the seventh day of Hannukkah.
Already as a small child, he would wake
up early to learn Torah and to pray with
a fiery love of God, a way of prayer
that he would follow his entire life.
During the difficult years of the war,
his father was exiled to Russia. Young
David Mattisyahu, together with two of
his brothers and his sister, escaped to
Tehran, Iran (Persia). The children came
to the Holy Land with the transport
known as Yaldei Tehran (the Children of
Tehran). When Rabbi Yoseph Kahaneman,
the Ponevezher Rav, heard that the
children of the Biala Rebbe had come to
Eretz Yisrael, he made special effort to
make sure that these children were taken
to live a Torah life. Rabbi David
Mattisyahu learned in Yeshivah in
Ponevezh, with a devotion to learning
Torah constantly, and was reknowned in
Yeshivah for his warm prayers, and was
often picked to lead special prayer
services on holidays, especially the
Hallel service. The entire Yeshivah was
inspired by his fiery devotion to
prayer. His father, Rabbi Yechiel
Yehoshua, the Biala Rebbe, arrived in
the Holy Land in 1947, and was reunited
with his children. Rabbi David
Mattisyahu got married then, and
received his Rabbinical ordination from
Grand Rabbi Yoseph Tzvi Kalish of
Skernevitz, the Chief Rabbi of Bnei
Brak, a scion of the Vorki dynasty. |
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Upon
arriving in the Holy Land, the Biala
Rebbe, Rabbi Yechiel Yehoshua, appointed
his son, Rabbi David Mattisyahu, to help
him rebuild the institutions of the
Biala Dynasty after the Holocaust. In
1950, he began to build Biala yeshivos
around the Holy Land. Rabbi David
Mattisyahu was constantly at the right
hand of his father, and was sent to
America by his father to raise money for
Biala insitutions. Before his passing,
Rabbi Yechiel Yehoshua called his son,
Rabbi David Mattisyahu, " nekudas libi"
- "the focus of my heart", and was
appointed to be his father's successor. |
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Grand
Rabbi David Mattisyahu set up his
Hassidic court in Bnei Brak, where he
spread Torah and Chassidus with a
passionate fire. All who saw his passion
in prayer were deeply inspired. He would
spend one Sabbath every year, during the
three weeks, in the Old City of
Jerusalem, near the Western Wall. He
would also visit America every year to
spread the fire of Biala Chassidus and
awe of heaven. He authored a commentary
on the Torah called Lehavas David. |
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While
visiting America he began to build a
Biala synagogue in the Borough Park
section of Brooklyn, NY, and told his
son, Rabbi Aaron Shlomo, to be his
successor there in the synagogue in
America. Rabbi David Mattisyahu did not
live to see the completion of the
Borough Park synagogue. |
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His
devotion to the holiday services were
famous, particularly the taking of the
Lulav and Esrog, as well as the Hakafos
on Simchas Torah. He passed away on 25
Tishrei, 5758, (October 26, 1997), after
Simchas Torah. He was survived by his
wife, two daughters, and five sons. Four
sons and one son-in-law became Rebbes.
Rabbi Aaron Shlomo became the Biala
Rebbe in America. |
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Dancing
the traditional Hassidic "Mitzvah
Tantz" at a wedding |
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May the
memory of Grand Rabbi David Mattisyahu
ben Yechiel Yehoshua Rabinowitz of Biala
be a blessing for the entire Jewish
people. Zechuso Yagein Aleinu V'Al Kol
Yisrael, Amen. |
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BIALA WRITINGS TO BUY |
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GRAND RABBI
YECHIEL YEHOSHUA RABINOWITZ of BIALA, ZY"A |
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| Grand Rabbi
Yechiel Yehoshua Rabinowitz , zt"l, was born
in Shedlitz, Poland in 5660 (1900) to Grand
Rabbi Yerachmiel Tzvi of Biala-Shedlitz,
zt"l, the son of Grand Rabbi Yitzchak Yaakov
Rabinowitz, author of Divrei Binah, the
first Biala Rebbe, zt"l. The Divrei Binah
was the son of Grand Rabbi Nathan David
Rabinowitz of Shidlovtza, zt"l, the son of
Grand Rabbi Yerachmiel Tzvi Rabinowitz of
Peshischa, son of Grand Rabbi Yaakov
Yitzchak Rabinowitz of Peshischa, known as
the Yid HaKadosh, the Holy Jew of Peshischa,
zt"l. The Divrei Binah was the son-in-law of
Grand Rabbi Yehoshua of Ostroveh, zt"l,
author of Toldos Adam, son of Grand Rabbi
Shlomo Leib of Lentchna, zt"l, a disciple of
the Maggid of Mezritch, zt"l. He was the
grandfather of the present Rebbe, shlit"a.
At six years old, Rabbi Yechiel Yehoshua
was sent by his father to learn from his
maternal grandfather, Grand Rabbi Aryeh Leib
of Urzhov, zt"l, author of Birkas Tov. He
was soon recognized as a child prodigy by
many of the great Rabbis of Poland. His
father passed away at a young age and Rabbi
Yechiel Yehoshua was raised by his uncle,
Grand Rabbi Meir Shlomo Rabinowitz of
Mezritch, zt"l. In 5684 (1924), Rabbi
Yechiel Yehoshua was coronated as the Biala
Rebbe by the followers of his late father in
Shedlitz. In 5695 (1935), the Rebbe made an
attempt to move to the Holy Land, but was
unable to at the time. It was during that
year that the Rebbe completed the entire
Talmud for the fourth time.
When the Nazis came to Shedlitz during
the Holocaust, the Rebbe was imprisoned
together with the other residents of
Shedlitz. When they brought him to work he
miraculously managed to escape and hid in a
bakery for several days. Together with his
family, the Rebbe escaped to Russia, after a
failed attempt to escape to London to be
with his brother, and was spared from the
horrors of the Holocaust. However, the
Communists exiled the Rebbe to Siberia where
he was tortured for many years, and forced
to be a rope maker. There, in Siberia, the
true greatness of the Rebbe was revealed. He
did not give up even the slightest iota of
his customs. He even broke the ice of rivers
for daily mikvah immersion. He was once
almost killed by a Russian guard who mistook
the Rebbe for an animal in the river, but he
was miraculously saved. Despite the
suffering he faced there, the Rebbe managed
to clandestinely organize a congregation
from the Jews there for communal prayer and
Torah study. In the late hours of the
Sabbath nights, the Rebbe even lead Hassidic
tishen for the Jews captive in Siberia, in
the hours after returning from the forced
labor imposed upon them. Once, on Rosh
Hashanah, the Rebbe was standing in devoted
prayer, leading the congregation, when the
Russians entered. The entire congregation
fled in fear, but the Rebbe was unaware of
their entrance amidst his intense prayerful
ecstasy, and was severely beaten by the
guards. During the entire time the Rebbe was
in Siberia, the Communists tried to break
his mighty spirit. Once, the Communists
confiscated all of his Holy Books, to
prevent him from learning Torah. The Rebbe
was overcome with a desire to learn the holy
book Noam Elimelech by the Rebbe R.
Elimelech of Lizensk, zt"l. One erev shabbos,
the Rebbe could not bare any longer to be
parted from the sefer, and snuck into the
guard house where his books were being held.
The Rebbe searched through the books and
managed to take the Noam Elimelech without
anyone seeing him.
The Rebbe spent five years in Siberia,
and then returned to Poland, to find his
entire life from before the world in ruins.
The Rebbe went from Poland to France for a
short time. In 5707 (1947), the Rebbe came
to the Holy Land, where he was worthy to
rebuild the illustrious dynasty of Biala, a
remnant of the dynasty of the Holy Jew of
Peshischa. The Rebbe settled in Tel Aviv and
was well received by the Holocaust survivors
from Poland who also settled there. Many
young people came to learn from the ways of
this holy tzaddik. All who saw the Rebbe
were in awe of his righteousness. He would
spend most of the day crowned with his
tallis and tefillin. He was renowned for his
intense prayers, which would take many
hours. He was most famous for his
carefulness and concentration in the
recitation of Krias Shma. He would often
tell those who came to be blessed by him to
be extra careful in reciting Shma. He would
go to great lengths to perform mitzvos,
including many which are not sought after by
the masses. He would go out of his way to
perform the mitzvah of kissui hadam,
covering the blood of poultry after kosher
slaughter.
In 5715 (1955), the Rebbe moved to the
Holy City of Jerusalem, where he spent the
rest of his life. The great rabbinical
leaders of the generation were amazed by the
way the Biala Rebbe served God. Grand Rabbi
Yisrael Alter of Gerr, zt"l, the author of
Beis Yisrael, lived next door to the Biala
Rebbe. The Gerrer Rebbe would open his
window on the night of the Sabbath to hear
the Biala Rebbe recite Kiddush. The Gaon
Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik, zt"l, the
famed Brisker Rav, would stop when he passed
by the Biala Rebbe's synagogue in the
morning, to hear the Rebbe recite Krias Shma.
The Rebbe authored many Hasidic books,
including Kedushas Chelkas Yehoshua and
Seder HaYom.
In his final years the Rebbe fell very
ill. In the midst of the weakness and pain
of his illness, the Rebbe amazingly
strengthened his efforts in avodas Hashem.
Many great Rabbis would come to visit the
Rebbe in his illness and were amazed. He
suffered from a stroke in 5736 (1976), and
yet made even more effort to perform mitzvos
despite the pain he suffered, including
great self-sacrifice for the mitzvos of
netillas yadayim and lighting neros
Chanukah, despite the great difficulty they
involved due to his condition.
On the 21st of Shevat, 5742 (1982), the
Rebbe returned his soul to his Maker. The
Rebbe was buried on Har HaZeisim (the
Mountain of Olives) in Jerusalem. He was
succeeded by his son, Grand Rabbi David
Mattisyahu Rabinowitz , zt"l, the previous
Biala Rebbe of Bnei Brak. He had three other
sons, who also became Rebbes, Rabbi
Yerachmiel Tzvi Rabinowitz, zt"l, was the
Biala-Peshischa Rebbe in the Har Nof section
of Jerusalem, Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak
Rabinowitz is the Biala Rebbe in the Ramat
Aharon section of Bnei Brak, and Rabbi Ben
Zion Rabinowitz is the Rabbi of Lugano,
Switzerland.
May the memory of Grand Rabbi Yechiel
Yehoshua ben Yerachmiel Tzvi Rabinowitz of
Biala be a blessing for the entire Jewish
people. Zechuso Yagein Aleinu V'Al Kol
Yisrael, Amen.
(Source: HaLahmi, Meir Toldoth
HaChassiduth Be'Eretz Yisrael Volume 2,
Bameh Publishing, Jerusalem 1995) |
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