Dov Ber of Mezeritch
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Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezeritch (דב בער ממזריטש)
(1704/1710 (?) – December 15, 1772) was the primary disciple of Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism. Rabbi Dov Ber is regarded as the first proponent and exponent of Hasidism and one of its most important propagators. [1]
His teachings appear in the volume, Maggid Devarav L'Yaakov. He had a number of disciples, including Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, Rabbi Zusha of Anipoli, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk, and Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi.
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[edit] Name
The most common transliterations are Dovber or Dov Ber; rarely used forms are Dob Baer or Dobh Baer which often depend on the region in Eastern Europe where Jews resided and hence the influence of the local Yiddish dialects. "Dov" literally means "bear" in Hebrew and "Ber" means the same thing (i.e. "bear") in Yiddish, a type of "double-barrelled name" used by religious Jews when giving a name of an "animal" to a child whereby both the Hebrew and Yiddish versions of the name are combined into one. He was known as the Maggid — "Preacher" or literally "Sayer," one who rebukes and admonishes to go in God's ways — of Mezritch after being the Maggid of the town of Rowno.
[edit] Early life
Rabbi Dov Ber was born in Volhynia in 1710, according to the Jewish Encyclopedia, [1] though other sources say his year of birth is unknown. [2] Little is known about him before he became a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov. A Hasidic legend states that, when he was five years old, his family home burst into flames. On hearing his mother weeping, he asked: "Mother, do we have to be so unhappy because we have lost a house?" She replied that she was mourning the family tree, which was destroyed, and had begun with Rabbi Yohanan, the sandle-maker and master in the Talmud. The boy replied: "And what does that matter! I shall get you a new family tree which begins with me!" [3]
When he was young, he reportedly lived in great poverty with his wife. When a child was born, they had no money to pay the midwife. His wife complained and the Maggid went outside to "curse" Israel. He went outside and said: "O children of Israel, may abundant blessings come upon you!" When his wife complained a second time, he went outside again and cried: "Let all happiness come to the children of Israel — but they shall give their money to thorn bushes and stones!" The baby was too weak to cry, and the Maggid sighed rather than "cursing". Immediately the answer came, and a voice said: "You have lost your share in the coming world." The Maggid replied: "Well, then, the reward has been done away with. Now I can begin to serve in good earnest." [3]
[edit] His visit to the Baal Shem Tov
Dov Ber later became an admirer of Rabbi Isaac Luria's system of Kabbalah, which was becoming popular at that time and was aware of Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, whose writings, then only in manuscript, were well known among the Polish mystics of the period. Dov Ber followed the Lurian school, living the life of an ascetic, fasting a great deal, praying intensely, and living in poverty. He is reported to have become a cripple as a result of poor nourishment.
It was in part because of his poor health that he sought out the Baal Shem Tov, although as a scholar well versed in the Gemara (Talmud) and Kabbalah, he also wanted to find out whether his reputation as a wise man was justified. [3]
He arrived at the Baal Shem Tov's house, expecting to hear stories about profound mysteries, but instead was told stories of the latter's everyday life. Hearing only similar stories at each subsequent visit, Rabbi Dov Ber decided to return home. Just as he was about to leave, he was summoned again to the Baal Shem Tov's house. The Baal Shem Tov opened a "Pri Eitz Chaim" of Rabbi Chaim Vital (Rabbi Isaac Luria's chief disciple), and asked Rabbi Dov Ber to elucidate a certain passage. The latter did so to the best of his ability, but the Baal Shem Tov declared that Rabbi Dov Ber did not understand the real meaning of the passage, and proceeded to explain. The legend states that, as he spoke, the darkness suddenly gave way to light, and angels appeared and listened to the Baal Shem Tov's words. "Your explanations," he said to Rabbi Dov Ber, "were correct, but your deductions were thoughts without any soul in them." [1] This experience persuaded Rabbi Dov Ber to stay with the Baal Shem Tov.
Rabbi Dov Ber is reported to have learned from the Baal Shem Tov to value everyday things and events, and to emphasize the proper attitude with which to study Torah. Under the guidance of the Baal Shem Tov, Dov Ber abandoned his ascetic lifestyle, and recovered his health. Although he was a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov for only the last two years of the latter's life; his association was enough to cause the Maggid to be considered as the Baal Shem Tov's heir presumptive.
[edit] As leader of the Hasidim
Immediately after the death of the Baal Shem Tov in 1760, the Maggid assumed the leadership of Hasidism. He appointed disciples to spread his teachings, including Rabbi Jacob Joseph ha-Kohen; The brothers, Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk and Rabbi Zusha of Anipoli; Rabbi Nachum of Chernobyl. They traveled from place to place spreading Hasidism. The Maggid himself persuaded such Talmudists as the brothers Horowitz, Rabbi Phineas and Rabbi Shmelke of Nikolsburg; Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (founder of Chabad-Lubavitch) and Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk.
In contrast to the Baal Shem Tov, the man of the people, who is reported to have walked about, pipe in mouth, chatting to those he met, the Maggid never relinquished the habits of a Polish Talmudist. Solomon Maimon states in his memoirs that the Maggid passed the entire week in his room, permitting only a few confidants to enter. He appeared in public only on Shabbat, dressed in white satin. On those occasions he prayed with people, and kept open house for anyone who wanted to dine with him.
After the meal he would reportedly begin to chant, and placing his hand upon his forehead, would ask those present to quote any verse from the Bible. These served as texts for the Maggid's subsequent sermon. Solomon Maimon wrote: "He was such a master in his craft that he combined these disjointed verses into an harmonious whole." [4]
[edit] Opposition of the rabbis
Hasidism spread rapidly as a result of Dov Ber's powerful personality, gaining footholds in Volhynia, Lithuania, and Little Russia. The dissolution of the "Four-Lands" synod in 1764 proved favorable to its spread. The local rabbis were annoyed by the growth of the movement, but could not easily do anything about it. The Gaon of Vilna was the only rabbi whose reputation extended beyond the borders of Lithuania. When Hasidism appeared in Vilna, the Vilna Gaon enacted the first major excommunication against Hasidism, which was issued on April 11, 1772. The Vilna Gaon believed the movement was antagonistic to Talmudic rabbinism and was suspicious that it was a remnant of the recent Sabbatean movement. See Hasidim and Mitnagdim.
The Maggid's envoys, his pupils Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk and Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, were not received by the Vilna Gaon, who declined to meet them. The ban issued at Vilna drew the eyes of the world toward Hasidism. Rabbi Dov Ber ignored the opposition, but it is blamed in part for his death in Meseritz on December 15, 1772. [1]
[edit] His views
[edit] Published words
The Maggid left no writings of his own. The two works, "MaggiD DebarO le-Ya'akoV" (the last letters of which title spell "Dov"), known also under the title of Likkutei Amarim ("Collected Sayings"), published at Koretz in 1780, and frequently reprinted; and Likkutei Yesharim ("Collected Gem"), published at Lemberg in or around 1790, are the only ones known to exist. They consist of excerpts from his sermons, written down and collected by his relative, Rabbi Solomon ben Abraham of Lutzk, who, as he himself confessed, was often ignorant of their meaning. [1]
[edit] His view of God
For the Maggid, God manifests himself in creation, which is only one aspect of his activity, and which is therefore in reality a self-limitation. Just as God in his goodness limited himself, and thus descended to the level of the world and man, so it is the duty of the latter to strive to unite with God. The removal of the outer shell of mundane things, or "the ascension of the [divine] spark," [1] being a recognition of the presence of God in all earthly things, it is the duty of man, should he experience pleasure, to receive it as a divine manifestation, for God is the source of all pleasure. [1]
[edit] On the ecstasy of prayer
Rabbi Dov Ber's view of prayer was that it is the purpose of the life on earth to advance until the perfect union with God is attained. Thus the vegetable kingdom serves as food for the animal kingdom, in order that the lower manifestation of divinity, existing in the former, may be developed into a higher one. Man being the highest manifestation has a duty to attain the highest pinnacle in order to be united with God. The way to achieve this, he argued, is through prayer, in which man forgets himself and his surroundings, and concentrates all his thought and feeling upon union with God. [1]
Like the Neo-Platonists, he said that when a man becomes so absorbed in the contemplation of an object that his whole power of thought is concentrated upon one point, his self becomes unified with that point. So prayer in such a state of real ecstasy, effecting a union between God and man, is extremely important, and may even be able to overcome the laws of nature. [1]
[edit] The role of the Tzaddik
The Baal Shem Tov maintained that real service to God consists of prayer, rather than Torah study, because everyone can do the former, but not the latter.
Rabbi Dov Ber argued against this. Only the Tzaddik is able to remove all his thoughts from earthly things and concentrate on God. Because of his union with God, he is the connecting link between God and creation, and thus the channel of blessing and mercy. The love men have for the Tzaddik provides a path to God. The duty of the ordinary mortal is therefore to love the Tzaddik and be subservient to him. [1] This view was not a break with the teaching of the Baal Shem Tov and with classical Jewish theology, which had always taught that there were no intermediates between man and God. Dov Ber's position on this issue was one of the reasons that non-Hasidic rabbis objected to Hasidism. See Jewish principles of faith for more information.
[edit] Bibliography
- Dubnow, Voskhod, ix. Nos. 9-11;
- Grätz, Gesch. der Juden, xi. 98 et seq. and note 22;
- Kohan, in Ha-Shaḥar, v. 634-639;
- Ruderman, ib. vi. 93 et seq.;
- Lobel, in Sulamith, ii. 315;
- Rodkinsohn, Toledot 'Ammude ha-ḤaBad, 1876, pp. 7-23.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kaufmann Kohler & Louis Ginzberg. "Baer (Dob) of Meseritz", Jewish Encyclopedia, retrieved May 20, 2006
- ^ "The Journeyman/Ascetic", Chabad.org, retrieved May 20, 2006
- ^ a b c Martin Buber. Tales of the Hasidim, Schocken 1947; this edition 1991, p. 98-99. ISBN 0-8052-0995-6
- ^ Solomon Maimon. "Selbstbiographie," i. 231 et seq. in Kaufmann Kohler & Louis Ginzberg. "Baer (Dob) of Meseritz", Jewish Encyclopedia, retrieved May 20, 2006
[edit] External links
- אור תורה Fulltext (Hebrew), chabadlibrary.org
- A biography of Dov Ber of Mezeritch
| Preceded by Rebbe Baal Shem Tov |
Hasidic Rebbes 1760-1772 |
Succeeded by Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, Rebbe Aharon HaGadol of Karlin, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev, Rabbi Zusha of Anipoli, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk |
