Shmelke of Nikolsburg

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rabbi Shmuel Shmelke Halevi of Nikolsburg (1726 Chortkov, Galicia - 1778 Nikolsburg, Moravia) was an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi and one of the great Chasidic Rebbes of the past. He was the firstborn son of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh of Chortkov. He traced his ancestry back to the prophet Samuel. In their early years, Shmelke and his brother Pinchas - who would also become a famous rabbi - studied Torah together for a long time. After traveling to Mezritch and meeting the great chasidic master Rabbi Dov Ber the Maggid, they became his ardent followers.

After serving as rabbi in Ritchval and Shiniava, Shmelke was invited, in 1773, to become the rabbi of Nikolsburg in Moravia, where he made a powerful impact. His strong attachment to Chasidus angered many members of the community, which led to bitter quarrels that were quelled as a result of the personal intervention of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk.

Rabbi Shmelke established a major yeshivah that attracted numerous outstanding students. Among these were such luminaries as Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak of Lublin, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Rimanov, Rabbi Yisrael of Koznitz, Rabbi Mordecai Benet and Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sassov.