| Aharon Mordechai Rokeach | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Aharon Mordechai Rokeach |
| Born | 12 October 1975 Jerusalem, Israel |
| Father | Yissachar Dov Rokeach (II) |
| Mother | Sarah Hager |
| Children | 10 children |
Aharon Mordechai Rokeach (b. 12 October 1975 – 7 Cheshvan 5736 on the Hebrew calendar) is the only child and heir of the current Rebbe of Belz, Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach. Born in Jerusalem, Israel, he was named after his father's uncle, Rabbi Aharon Rokeach, the fourth Belzer Rebbe, and his father's father, Rabbi Mordechai of Bilgoray.
Contents |
Aharon Mordechai was born to Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach and Sarah Hager, daughter of Rabbi Moshe Yehoshua Hager, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, after 10 years of marriage.[1] His birth was a cause for great celebration in the Belz Hasidic dynasty, as it meant that the dynasty would continue to be passed down within the Rokeach family line. His father, Rabbi Yissachar Dov, was also an only child, born in 1948 to Rabbi Mordechai of Bilgoray after the latter's escape from Nazi-occupied Europe with his half-brother, Rabbi Aharon. Rabbi Mordechai died suddenly a year after his son's birth, and the boy was raised and groomed to be the next Rebbe by his uncle, Rabbi Aharon, who died in 1957. Yissachar Dov was crowned Rebbe in 1966.
Aharon Mordechai celebrated his bar mitzvah on 18 October 1988 (7 Cheshvan 5749) in the half-finished Belz World Center in Jerusalem.[1]
In August 1993, Aharon Mordechai married the daughter of the Makova Rebbe.[1] He and his wife have seven sons and three daughters.
The occasion of Aharon Mordechai's eldest son's bar mitzvah was also a cause for tremendous celebration in Belz. Sholom, named after the first Belzer Rebbe, the Sar Sholom, celebrated his bar mitzvah on 26 February 2008 (20 Adar I 5768). The bar mitzvah tish was conducted by the Belzer Rebbe in the presence of thousands of Hasidim and dozens of other Rebbes and Torah leaders. As the Belz World Center was not large enough for the crowd, a giant tent with bleachers was erected in the courtyard of the World Center. Festive meals and other events were held for the women in all five halls of the Jerusalem Convention Center.[1]
The bar mitzvah of Aharon Mordechai's second-eldest son, Avraham Shmuel Tzvi, on 14 March 2010, generated a similar celebration.[2]