The Holy Rizhiner - that is how chassidim referred to Rabbi Yisroel of Rizhin for over 150 years. He was a grandson of the Great Maggid of Mezritch, the successor of the Baal Shem Tov and the man who taught, inspired and guided the founders of the earliest chassidic dynasties. Rizhin, a small town in the Ukraine, is one of those places that is immortalized in history as the cradle of a great man. In it, the Holy Rizhiner was an emperor of the spirit in a kingdom of sanctity, scholarship and piety. He was a magnet for people who needed wise counsel, spiritual elevation, efficacious blessings, incisive Torah thoughts and parables that cast a shaft of light on previously obscure concepts. Czarist persecution forced him to leave his native land, but nothing could dim the glow of his greatness. Wherever he settled, his reputation followed him and his holiness lit up new hearts and lands. His great sons and descendants made towns like Sadigora, Chortkov, Boyan, Husiatin and Bohush synonyms for chassidic aristocracy. The Holocaust could diminish but not destroy the aura of Rizhin, which still lives, grows and inspires. In this magnificent kaleidoscopic work, Rabbi Menachem Brayer, a scion of the Rizhiner and the father of the present Boyaner Rebbe, traces the life of the Rizhiner and the several dynasties that emerged from him. This book is filled with the biographies, anecdotes, Torah teachings, parables, and wise sayings of all the pillars of Rizhin. For anyone in search of timeless wisdom and the history of movements that are still shaping the Jewish world, this is an indispensable treasure. A great study by an exceptional author. |
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