Yisroel Hopsztajn

Israel ben Shabtai Hapstein of Koschnitz (* 1733 in Apta, † 1814) was a Hasidic tzaddik and preachers and spread one of the first Hasidism in the Kingdom of Poland.

Life and work

Israel ben Shabtai, born the son of a poor bookbinder in a small Polish town, was a student of Samuel Horowitz of Mikulov, Dov Baer of Mezritch, Elimelech of Lyschansk and Levi Yitzhak of Berdichev. In his youth, he withdrew from society and became an ascetic. After the death of his father he moved to Przysucha and lived there as a teacher ( Melamed ). He later moved to Kozienice, where his sermons earned him the nickname Maggid of Kozienice.

Although he frequently made ​​use of Kabbalistic symbols, his sermons were clearly organized and exerted great influence on the listener from. The role of the preacher, he wrote: "He who blames people and teach them the law and the word of God, must in the heart of each of them, even if it is a very malicious people, have insight. " So it was his goal, " exhort with gentle persuasion, not with harsh words " his audience, as we read in his work Awodat Yisrael. As a man of the people he spiced his talk with numerous proverbs.

However, he was mainly known through his work as a tzaddik and won by his ecstatic prayer manner, which was marked by the principle of Dewekut ( devotion to God ), numerous followers. According to Israel, the most important duty of a tzaddik is to give spiritual guidance to his followers and to support them in worship. When the tzaddik unto God, this is a dynamic action that allows the average person to get closer to his Creator and thus fulfills the objective of Hasidism. Israel undertook numerous practical steps to achieve this goal. He cared about the welfare of the children and the livelihood of his Chassidim. He distributed even cures and amulets, which was justified by his followers thus, the amulets contained only his name, while, therefore criticized him, the opponents of Hasidism, the mitnagdim sharp.

Israel of Kozienice cultivated a keen interest in public affairs and apparently had relations with the Polish Czartoryski house. Unsuccessfully he tried to prevent the pressure antichassidischer publications in Warsaw of the late 18th century. Together with his friend Yaakov Yitzchak, the " Seer of Lublin ", he promoted especially in Poland Hasidism, which had been founded by the Baal Shem Tov. He had thorough knowledge in traditional and esoteric field and participated in halachic discussions on the issue of Aguna ( abandoned by her husband wife). His main work is halachic Bet Yisrael (Warsaw, 1864), his most important work on Hasidism Awodat Yisrael ( Józefów, 1842). He also wrote several works on the Kabbalah (Ohr Yisrael, Ner Yisrael and others), which contain no independent kabbalistic interpretations.

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