Israel Hopstein von Koschnitz

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Israel Hopstein von Koschnitz

Israel ben Schabtai Hopstein von Koschnitz (* 1733 in Apta ; † 1814 ) was a Hasidic tzaddik in Poland .

life and work

Israel ben Schabtai, the son of a poor bookbinder in a small Polish town, was a student of Samuel Horowitz von Nikolsburg , Dow Bär von Mesritsch , Elimelech von Lyschansk and Levi Jizchak von Berditschew . 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 von Kozienice .

Although he frequently used Kabbalistic symbols, his sermons were clearly structured and had a great influence on the audience. Regarding the role of the preacher, he wrote: “Anyone who rebukes people and teaches them the law and the word of God must have an insight into the heart of each and every one of them, even if it is a very evil person.” So it was also his goal, to exhort his audience “with gentle conviction, not with harsh words”, as can be read in his work Avodat Yisrael . As a man of the people, he spiced up his speeches with numerous proverbs.

However, he was mainly known for his activity as a tzaddik and won numerous followers through his ecstatic prayer, which was shaped by the principle of Dewekut (devotion to God). According to Israel, the most important duty of a tzaddik is to give spiritual guidance to his followers and to assist them in worship. When the tzaddik surrenders to God, this is a dynamic act that enables even the average person to approach his Creator and thus fulfill the goal of Hasidism. Israel took numerous practical steps to achieve this goal. He looked after the welfare, children and livelihood of his Hasidim. He even distributed remedies and amulets , which his followers justified with the fact that the amulets only contained his name, while the opponents of Hasidism, the Mitnagdim , criticized him sharply for this.

Israel von Kozienice had a keen interest in public affairs and apparently had ties with the Polish House of Czartoryski . He tried unsuccessfully to prevent anti-Hasidic publications from being printed in Warsaw in the late 18th century. Together with his friend Jaakow Jizchak , the "Seer of Lublin" , he promoted Hasidism, especially in Poland, which was founded by the Baal Shem Tov . He had a thorough knowledge of the traditional and esoteric fields and participated in halachic discussions on the question of aguna (woman abandoned by her husband). His main halachic work is Bet Yisrael (Warsaw, 1864), his most important work on Hasidism is Awodat Yisrael (Józefów, 1842). He also wrote some works on Kabbalah ( Or Jisrael, Ner Jisrael and others), which, however, do not contain any independent Kabbalistic interpretations.

literature

personal data
SURNAME Israel Hopstein von Koschnitz
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Israel ben Schabtai Hopstein von Koschnitz (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Hasidic tzaddik and preacher
DATE OF BIRTH 1733
PLACE OF BIRTH Apta
DATE OF DEATH 1814