Naftali from Ropschütz

Naftali von Ropschütz , also Rabbi Naphtali Zewi Hurwitz von Ropszice (* May 22, 1760 , † 1827 ), was a Hasidic rabbi from Galicia .

He was born on the day that Rabbi Baal Shem Tov passed away. He was a student of Jaakow Jizchak Horowitz , the seer of Lublin, and Rabbi Mendel von Rymanow and is considered one of Rabbi Mendel's most outstanding students. According to one version, there was a dispute between Naftali von Ropschütz and R. Mendel over the effects of Napoleon's Russian campaign . While R. Mendel hoped for the victory of Napoleon and saw this as salutary for the Jews, Naftali von Ropschütz feared an oppression of the Jews after a victory of Napoleon. According to another version, R. Mendel saw this war as a prerequisite for the coming of the Messiah, while Naftali von Ropschütz rejected this view. This difference of opinion both took the opportunity to visit Rabbi Israel von Koschnitz .

Little is known about his life. Martin Buber reports that in his youth he was in the mood for bitter pranks, but was later valued by his contemporaries as a man of extraordinary wisdom. He was married twice and divorced his first wife, who is characterized as quarrelsome and vain. In contrast to other Hasidic rabbis, the so-called "ransoms" were alien to him. Naftali von Ropschütz was the teacher of Chaim von Zans .

literature

• Encyclopaedia Judaica , Volume 14, pp. 259-260

Web links

• Entry in the jewishvirtuallibrary.org (English)