Background
Rabbi Alter was born in Magnuszew, Poland, in late 1799. He was a descendant of Rashi and of the Tosafist, Rabbi Meir ben Baruch of Rothenburg.
Rabbi Alter was born in Magnuszew, Poland, in late 1799. He was a descendant of Rashi and of the Tosafist, Rabbi Meir ben Baruch of Rothenburg.
He headed the Kupath Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Kollel Polen (Poland) Varsha (Warsaw) (Hebrew קופת רמבעה"ן כולל פולין ורשה / וארשא). He was also known as The Chiddushei HaRim (החדושי הרי"ם) for his Torah writngs, and was sometimes fondly called Reb Itche Meir (Yiddish) by his followers. He came from a very distinguished family of rabbis, among the most prominent in Germany and Poland.
They had fourteen children, according to most published sources, most of whom died in infancy.
Rabbi Alter became known as a Talmudic gaon. At first he was close to the rebbes of Kozhnitz.
After some years, he was drawn to Rebbe Simcha Bunim of Prshischa, whose close adherent he became. After the demise of Simcha Bunim, Alter became a disciple of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, also known as the Kotzker Rebbe, who was famous for his acerbic wit and Talmudic brilliance.
He was soon followed by a large number of Simcha Bunim"s followers.
Alter and the Kotzer Rebbe eventually became brothers-in-law, when the latter married Chaya Lipszyc, the sister of Alter"s wife Feigele. In 1830 he was forced to change his name to Alter because of his support towards the Poles during the November Uprising. However, by the time of Alter"s death on 23 Adar 5626 (1866), only one child (Esther) remained alive.
Yitzchak Meir Rotenberg-Alter (1799–1866)
Chanoch Henoch of Aleksander (1798–1870)
Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter (1847–1905)
Avraham Mordechai Alter (1866–1948)
Yisrael Alter (1895–1977)
Simcha Bunim Alter (1898–1992)
Pinchas Menachem Alter (1926–1996)
Yaakov Aryeh Alter (b 1939).