Background
Born Shmuel Horowitz (but commonly known by the diminutive "Shmelke"), he was the oldest son of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh Horowitz of Chortkiv.
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Shmelke Nikolsburg
Edit ProfileEducation
In their early years, Shmelke and his brother Pinchas - who would also become a famous rabbi - studied Torah together.
Career
A Levite, he traced his lineage back directly to the prophet Samuel who was also a Levite. After traveling to Mezritch and meeting the great chasidic master Dovber of Mezeritch, they became his ardent followers. After serving as rabbi in Ryczywół and Shineva, Shmelke was invited, in 1773, to become the rabbi of Nikolsburg in Moravia, where he served until 1778.
On the first day of his being rabbi of Nikolsburg, Abraham Trebitsch a native of Nikolsburg reports him performing a miracle and bringing rain.
Shmelke established a major yeshiva that attracted numerous outstanding students. Among these were such luminaries as Rabbis Yaakov Yitzchak of Lublin, Menachem Mendel of Rimanov, Yisroel Hopsztajn, Mordecai Benet and Moshe Leib of Sassov.
The Nikolsburg Hasidic dynasty and the Boston Hasidic dynasty descend from him.
Membership
lieutenant is told that his strong attachment to Chasidus angered many members of the community, which led to bitter quarrels that were quelled as a result of the personal intervention of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk.
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Born
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Died
1778 (aged 52) -
Ethnicity
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Religion
Hasidic Judaism