Yehuda Leib Eiger (Hebrew: יהודה לייב איגר; 1816–1888) was a Polish rabbi, grandson of Rabbi Akiva Eiger and a disciple of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk and Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Leiner, the author of Mei HaShiloach. He was the founder of the Lublin Hasidic dynasty and served as its first Admor in Lublin.
Rabbi Yehuda Leib Eiger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Title | Admor of Lublin |
| Personal | |
| Born | 1816 |
| Died | 22 Shevat, 1888 |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Parent |
|
| Jewish leader | |
| Successor | His student Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin and his son Rabbi Avraham Eiger of Lublin |
| Began | 1854 |
| Ended | 22 Shevat 1888 |
| Residence | Lublin |
Biography
editEiger was born in Poznań (then Prussia, now Poland) to Rabbi Shlomo Eiger, the rabbi of Kalisz and Poznań, and the grandson of Rabbi Akiva Eiger. In his youth, he was close to his grandfather. Eiger married the daughter of Rabbi Azriel Gertschtein of Lublin, where he resided for several years.[1]
Initially, he opposed Hasidism, as was customary in his Misnagdik family. However, influenced by Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Alter of Gur, he traveled to Kotzk and became a disciple of Rabbi Menachem Mendel.[2] When his father learned of his affiliation with Hasidism, he observed shivah in mourning for him.[3] Despite this, his grandfather Akiva Eiger maintained a relationship with him.
After Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Leiner left Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, Eiger followed him, visiting him regularly. Following Leiner's passing, his followers appointed Eiger as their Admor, and he attracted numerous disciples to Lublin. After Eiger's death, his son Rabbi Avraham Eiger and his student Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin succeeded him.
Descendants and the Lublin Hasidic dynasty
edit
- Rabbi Avraham Eiger (1845–1914), son of Yehuda Leib Eiger, became Admor of Lublin following his father's death. His work, Shevet MiYehuda, was published posthumously.[4] His daughter, Kayla Nechama, married Rabbi Shaul Yedidya Elazar Taub of Modzitz. This marriage ended in divorce, and she later married Rabbi Yirmiyahu Kalish of Opole.
- Rabbi Shlomo Eiger (1870–1940), served as Admor of Lublin. After Rabbi Meir Shapiro’s passing, he briefly led the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva.[5] His library was considered one of the largest Torah collections in Poland. Following the German invasion, he fled to Warsaw, where he later died, with thousands attending his funeral.
- Rabbi Azriel Meir Eiger (1873–1941) served as Admor in Piotrków Trybunalski and later in Warsaw. He authored works on Talmudic topics and sought to address the issue of ribit (interest) by introducing heter iska rulings.[6]
- Rabbi Avraham Eiger (1914–2002) immigrated to Mandatory Palestine. He served as Admor beginning in 1945, residing in Bnei Brak, where he established a study hall. He was buried at Shomrei Shabbat Cemetery. Two of his sons-in-law are Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Milikovsky of Amshinov[8] and the Admor of Kozmir.
- Another son of Rabbi Azriel Meir, Rabbi Yehuda Leib Eiger, was married to Rachel, daughter of Rabbi Yitzchak Zelig Morgenstern of Sokółka-Kotzk, and was killed in the Holocaust.
- Rabbi Mordechai Menachem Mendel Eiger served as Admor of Lublin in New York from 1940 until his death in 1995.
Notable works
editEiger's works include:
- Torat Emet
- Imrei Emet
Further reading
edit- Yitzchak Alfasi, HaChassidut, Maariv, 1977, pp. 208
- Aharon Yisrael Bromberg, Migedolei HaChassidut, Jerusalem, 1958, pp. 91–158
- Iser Frenkel, Yechidei Segulah, pp. 31–35
References
edit- ^ Bromberg, A. (1958). Migedolei HaChassidut. p. 25.
- ^ Bromberg, A. Migedolei HaChassidut. p. 24.
- ^ I. Frenkel. Yechidei Segulah. pp. 32–33.
- ^ Shevet MiYehuda. Lublin. 1935.
- ^ "Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva".
- ^ Avnei Zikaron. Warsaw. 1929.
- ^ He was the son-in-law of Rabbi Avraham Weinberg of Slonim-Tel Aviv and Rabbi Yisrael Alter of Gur.
- ^ "The Amshinover Rebbe in Tears". Bhol. 14 October 2010.
- ^ "Mourning the Lublin Admor". Bhol. 28 March 2023.