Maiden of Ludmir
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Maiden of Ludmir | |
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Title | Maiden of Ludmir |
Personal | |
Born | Khana Rukhl Verbermacher 1805 Sanjak of Jerusalem, Ottoman Empire |
Religion | Judaism |
Parent |
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Buried | Mount of Olives |
The Maiden of
Biography
Hane Rokhl Verbermacher was born in the early nineteenth century in the shtetl of Ludmir in the Russian Empire, which is now Volodymyr in Ukraine, to Hasidic parents. Her father, Munish Verbermacher,[3] was a devotee of Mordechai Twersky, known as the "Maggid of Chernobyl", as well as a wealthy businessman. He provided an extensive education for his only daughter, which included many fields of Torah study.
She appears not to have been a remarkable child, but underwent a transformation in her late teens. Declining marriage, she started to fulfill all the
As her fame grew she assumed functions generally reserved for Hasidic rebbes, such as receiving audiences and accepting kvitlach (prayer request notes), and to preside over a tish (the traditional Shabbat meals eaten in the company of one's Hasidim) at which she would offer Torah teachings and pass shirayim (leftovers from a rebbe's meal), although many accounts say that she did so from behind a screen out of modesty.
However, she remained an anomaly and had to withstand strong opposition from the fiercely traditional Hasidic community, who were made ill at ease by this unusual woman. At some point the pressure for her to refrain from her activities grew strong, and her father asked her to consult with his rebbe, Mordechai Twersky, the Maggid of Chernobyl, on the matter. The Maggid convinced her to discontinue her unusual behavior, and encouraged her to marry and assume the traditional role for Hasidic women.
After the visit to the Rebbe, Hane Rokhl temporarily halted her activities as a Hasidic leader and teacher. She even married, although it is disputed how long the marriage lasted.
Later she immigrated to
See also
Notes
- ^ The Library of Congress authority file gives her dates as 1815–1892
References
- S2CID 161754482.
- ^ Deutsch, Nathaniel (June 10, 2010). "Maiden of Ludmir". The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. YIVO. Retrieved April 9, 2013.
- ISBN 0-520-23191-0.
- ISBN 978-1-316-15426-7.
Further reading
- The Maiden of Ludmir: A Jewish Holy Woman and Her World by Nathaniel Deutsch (University of California Press) ISBN 978-0-520-23191-7
- They Called Her Rebbe: The Maiden of Ludomir by Gershon Winkler (Israel Book Shop Press) ISBN 978-0-910818-90-2
- From Sarah to Sarah: And Other Fascinating Jewish Women Both Famous and Forgotten by S. Feldbrand (Lishmoa Lilmod U'Lelamed) ISBN 978-0-9766946-1-8
External links
- Khane-Rokhl Webermakher: The Maiden of Ludmir, Video Lecture by Dr. Henry Abramson