Peshischa Hasidism. After World War I the dynasty was moved to Łódź and, subsequently, to other nearby towns. After World War II the dynasty was transplanted to Israel
The founder of the dynasty, Avrohom Bornsztain was a leading
av beis din (head of the rabbinical court) of Sochaczew (Sochatchov), becoming known as the Sochatchover Rebbe. The homilies that he delivered before his Hasidim on Shabbat were collected and printed in the book Ne'ot Deshe. His voluminous responsa on every section of Shulchan Aruch
were published posthumously in seven volumes under the title Avnei Nezer ("Stones of the Crown").
Shmuel Bornsztain, the Shem Mishmuel.
His only son,
Jewish holidays, primarily based on the teachings of his father.[3] These teachings were posthumously published in the nine-volume Shem Mishmuel
.
In 1915 the town of Sochaczew was destroyed by the German army and Shmuel re-established his court in Łódź. In 1919 he moved his court to Zgierz, a small town near Łódź. He died in 1926.[3]
The third Sochatchover Rebbe, Dovid Bornsztain (1876–1942), eldest son of Shmuel, grew up near his grandfather, the Avnei Nezer, who was his primary teacher. After his marriage, he lived in his grandfather's house, continuing to study under him.[4][5] He served as the Rav of Vishgorod, where he established a yeshiva patterned after the Sochatchov learning style, and served as Rav of Tomashov after World War II. Upon his father's death in January 1926, Dovid was appointed third Sochatchover Rebbe by his father's Hasidim.[6] He established his court in Pabianice, near Łódź,[4] and founded a network of yeshivas under the name Yeshivat Beit Avrohom in Łódź, Warsaw, and other Polish cities.[6] He was an active member of Agudath Israel of America and the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah[4] and became known as one of the generation's leading Rebbes.[4][6]
After the
Passover Haggadah. These pages were later published as Chasdei Dovid together with the ninth volume of Shem Mishmuel, his father's work, which deals with the Haggadah.[4]
Leadership in Israel
The fourth Sochatchover Rebbe was
1948 Arab-Israeli war, when his followers in Tel Aviv urged him to join him there.[12]
He led the dynasty until his death in 1965.
The fifth Sochatchover Rebbe was
Radomsker Rebbe, since he was the great-grandson of the third Radomsker Rebbe (through his maternal lineage) and was asked by the Radomsker Hasidim who had survived the Holocaust to become their Rebbe as well.[12] While his father was alive, he served as Rav of the Sochatchover shtiebel in Tel Aviv and Rav of the Yad Eliyahu neighborhood. He died in an automobile accident in August 1969 at the age of 34.[12]
The sixth Sochatchover Rebbe is Shmuel Bornsztain (born 1961), eldest son of Menachem Shlomo Bornsztain. He was 8 years old at the time of his father's death, and became Rebbe a few years later. He presently leads the Sochatchover dynasty from Bayit Vegan, Jerusalem, where the Sochatchov yeshiva, Yeshivat Avnei Nezer, is located.[10]
Teachings
The Avnei Nezer and his son, the Shem Mishmuel, produced a body of teachings that are widely acknowledged as
The homiletic essays of the Shem Mishmuel have earned a following in both the Hasidic and non-Hasidic world, and are quoted in many Torah shiurim and books.
Lineage of Sochatchov dynastic leadership
First Sochatchover Rebbe: Avrohom Bornsztain (1838–1910), author of Avnei Nezer. Rebbe from 1870 to 1910.
Second Sochatchover Rebbe: Shmuel Bornsztain (1856–1926), son of Avrohom Bornsztain, author of Shem Mishmuel. Rebbe from 1910 to 1926.
Third Sochatchover Rebbe: Dovid Bornsztain (1876–1942), son of Shmuel Bornsztain. Rebbe from 1926 to 1942.
Fourth Sochatchover Rebbe: Chanoch Henoch Bornsztain (died 1965), son of Shmuel Bornsztain. Rebbe from the mid-1940s to 1965.
Fifth Sochatchover Rebbe: Menachem Shlomo Bornsztain (1934–1969), son of Chanoch Henoch Bornsztain. Rebbe from 1965 to 1969.
Sixth Sochatchover Rebbe: Shmuel Bornsztain (born 1961), son of Menachem Shlomo Bornsztain. Rebbe since the 1970s.
^ abcGrowise, Yisroel Alter. The Sochatchover Rebbe, Harav Menachem Shlomo Bornstein, zt"l, 40 Years Since His Tragic Passing. Hamodia Features section, 27 August 2009, pp. C4-5.
