Alter Tepliker was the

sobriquet A sobriquet ( ), or soubriquet, is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another, that is descriptive. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym, as it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name, without the need of expla ...

of Rabbi Moshe Yehoshua Bezhilianski ( 1919), a learned scholar and leading

Breslover Breslov (also Bratslav, also spelled Breslev) is a branch of Hasidic Judaism founded by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810), a great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism. Its adherents strive to develop an intense, joyous rel ...

Hasid Ḥasīd ( he, חסיד, "pious", "saintly", "godly man"; plural "Hasidim") is a Jewish honorific, frequently used as a term of exceptional respect in the Talmudic and early medieval periods. It denotes a person who is scrupulous in his observ ...

Uman, Ukraine Uman ( uk, Умань, ; pl, Humań; yi, אומאַן) is a city located in Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. Located in the historical region of the eastern Podolia, the city rests on the banks of the Umanka River ...

in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Biography

Born in Teplik,

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

, he became active in the Breslover community in nearby Uman, where he married the sister of

Abraham Chazan Abraham Chazan (1849–1917) was a rabbi and key figure in the transmission of Breslover Hasidut at the turn of the 20th century. Biography He was born in Tulchyn, Ukraine to Rabbi Nachman Chazan, the closest disciple of Nathan of Breslov ("Reb N ...

. Chazan's father,

Nachman Chazan Nachman Chazan (1813–1884) was a seminal figure in the continuation and growth of Breslov Hasidism in the mid-nineteenth century. The Breslov movement was founded by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, who died in 1810. Rebbe Nachman's closest disciple, Na ...

, was the closest disciple of Reb Noson, who was in turn the closest disciple of Rebbe

Nachman of Breslov Nachman of Breslov ( he, רַבִּי נַחְמָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב ''Rabbī'' ''Naḥmān mīBreslev''), also known as Reb Nachman of Bratslav, Reb Nachman Breslover ( yi, רבי נחמן ברעסלאווער ''Rebe Nakhmen Breslover'' ...

. Breslover leaders of the following generation, such as Rabbis Shmuel Horowitz and Yitzchok Gelbach, attributed their initial interest in Breslov teachings to their first exposure to Alter Tepliker's ''Hishtafchut HaNefesh''. He fell victim to a

Cossack The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

pogrom A pogrom () is a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe 19th- and 20th-century attacks on Jews in the Russia ...

during the

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

struggle for independence in 1919. He was murdered in a

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

while holding a

sefer Torah A ( he, סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה; "Book of Torah"; plural: ) or Torah scroll is a handwritten copy of the Torah, meaning the five books of Moses (the first books of the Hebrew Bible). The Torah scroll is mainly used in the ritual of Tora ...

Publications

Tepliker pioneered the publication of Breslover teachings on specific topics. His ten books include: * ''Hishtafchut HaNefesh'' (''Outpouring of the Soul'') — on the topic of ''

hitbodedut Hitbodedut or hisbodedus ( he, הִתְבּוֹדְדוּת, lit. "seclusion, solitariness, solitude"; Tiberian: ''hīṯbōḏăḏūṯ'' , Ashkenazi: ''hīsboydedēs/hīsboydedūs'' or ''hīsbōdedūs'', Sephardi: ''hitbōdedūt'') refers to ...

'' (meditation) * ''Meshivat Nefesh'' (''Restore My Soul'') — on the topic of inner strength * ''Or Zorei'ach Haggadah'' (''The Breslov Haggadah'') — on the

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday that celebrates the The Exodus, Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Ancient Egypt, Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew calendar, He ...

Haggadah The Haggadah ( he, הַגָּדָה, "telling"; plural: Haggadot) is a Jewish text that sets forth the order of the Passover Seder. According to Jewish practice, reading the Haggadah at the Seder table is a fulfillment of the mitzvah to each J ...

* A commentary on '' Pirkey Avot'' * ''Mei HaNachal'' (''Waters of the River'') — a commentary on Rebbe Nachman's ''Likutey Moharan''.

References

*Kramer, Chaim (1989). ''Crossing the Narrow Bridge''.

Breslov Research Institute Breslov Research Institute is a publisher of classic and contemporary Breslov texts in English. Established in 1979, BRI has produced the first English translation of all the works of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810) and selected works of Re ...

. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Tepliker, Alter Breslov rabbis Ukrainian Hasidic rabbis Hasidic rabbis in Europe 19th-century rabbis from the Russian Empire 20th-century Russian rabbis Jewish martyrs 1919 deaths Anti-Jewish pogroms Year of birth missing