Asher Zebi ben David of Ostrowo was a 19th-century ''

hasidic Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...

'' rabbi who served as

Av Beit Din The ''av beit din'' ( ''ʾabh bêth dîn'', "chief of the court" or "chief justice"), also spelled ''av beis din'' or ''abh beth din'' and abbreviated ABD (), was the second-highest-ranking member of the Sanhedrin during the Second Temple period, ...

of Korets, Volhynia, and later as "'' maggid''" ( preacher) of Ostrowo, in the government of Lomza in Russian Poland. He was a pupil of Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezeritch.

''Ma'ayn haḤokmah''

Asher is the author of "''Ma'ayn haḤokmah''" (Spring of Wisdom), Korets, 1817, containing

kabbalistic Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and Jewish theology, school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "rece ...

homilies on the Torah and other books of the Hebrew Bible. Eliezer Zweifel in his work in defense of Hasidism ("''Shalom al-Yisrael''," pp. 81, 82) quotes aphorisms from this work; one of which shows Asher's contempt for those who study the laws of nature or secular science.
''Jewish Encyclopedia'' bibliography: *''Sefer Seder ha-Dorot mi-Talmide ha-Besht'', p. 30b.

References

19th-century rabbis from the Russian Empire Hasidic rabbis Maggidim Authors of Hasidic works Authors of Kabbalistic works Place of birth missing Place of death missing Year of birth missing Year of death missing {{Rabbi-stub