Elazar Mordechai Koenig () (October 15, 1945 – December 31, 2018) was an

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

and the spiritual leader of the Breslov

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 ...

community in

Safed Safed (known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as Tzfat; Sephardi Hebrew, Sephardic Hebrew & Modern Hebrew: צְפַת ''Tsfat'', Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation, Ashkenazi Hebrew: ''Tzfas'', Biblical Hebrew: ''Ṣǝp̄aṯ''; ar, صفد, ''Ṣafad''), i ...

, Israel.

Early life

Elazar Mordechai Koenig was born in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

to Rabbi Gedaliah Aharon Koenig and his wife Esther Yehudit Koenig. His father was a leading disciple of Breslov elder Rabbi

Abraham Sternhartz Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jew ...

, who immigrated to Jerusalem from

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 1936.Frankfurther, Rabbi Yitzchok. "Finding Happiness in Breslov: A conversation with Rav Elazar Koenig, ''shlita'', of Tzefas". ''

Ami AMI or Ami may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media *AMI-tv, a Canadian TV channel **AMI-télé, the French-language version * AMI-audio, a Canadian audio broadcast TV service *''Ami Magazine'', an Orthodox Jewish news magazine Businesses ...

'', 12 March 2014, pp. 62–71. Koenig was an alumnus of the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He studied

kabbalah 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 ...

with his father as well as with several leading

Sephardic Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), ...

masters, including Rabbi

Mordechai Sharabi Mordechai Sharabi (1908, Shara'b As Salam, Yemen – 1984, Jerusalem) was a rabbi and the founder and rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Nahar Shalom, a yeshiva for the study of the Kabbalah of Shalom Sharabi, in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Mahane Ye ...

Breslov leader

PikiWiki Israel 32748 Geography of Israel

In 1967, his father, with the encouragement of Rabbi Sternhartz, founded the Breslov community in Safed and dedicated himself to fundraising for the expansion of this

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...

center. Upon his father's unexpected death in 1980, Koenig and his two brothers built up the Breslov Safed complex to include 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 ...

, preschool,

Talmud Torah Talmud Torah ( he, תלמוד תורה, lit. 'Study of the Torah') schools were created in the Jewish world, both Ashkenazic and Sephardic, as a form of religious school for boys of modest backgrounds, where they were given an elementary educat ...

, yeshiva ketana, and

kollel A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...

. As of 2014, the Safed Breslov community comprised 250 families. Koenig was the leader of this community as well as of its umbrella organization, Nachal Novea Mekor Chochma. The organizations institutions include; Kiryat Breslev (a religious housing complex), a kollel, Yeshiva ketana, Talmud Torah Magen Avot, Ganei and Derech Yehudit Education Center for Girls, a daycare center for working mothers, Lilmod U'lamed Special Education School, the historic Trisk Synagogue in Safed's Old City, and a five-story Torah Center. After suffering for many years from

pulmonary fibrosis Pulmonary fibrosis is a condition in which the lungs become scarred over time. Symptoms include shortness of breath, a dry cough, feeling tired, weight loss, and nail clubbing. Complications may include pulmonary hypertension, respiratory failu ...

of unknown origin, Koenig underwent lung transplant surgery on January 15, 2005, at Manhattan's

Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is a nonprofit academic medical center in New York City affiliated with two Ivy League medical schools, Cornell University and Columbia University. The hospital comprises seven distinct campuses located in the New Y ...

. Koenig died on December 31, 2018, at the age of 73 following declining health due to cancer.

Influence beyond Safed

In 1997 Koenig founded the Breslov Center for Spirituality and Inner Growth, which organizes classes on the teachings 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'' ...

, lectures, musical events, and retreats in the Greater

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

area. He also sponsored the annual Breslov Rosh Hashana gathering in Meron for Hasidim unable to travel to

Uman 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 ...

References

https://hamodia.com/2018/12/31/bde-harav-elazar-mordechai-kenig-ztl-breslover-rav-tzfas/

External links

The Breslov Center for Spirituality and Inner Growth websiteThe Fire of Rebbe Nachman: A conversation with Rabbi Elazar Mordechai Kenig (2011)Nachal Novea Tsfat website (English)Breslev Tsfat website (Hebrew)The Tzaddik Center website (English)Friends of Tsfat website (English)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koenig, Elazar Mordechai Breslov rabbis Israeli Hasidic rabbis 20th-century Israeli rabbis 21st-century Israeli rabbis People from Jerusalem 1945 births 2018 deaths Rabbis in Safed