Yaakov Meir Shechter (born November 6, 1930) is a prominent rabbi and teacher in 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 ...

movement in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. He is a well-known kabbalist and a

rosh yeshiva Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...

of both the main Breslov

Yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...

Meah Shearim Mea Shearim ( he, מאה שערים, lit., "hundred gates"; contextually, "a hundred fold") is one of the oldest Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem outside of the Old City. It is populated by Haredi Jews, and was built by members of the Old Yish ...

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

, and the Non-Breslov

Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva Shaar Hashamayim Yeshiva ( he, ישיבת שער השמים, lit., "Gate of Heaven") is an Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi yeshiva in Jerusalem dedicated to the study of the kabbalah, kabbalistic teachings of the Rabbi Isaac Luria, Arizal (Rabbi Isaac Lu ...

Mekor Baruch Mekor Baruch ( he, מקור ברוך, lit., "blessed source" or "fountain of blessing") also spelled Makor Baruch, is a neighborhood in Jerusalem. The neighborhood is bordered by Malkhei Yisrael Street to the north, Sarei Yisrael Street to the west ...

. His lectures, both in oral and written form, emphasize the application of Breslov and other related Chassidic and non-Chassidic teachings to the challenges of life and the pursuit of spiritual growth.

Early life

Yaakov Meir Shechter was born in the

Old City of Jerusalem The Old City of Jerusalem ( he, הָעִיר הָעַתִּיקָה, translit=ha-ir ha-atiqah; ar, البلدة القديمة, translit=al-Balda al-Qadimah; ) is a walled area in East Jerusalem. The Old City is traditionally divided into ...

to a prominent Breslover family headed by his father, Rabbi Dovid Shechter. During his youth in the Old City, Shechter learned from Breslov elders of the previous generation — especially 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 had immigrated to

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. The Shechter family was expelled from the Old City together with the rest of the Jewish population by the

Jordanian army The Royal Jordanian Army (Arabic: القوّات البرية الاردنيّة; ) is the ground force branch of the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF). It draws its origins from units such as the Arab Legion, formed in the British Mandate of Transj ...

during the

1948 Arab-Israeli War Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

. They resettled in the

Katamon , settlement_type = Neighborhood of Jerusalem , image_skyline = בית רה"מ לוי אשכול ברחוב בוסתנאי 3 בשכנות קטמון בירושלים.jpg , imagesize = 300px , image_caption = House ...

neighborhood of

, where a Breslov

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...

was founded. Later, the family moved again to the

neighborhood of

near the main Breslov yeshiva, which was founded in 1953.

Breslov leader

Shechter is widely regarded as the leading figure of the faction of Breslov which is connected to the larger

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

Hasidic community, centered in

. Thousands of people from all over the world and from all backgrounds flock to him for guidance on all matters, and for his blessings.

Publications

A selection of Shechter's talks from ''Leket Amarim'' (A Collection of Talks) was translated into

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

as ''In All Your Ways: A Guide to Avodas Hashem''
Moznaim Publishers
. This work incorporates Shechter's broad knowledge of

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

Midrash ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...

, Mussar, Breslov Hasidut, and Kabbalah into an inspirational guide for the spiritual seeke

References

External links

Chapter 9 from ''In All Your Ways: A Guide to Avodas Hashem'' by Rabbi Yaakov Meir Shechter

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shechter, Yaakov Meir Breslov rabbis Hasidic rosh yeshivas Hasidic rabbis in Israel 20th-century rabbis in Jerusalem Kabbalists Rabbis of the Edah HaChareidis Living people 1930 births