Yitzchok Breiter (1886-1943?) was a

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 ...

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 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 ...

who spread the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov beyond their origins in

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 ...

to the country of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

during the 1920s to 1930s.

Biography

Born in Poland 76 years after Rebbe Nachman's death, Breiter grew up without ever having heard about Breslover Hasidut. He first came across a copy of Rebbe Nachman's ''Likutey Moharan'' while learning in

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 ...

Lublin Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of t ...

, and was impressed by the wisdom and faith it contained. He hid the book to read it again the next day, but when he returned, it had disappeared. A few weeks later he came across a copy of ''Parparaot LeChochmah'' by the Tcheriner Rav, Rabbi

Nachman Goldstein Nachman Goldstein of Tcherin (1825 – 1894), also known as the Tcheriner Rav (rabbi of Tcherin, a town in eastern Ukraine), was a leading disciple of Nathan of Breslov (known as "Reb Noson"), who in turn was the chief disciple of Rebbe Nachman ...

, which is a scholarly commentary on ''Likutey Moharan''. In this volume, Breiter found information which helped him make contact with the Breslover Hasidim in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. The next

Rosh Hashana Rosh HaShanah ( he, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, , literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , lit. "day of shouting/blasting") It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (, , " ...

, he made the first of many trips to Rebbe Nachman's gravesite in

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 ...

. These pilgrimages ended in 1917, when the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

sealed the border between Poland and

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

Russia. Barred from visiting Rebbe Nachman's grave, Breiter composed an emotional prayer asking to be able to visit Uman once again. This prayer was recited by Breslover Hasidim around the world for more than 70 years, until the fall of Communism in 1989. Unable to travel to the annual Breslover

Rosh Hashana kibbutz The Rosh Hashana Kibbutz ( he, קיבוץ; plural: kibbutzim: קיבוצים, "gathering" or "ingathering") is a large prayer assemblage of Breslover Hasidim held on the Jewish New Year. It specifically refers to the pilgrimage of tens of thousa ...

(prayer gathering) in Uman, Breiter established a similar holiday gathering in Lublin. Breiter was a fiery, charismatic orator who was instrumental in increasing the numbers of Polish Breslover Hasidim to several thousand by the 1930s, making him one of the more important leaders of pre-World War II Breslov Hasidim. He was one of the Breslov leaders to whom Rabbi Yisroel Ber Odesser sent his '' petek'' for verification; the ''petek'' was returned without comment to Odesser on the last ship out of Poland before the German

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

Holocaust

Breiter was a recognized elder in the Warsaw ghetto during the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

occupation of Poland. He was deported on one of the transports to

Treblinka Treblinka () was an extermination camp, built and operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II. It was in a forest north-east of Warsaw, south of the village of Treblinka in what is now the Masovian Voivodeship. The camp ...

, where he was murdered.

Publications

Breiter wrote several scholarly works, including ''Seder HaYom'' ("Order of the Day"), which explains how to apply Rebbe Nachman’s teachings to one's daily life, and ''Sheva Amudei Emunah'' ("Seven Pillars of Faith"), a primer for developing one's faith. He also composed the stirring song ''Chidush Kemoso'' ("A Novelty Like Him") in praise of Rebbe Nachman, which is often sung at Breslover gatherings.

References

External links

''Seven Pillars of Faith'' by Rabbi Yitzchak Breiter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breiter, Yitzchok Breslov rabbis Polish Hasidic rabbis 20th-century Polish rabbis 1886 births 1943 deaths Warsaw Ghetto inmates Polish people who died in Treblinka extermination camp Polish civilians killed in World War II Polish Jews who died in the Holocaust