Chaim Avraham Dov Ber Levine (1859/1860 – 1938), known as "the Malach" (lit. "the angel"), was a
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 founder of the
Malachim (Hasidic group)
The Malachim (Malochim or Malukhim) ( he, מלאכים, lit. "angels") is a small Hasidic group. It adheres to the Chabad school of Hasidic thought which emphasizes in-depth Torah study, uses the Chabad nusach of prayer, and focuses on the study o ...
.
Biography
Levine was one of the closest followers of
Sholom Dovber Schneersohn
Sholom Dovber Schneersohn ( he, שלום דובער שניאורסאהן) was the fifth Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad Lubavitch chasidic movement. He is known as "the Rebbe Rashab" (for Reb Sholom Ber). His teachings represent the emerge ...
, the fifth
rebbe
A Rebbe ( yi, רבי, translit=rebe) or Admor ( he, אדמו״ר) is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spiritua ...
of
Lubavitch
Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic groups ...
, and was the tutor of his son,
Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn
Yosef Yitzchak (Joseph Isaac) Schneersohn ( yi, יוסף יצחק שניאורסאהן; 21 June 1880 – 28 January 1950) was an Orthodox rabbi and the sixth Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad Lubavitch Chasidic movement. He is also known a ...
. Upon his arrival in New York in 1923, he was welcomed by
Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz
Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz (1886 – 7 September 1948) was a leader of American Orthodoxy and founder of key institutions such as Torah U'Mesorah, an outreach and educational organization. He is also known for having taken the reins in 1921 and b ...
, the ''
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 ...
'' (dean) of
Yeshiva Torah Vodaath
Yeshiva Torah Vodaas (or Yeshiva and Mesivta Torah Vodaath or Yeshiva Torah Vodaath or Torah Vodaath Rabbinical Seminary ) is a ''yeshiva'' in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.
History
The yeshiva was conceived in 1917 and for ...
in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
.
Levine parted ways with the Lubavitch group, and the Malachim became separate from the Lubavitch movement. However, he continued to teach Chabad works from the first generations of the movement, and subscribed to the core theosophy of Chabad.
After Levine's death, Yankev Schorr led the group.[Hasidic people: a place in the new world, p. 26, Jerome R. Mintz - 1992 "They were too conscious of the Malach's sense of rejection from Lubavitch. Instead, new leadership of the M'lochim came from within the group. Rabbi Yankev Schor, one of the early students, was named as rabbi, but he shared..."]
References
External links
"The Malach" by Dr. Yitzchak Levine, ''Jewish Press'', August 6, 2015Biographical sketch of the Malach and his son Zalman.
Rabbi Chaim Avroham Dover Levine (Cohen) at kevarim.comRabbi Raphael Zalman Levine at kevarim.comIncludes a scan of biographical sketch of R' Zalman on his fifteenth yartzeit, by Prof. Reuven Sugarman, ''Yated Neeman'', July 13, 2007 p. 38-39.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levine, Chaim Avraham Dov Ber
1938 deaths
American Hasidic rabbis
Year of birth uncertain
People from Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Chabad-Lubavitch related controversies
he:מלאכים (קבוצה חסידית)
1859 births