Ze'ev Wolf Kitzes ( yi, , russian: рабби Зеев Волф Кицис; born – died between 1764-1775,

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 ...

) was a noted Hasidic rabbi. He was the

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 ...

of the

Tulchin Tulchyn (, translit. ''Tul’chyn'', old name ''Nesterwar'' (from Hungarian ''Nester'' - Dniester and ''war'' -town), Latin Tulcinum, pl, Tulczyn, yi, טולטשין, ro, Tulcin) is a town in Vinnytsia Oblast (province) of western Ukraine, f ...

(Тульчин) community in

Vinnitsya Vinnytsia ( ; uk, Вінниця, ; yi, װיניצע) is a city in west-central Ukraine, located on the banks of the Southern Bug. It is the administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast and the largest city in the historic region of Podillia. Ad ...

. Later he moved to

Medzhibozh Medzhybizh, previously known as Mezhybozhe, population 1,731, (Census 2001) ( uk, Меджибіж, russian: Меджибож, Translit: ''Medzhibozh'', pl, Międzybóż, german: Medschybisch, yi, מעזשביזש, translit. ''Mezhbizh'') is ...

where he, together with Rabbi David Purkes, stood at the head of the group of Chassidim that preceded the

Baal Shem Tov Israel ben Eliezer (1698 – 22 May 1760), known as the Baal Shem Tov ( he, בעל שם טוב, ) or as the Besht, was a Jewish mystic and healer who is regarded as the founder of Hasidic Judaism. "Besht" is the acronym for Baal Shem Tov, which ...

. When the Baal Shem Tov arrived in Medzhibozh, Kitzes and Purkes opposed him. However, they later accepted and supported his leadership. Kitzes was a student of the Baal Shem Tov. He was the ''Baal Tokeah'' (the one who blows the

Shofar A shofar ( ; from he, שׁוֹפָר, ) is an ancient musical horn typically made of a ram's horn, used for Jewish religious purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices, with all pitch control done by varying the ...

) at the

beit midrash A ''beth midrash'' ( he, בית מדרש, or ''beis medrash'', ''beit midrash'', pl. ''batei midrash'' "House of Learning") is a hall dedicated for Torah study, often translated as a "study hall." It is distinct from a synagogue (''beth knes ...

of the Baal Shem Tov. Rabbi Yitzchak Michelowitz of Radvil writes that Kitzes was famous for his piety and meticulous observance of Mizvot, to the extent that "he would even ituallyimmerse a needle". In a book called ''Me'ah Shearim'', it is mentioned that Kitzes was very strict about not eating meat that was made

kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...

with him not being present, even if his rabbi, the Baal Shem Tov, was present. There are many stories about him in the biography of Baal Shem Tov called ''Shivhei ha-Besht (In Praise of the Ba'al Shem Tov)''. Kitzes is buried in

next to the Ba'al Shem Tov.

Children

*Nachman Kitzes *Abraham Kazis from Vishnevets1811 Kremnets census1764 Medzibozh Census *Ozer Kitzes *Fyvush Kitzes *Chaim Israel Kitzes * Etia married to Yankiel Ichowicz *A daughter married Rabbi Yosef the son of Rabbi David of

Mykolaiv Mykolaiv ( uk, Миколаїв, ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Southern Ukraine, the Administrative centre, administrative center of the Mykolaiv Oblast. Mykolaiv city, which provides U ...

, a student of the Besht *Yehudis married the son of Rabbi David Purkes, a student of the Besht, and Chief Judge in the Medzhibozh

Beth Din A beit din ( he, בית דין, Bet Din, house of judgment, , Ashkenazic: ''beis din'', plural: batei din) is a rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system in the Biblical Land of Israel. Today, it ...

*A daughter married into a prominent, wealthy family in the city of Iaşi

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitzes, Ze'ev Wolf 18th-century rabbis from the Russian Empire Hasidic rebbes 1680s births 18th-century deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain

Children

See also

References