Yaakov Yosef of Polnoye: Difference between revisions

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[[File:ציון תולדות יעקב יוסף.jpg|thumb|The gravesite of Rabbi Yaakov Yosef (right)]]

'''Rabbi Yaakov Yosef HaKohen Katz''', known as '''Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Polnoye''', was ~~the foremost~~ disciple of the [[Baal Shem Tov]] and the author of the first Chassidic work ever brought to print.

'''Rabbi Yaakov Yosef HaKohen Katz''', known as '''Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Polnoye''', was a disciple of the [[Baal Shem Tov]] and the author of the first Chassidic work ever brought to print.

The year and place of his birth are unknown. Before drawing close to the Baal Shem Tov, he served as rabbi and head of the rabbinical court (''av beis din'') in Sharhorod, a town in Podolia, in what was then southern [[Poland]]. Through the influence of [[Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib of Polnoye|Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib ben Yechiel Michel]], known as the Reproacher of Polnoye — himself a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov — Rabbi Yaakov Yosef became a Chassid. As a result, the townspeople, led by the local tax collector, had him removed from his position. According to tradition, he then pronounced a curse upon the town and upon the tax collector's family, after which a fire broke out that nearly consumed the entire town, and members of the tax collector's family fell gravely ill. The townspeople appealed to the [[Baal Shem Tov]] to annul the decree. He replied that it was not within his power to fully undo the words of Rabbi Yaakov Yosef — only to soften them somewhat — and so he decreed that in each generation, children with physical disabilities would be born into the tax collector's family. And so it was.

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His overall approach to learning bears a resemblance to the method cultivated by the Chabad Rebbes — studying the plain meaning of a text in depth, while paying close attention to every detail and nuance.

Beyond that, the Rebbe ~~[[Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson]]~~ frequently cited his teachings. Among the most notable:

Beyond that, the Rebbe frequently cited his teachings. Among the most notable:

On the verse "And I will surely hide My face on that day" (Deuteronomy 31:18), Rabbi Yaakov Yosef taught that the concealment of exile is itself concealed — meaning that the very fact that G-d is hidden is also hidden from us.

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 [[File:ציון תולדות יעקב יוסף.jpg|thumb|The gravesite of Rabbi Yaakov Yosef (right)]]
-'''Rabbi Yaakov Yosef HaKohen Katz''', known as '''Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Polnoye''', was the foremost disciple of the [[Baal Shem Tov]] and the author of the first Chassidic work ever brought to print.
+'''Rabbi Yaakov Yosef HaKohen Katz''', known as '''Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Polnoye''', was a disciple of the [[Baal Shem Tov]] and the author of the first Chassidic work ever brought to print.
 The year and place of his birth are unknown. Before drawing close to the Baal Shem Tov, he served as rabbi and head of the rabbinical court (''av beis din'') in Sharhorod, a town in Podolia, in what was then southern [[Poland]]. Through the influence of [[Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib of Polnoye|Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib ben Yechiel Michel]], known as the Reproacher of Polnoye — himself a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov — Rabbi Yaakov Yosef became a Chassid. As a result, the townspeople, led by the local tax collector, had him removed from his position. According to tradition, he then pronounced a curse upon the town and upon the tax collector's family, after which a fire broke out that nearly consumed the entire town, and members of the tax collector's family fell gravely ill. The townspeople appealed to the [[Baal Shem Tov]] to annul the decree. He replied that it was not within his power to fully undo the words of Rabbi Yaakov Yosef — only to soften them somewhat — and so he decreed that in each generation, children with physical disabilities would be born into the tax collector's family. And so it was.
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 His overall approach to learning bears a resemblance to the method cultivated by the Chabad Rebbes — studying the plain meaning of a text in depth, while paying close attention to every detail and nuance.
-Beyond that, the Rebbe [[Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson]] frequently cited his teachings. Among the most notable:
+Beyond that, the Rebbe frequently cited his teachings. Among the most notable:
 On the verse "And I will surely hide My face on that day" (Deuteronomy 31:18), Rabbi Yaakov Yosef taught that the concealment of exile is itself concealed — meaning that the very fact that G-d is hidden is also hidden from us.