Shmuel Shmelke of Nikolsburg
Rabbi Shmuel Shmelke Horowitz of Nikolsburg (1726–1778) was one of the foremost disciples of the Maggid of Mezeritch, and a towering rabbinic figure in the early spread of Chassidic Judaism across Poland, Moravia, and the German lands.
Life
Rabbi Shmelke was born in 1726 in Chortkov, to Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh, the town's rabbi, who was himself regarded as a tzaddik — a righteous and spiritually elevated individual.[1]
The Admor Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh of Munkatch recorded[2] a tradition that the Baal Shem Tov sent Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh, the rabbinical judge of Chortkov, to Rabbi Chaim of Brody to request a blessing for children. Rabbi Chaim blessed him that he would merit "sons who would be luminaries of the exile" — and from that blessing were born his two holy sons: Rabbi Pinchas, author of the *Hafla'ah*, and Rabbi Shmelke of Nikolsburg.
Rabbi Shmelke maintained a major yeshiva, whose students included the celebrated Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak Horowitz, later known as the Seer of Lublin.
Together with his brother Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz (the *Ba'al HaHafla'ah*), Rabbi Shmelke began traveling to the Maggid of Mezeritch, the successor to the Baal Shem Tov and the central figure of the second generation of Chassidus. Under their influence, a remarkable circle of disciples was drawn into the Chassidic world as well, including Rabbi Yisroel Hopstein (the Maggid of Kozhnitz), Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sassov, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Rimanov, and Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak of Lublin.
While Rabbi Shmelke was still in the court of the Maggid, the Alter Rebbe — Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of Chabad-Lubavitch — came before him with the manuscript of his code of Jewish law. Rabbi Shmelke encouraged him warmly to bring the work to publication.[3]
Rabbi Shmelke passed away on the 2nd of Iyar, 5538 (1778), and was buried in Nikolsburg.
Communal Leadership
In 1754, Rabbi Shmelke accepted the rabbinate of the town of Ritchwal, where he established a yeshiva that attracted outstanding Torah scholars. Among those who studied there and rose to lead the Chassidic world were Rabbi Yisroel Hopstein (the Maggid of Kozhnitz), Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, and Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak of Lublin.
Around 1763, he was appointed rabbinical judge (*av beis din*) of Shinova, and relocated his yeshiva there as well. It was during this period that the Seer of Lublin studied under him.
In 1773, Rabbi Shmelke moved to serve as rabbi of Nikolsburg, in the Moravian region, once again bringing his yeshiva with him. There he was joined by such students as Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sassov, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Rimanov, Rabbi Yitzchak Eizik of Kaliv, and Rabbi Mordechai Benet, who later served as rabbi of Nikolsburg himself. It is in Nikolsburg that Rabbi Shmelke rests.
Family
- His son, Rabbi Tzvi Yehoshua Horowitz, served as rabbinical judge of Trebitsch, and married a daughter of his father's brother, Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz.
- His daughter Teyba married Rabbi Yaakov Horowitz, rabbinical judge of Katzelburg near Pressburg.
Works
- Divrei Shmuel — on the Torah.
- Nazir Hashem — on the section of Shulchan Aruch dealing with marriage law (*Even HaEzer*).
- Shemen HaTov.
Encouragement of the Alter Rebbe
The sons of the Alter Rebbe attest in the introduction to the Shulchan Aruch HaRav that before Rabbi Shmelke departed to assume the rabbinate of Nikolsburg — and before his brother Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz left for the rabbinate of Frankfurt — while both were still in the Maggid's court, they saw the Alter Rebbe's manuscript and praised it in the highest terms, urging him: "Be strong and courageous — go forth and complete this work. It befits you, and the merit of the Torah will stand for your descendants and for all of Israel."
On the day of his passing, Rabbi Shmelke told his disciples that he was a spark of the soul of Samuel the Prophet, and that this was why he was departing at the age of 52 — the same number of years the Prophet Samuel had lived.