LACHOWICZE (Lyakhovichi), MORDECAI BEN NOAH OF

LACHOWICZE (Lyakhovichi ), MORDECAI BEN NOAH OF (1742–1810), ?asidic ?addik. Mordecai was a disciple of Solomon b. Meir ha-Levi of *Karlin (with whom he went into exile from Lithuania because of persecutions by the Mitnaggedim) and for a short time of *Baruch b. Jehiel of Medzibezh. In 1793 he returned to Lithuania and established a dynasty of ?addikim in Lachowicze, which became one of the important centers of ?asidism in northeastern Lithuania on the border of Belorussia. His activities to spread ?asidism aroused opposition from the Mitnaggedim who started to persecute him. Through their influence he was imprisoned in 1798; the day of his liberation – the fifth day of ?anukkah – was celebrated as a holiday among his ?asidim. Mordecai was among the main collectors of funds for the ?asidim of Ere? Israel. In the dispute between *Shneur Zalman of Lyady and *Abraham b. Alexander Katz of Kalisk, he supported the latter. He attached great importance to the role of the ?addik in helping his Hasidim in material as well as spiritual matters.

Mordecai's connections by marriage with the ?addik Asher of *Stolin led to the establishment of the *Koidanov dynasty of ?addikim. Mordecai's successor, his son, Noah (1774–1832), was known for his fatherly attitude toward ordinary people. In 1821 he made an appeal for the benefit of the ?asidim of Ere? Israel. Torat Avot (1961) contains the teachings and sayings attributed by the ?asidim to Mordecai and Noah on the Torah and festivals. After Noah's death some of his ?asidim chose his son-in-law mordecai (ii) as successor, while others chose his brother's son solomon ?ayyim of Koidanov. This split and the rise of the Koidanov and *Kobrin ?asidism at that time led to the weakening of Lachowicze ?asidism and under Mordecai ii Lachowicze ?asidism was to a certain extent led by the ?addik Aaron (ii) of *Karlin. During the time of the successor of Mordecai ii, Aaron (d. 1881), Lachowicze ?asidism regained its independence, but, in particular during the time of his son, noah (ii; d. 1920), it was again weakened through the spread of the Haskalah. Noah (ii) strongly opposed the Zionist movement and supported the Lachowicze *kolel in Ere? Israel. His son, johanan, perished with many of his ?asidim during the Holocaust. Some of the teachings of the Lachowicze dynasty appear in Divrei Shalom (1882), by Shalom (Perlow) of Koidanov.

bibliography:

W.Z. Rabinowitsch, Lithuanian ?asidism (1970), index; M. Buber, Tales of the Hasidim, 2 (1966³), 153–8.

[Wolf Zeev Rabinowitsch]