Lyubeshov

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LYUBESHOV

LYUBESHOV (Pol. Lubieszów ; Yid. Libeshey ), ?asidic dynasty established in Lithuanian Polesie in the early 19^th century, originating in Volhynia. Its founder, shemariah weingarten (d. 1846), was the son of Abraham Abba-Joseph of Soroca (Soroki) and son-in-law of the celebrated Volhynian ?addik David ha-Levi of Stepan. His leadership was acknowledged in Pinsk, *Kobrin, Lyubeshov, Janow, Telekhany, Motol, and Khomsk, among other places. Shemariah, who was also a scholar, was given a special right to the rabbinate in Kobrin and the surrounding villages, a unique case in the annals of ?asidism in Lithuania. The establishment of the dynasty helped to spread ?asidism in this part of Polesie. Shemariah's successor in Lyubeshov was his son jehiel michael, and later, his other son abraham abba (d. 1861), who served as rabbi of the nearby town of Janow and in Lyubeshov. At that time the influence of the Lyubeshov dynasty, especially in Kobrin, passed to the ?asidic "court" of Kobrin. After Abraham Abba's death, his son ?ayyim isaac served as ?addik from 1861 to 1879, and his grandson jacob loeb from 1879 to 1922. In 1886 the second son of ?ayyim Isaac, abba (d. c. 1924), served as ?addik in Janow, which caused a split among the Lyubeshov ?asidim. The successor of Jacob Loeb in Lyubeshov was his son isaac aaron, who lived in Pinsk and gathered around him the Lyubeshov ?asidim. Between the two world wars he visited his ?asidim in the U.S. He and his followers perished during the Holocaust.

It was characteristic of Lyubeshov ?asidim that their ?addikim served as rabbis of towns in Lithuania (Kobrin, Janow, and Lyubeshov). Essentially it was a branch of the Volhynian ?asidism. Their ?addikim left no written works. An important principle of Lyubeshov ?asidim was the holiness of the zaddik. They opposed fasting, emphasized the virtue of joy, and had their own melodies. They were concerned with settlement in Ere? Israel and during the 19^th century set up a Lyubeshov *kolel there.