Meisels, Uzziel ben ?evi Hirsch
MEISELS, UZZIEL BEN ?EVI HIRSCH
MEISELS, UZZIEL BEN ?EVI HIRSCH (1743–1785 or 1786), ?asidic rabbi in Poland. Meisels was a member of an old rabbinic family in Poland, and a descendant of Moses *Isserles whom he calls "my grandfather" in his works. He served as av bet din in Rychwal (Bogatynia), Ostrowiec, and Nowy Dwor. Attracted to ?asidism he became a disciple of *Dov Baer, the Maggid of Mezhirech, and with his brother Isaac became one of the propagators of ?asidism in Poland. A considerable portion of his teachings in the yeshivah has been lost. His works include E? ha-Da'at Tov, novellae on tractates Ketubbot (1863) and Shabbat (1866); Menorah ha-Tehorah (1883/84), on Tur, Ora? ?ayyim, Hilkhot Shabbat; and Tiferet ?evi (1803), on tractate Be?ah. The rest were published post-humously by his grandchildren in Tiferet Uzzi'el. This work includes selections on the Bible and moralistic ?asidic sermons, combined with kabbalistic themes, though even these reflect the style of the halakhist, and contains many sayings of the founders of ?asidism. Meisels was called ??? ?? ("Servant of the Lord"), eved being the initial letters of Uzziel ben Dreizel (his mother's name).
[Pnina Meislish]