?EVI HIRSCH FRIEDMAN OF LESKO

?EVI HIRSCH FRIEDMAN OF LESKO (Pol. Lisko ; d. 1874), ?asid, active in Lesko, S.E. Poland; son of Aaron of Ujhely (Satoraljaujhely; d. 1816). He made many journeys to visit the ?addikim of his time, studying mainly under ?ayyim *Halberstamm of Zanz, who wrote an approbation to ?evi Hirsch's work Akh Peri Tevu'ah (Pt. i, 1875; Pt. ii, 1876), consisting of homilies on the Pentateuch in which he quotes sayings of the Talmud, numerous teachings of the Tanya and of *Shneur Zalman of Lyady, and the ?asidim who preceded him, as well as works written on the Lurianic Kabbalah – the system of Isaac *Luria. Like other ?asidim, he considers Creation to be the result of ?im?um (contraction of the Divine Emanation; see *Kabbalah). The resultant paradox is that this contraction must tolerate the dialectic duality of Good and Evil because though the world was created with justice (din) the actual creation shows mercy (?esed) to its creatures. Similarly, the evil inclination was created for the benefit of man "because the principal purpose of man's creation in the world is to have free choice and overcome his inclination" (ibid.). His work, Sefer ha-Yashar ve-ha-Tov (1880), contains homilies for the Sabbath and the festivals. Of his two sons-in-law, ?ayyim friedlander of lesko (d. 1904) wrote Tal ?ayyim Berakhah (1898), novella on talmudic subjects, and Tal ?ayyim (1909), homilies on the Pentateuch, and yozefa goldberger (d. 1908) was a ?addik and merchant.

bibliography:

S. Friedlander, Ahavat Shelomo (1961); Z.W. Goldberger, Darkhei ha-Yashar ve-ha-Tov (1910).

[Esther (Zweig) Liebes]