Jacob Samson of Shepetovka

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JACOB SAMSON OF SHEPETOVKA

JACOB SAMSON OF SHEPETOVKA (d. 1801), rabbi and ?asidic leader. A celebrated talmudist, he served as rabbi of Shepetovka, Slavuta, and Bar. He was a disciple of *Dov Baer of Mezhirech and Phinehas Shapiro of *Korets. His reputation for scholarship advanced the cause of ?asidism among rabbis and scholars. Semilegendary stories attest the impression he left on the greatest rabbis of his generation. He helped to spread ?asidism by selling the books of his teacher *Jacob Joseph of Polonnoye. In later years he apparently became a follower of *Baruch b. Jehiel of Medzibezh. He went to Ere? Israel (1799?), settling in Tiberias where he died. Some of his halakhic works are referred to in books by contemporaries. A booklet entitled Divrei No'am (also other names), describing a (probably legendary) dialogue between him and R. Ezekiel *Landau of Prague, was popular among ?asidim.

bibliography:

Horodetzky, ?asidut, index; Dubnow, ?asidut, index.

[Adin Steinsaltz]

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