ẒEVI HIRSCH FRIEDMAN OF LESKO

ẒEVI HIRSCH FRIEDMAN OF LESKO (Pol. Lisko ; d. 1874), Ḥasid, active in Lesko, S.E. Poland; son of Aaron of Ujhely (Satoraljaujhely; d. 1816). He made many journeys to visit the ẓaddikim of his time, studying mainly under Ḥayyim *Halberstamm of Zanz, who wrote an approbation to Ẓevi 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 Ḥasidim who preceded him, as well as works written on the Lurianic Kabbalah – the system of Isaac *Luria. Like other Ḥasidim, he considers Creation to be the result of ẓimẓum (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 (ḥesed) 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, Ḥayyim friedlander of lesko (d. 1904) wrote Tal Ḥayyim Berakhah (1898), novella on talmudic subjects, and Tal Ḥayyim (1909), homilies on the Pentateuch, and yozefa goldberger (d. 1908) was a ẓaddik and merchant.

bibliography:

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

[Esther (Zweig) Liebes]