Joseph Meir Weiss

Joseph Meir Weiss (March 15, 1838 – May 26, 1909, ), was a Hungarian rabbi and founder of the Spinka Hasidic dynasty. The family name is sometimes spelled Weisz.

Early life Weiss was born in Munkács (Munkacz), Hungary (now Mukacheve, Ukraine). His father, Rabbi Samuel Zevi (Shmuel Tzvi) Weiss, was Av Beit Din of Munkacz, and his mother was the daughter of Tzvi Hirsch of Drohobycz, Austrian Empire (now Drohobych, Ukraine).

Rabbinate In Munkács, Weiss established a yeshiva with a high level of Talmudic studies that drew students from other countries. Following the death of his mentor, the Rebbe of Zidichov, in June 1873, Weiss established his own Hasidic sect in his third wife's hometown of Spinka.

Weiss was called a "miracle worker", and attracted thousands of followers. He was also known for his self-mortification and ecstatic prayers. He prayed during festivals with the words from Musaf Amidah:

Legacy Weiss died in 1909. In 1972, his remains were reinterred in Petah Tikva, Israel.

Weiss was succeeded as Rebbe by his son, Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Weiss (1875–1944). When World War II broke out, Yitzchak Isaac moved the Spinka court to Munkács. Yitzchak Isaac was murdered by the Nazis in the Auschwitz concentration camp, together with thirty one family members, in 1944. After the war, Yitzchak Isaac's grandson, Jacob Joseph Weiss, re-established the dynasty in Jerusalem. Other offshoots were established by descendants of Yosef Meir in Williamsburg, Boro Park, Flatbush, Queens, Kiryas Joel, London, Antwerp, and Bnei Brak.

Works Weiss died in 1909. His writings, published posthumously, were: Imrei Yosef (1910–27) – a four-volume commentary on the Chumash Imrei Yosef (1931) – sermons on the festivals and their customs Hakdamat Likkutei Torah ve-ha-Shas (1911) – sermons and Hasidic teachings Peirush la-Haggadah shel Pesach (1964) – a commentary on the Passover Haggadah Tefillot u-Minhagim (1912) – a collection of prayers and customs