Mordechai Yissachar Ber Leifer

Mordechai Yissachar Ber Leifer (; 19554 October 2020) was the third Rebbe of the Pittsburgh Hasidic dynasty. Born in the United States, he joined his father, Grand Rabbi Avraham Abba Leifer, in Ashdod, Israel, to serve as rosh yeshiva of a new Pittsburgher yeshiva in that city in 1981. After succeeding his father as Rebbe, he expanded the Hasidic presence in Ashdod with new schools and institutions, and increased the number of Pittsburgher families to nearly 200 in Ashdod. He also shepherded Pittsburgher Hasidim in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Beit Hilkia, New York City, and California. An accomplished Torah scholar and musical composer, he led the Hasidut for three decades until his death in 2020.

Early life and family Mordechai Yissachar Ber Leifer was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1955. Leifer traced his paternal ancestry to Rabbi Mordechai of Nadvorna, the founder of the Nadvorna dynasty, who was the great-grandson of Grand Rabbi Meir the Great of Premishlan, a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov.

At the time of his birth, his father was teaching Torah and Hasidut and eventually founded a Hasidic yeshiva in Newark. He also studied in the Telshe Yeshiva in Cleveland, Ohio. And in the Lakewood Yeshiva.

In 1981, his father opened a yeshiva in Ashdod and asked Leifer to come to Israel and serve as rosh yeshiva. When his father died on January 6, 1990 (10 Tevet 5750), Leifer acceded to the leadership of the Pittsburgher Hasidim.

By the time of his death, Leifer had increased the number of Pittsburgher families in Ashdod to nearly 200. The Hasidut attracted formerly non-observant Jews through Leifer's shiurim (classes), tishen and personal interaction. In total, Leifer composed more than 250 melodies, many of them pertinent to the synagogue prayer service, especially the Hallel on Rosh Chodesh and Yom Tov. The couple had three sons and six daughters; one of their daughters died at a young age. He was admitted to Laniado Hospital in Netanya on August 15. He died on October 4, aged 64. Attempting to set up barricades to disperse the large crowd, police were videoed shoving and wrestling with mourners.

At the funeral, Leifer's eldest son Rabbi Meshulam Eliezer Leifer was announced as his successor. His son Rabbi Yaakov Leifer was appointed rosh yeshiva of the Hasidut's yeshiva network and his son Rabbi Yosef Leifer was named Rav of the Pittsburgher community in Bnei Brak.

Published works The Rebbe's Torah discourses have been published in two volumes, covering the years 1990 through 2010, under the title Pisgamei Oraisa–Shabbos . This series also includes ten volumes of Leifer's discourses on the weekly Torah portion and Jewish holidays.

Rebbes of Pittsburgh Yosef Leifer (1924–1966) Avraham Abba Leifer (1966–1990) Mordechai Yissachar Ber Leifer (1990–2020) Meshulam Eliezer Leifer (2020– )