Shlomo Rabinowicz

Shlomo Hakohen Rabinowicz (also spelled Rabinowitz, Rabinowich, Rabinovitch) (1801 – 16 March 1866) was the first Rebbe of the Radomsk Hasidic dynasty and one of the great Hasidic masters of 19th-century Poland. He is known as the Tiferes Shlomo after the title of his sefer, which is considered a classic in Hasidic literature.

Early life Rabinowicz's year of birth is variously cited as 1795, or 1803. He was born in Włoszczowa, Poland to Dov Zvi (d. 1839), the av beis din (head of the rabbinical court) of Włoszczowa.

Rabinowicz studied in the yeshiva in Piotrków Trybunalski, where he was regarded as a prodigy. By his bar mitzvah, he knew the entire Urim Ve'tumim of Yonatan Eibeshutz by heart and had composed his own chiddushim (novel Torah thoughts). Late at night, he would study Kabbalah texts. who was, in turn, a disciple of the Chozeh of Lublin. He became a Hasid of rabbis Meir of Apta, Fishele of Strikov, Yehoshua of Pshedburz and Moshe Biderman of Lelov. He also traveled to the Modzitzer rebbe, and to rabbis Yechezkel of Kuzmir, and Chaim Halberstam of Sanz.

Move to Radomsk Rabinowicz married Gitele, who lived to the age of 92. He went on to attract thousands of Hasidim and Radomsk grew into a major center of Hasidut. Rabinowicz was a master at interpreting Torah verses through gematria and Hebrew letter permutations. Among his Hasidim were philosopher Aaron Marcus Verus and physician Chaim David Bernard of Piotrków.

When local Jews were conscripted by the Czar's army, he and his gabbai went door to door, collecting money to bribe the officials to release them. He also collected money for the poor to buy firewood in the winter, and to make matzos at Pesach. Rabinowicz used his soul-stirring nigunim to rouse his Hasidim to great fervor on Shabbat and Jewish holidays. He sent money to one of his Hasidim in Safed, Israel so that the latter would organize a Radomsker Shalosh Seudos meal every Shabbat at which his niggunim would be sung.

He left three daughters and three sons, and succeeded his father as rabbi of the town; Considered a textbook of Hasidic thought,

Rebbes of Radomsk Shlomo Hakohen Rabinowicz, the Tiferes Shlomo (1801–1866) Avraham Yissachar Dov Hakohen Rabinowicz, the Chesed LeAvraham (1843–1892) Yechezkel Hakohen Rabinowicz, the Kenesses Yechezkel (1862–1910) Shlomo Chanoch Hakohen Rabinowicz, the Shivchei Kohen (1882–1942) Menachem Shlomo Bornsztain, Sochatchover-Radomsker Rebbe (1934–1969)