The Personal Chumash of the Zhydachover Rebbe – Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Zhydachov, Zy”a!
A rare and exceptional Chumash ‘Mikraos Gedolos’ – Sefer Vayikra, Warsaw 1868, bearing the Chasimo of HaKadosh Rebbe Menachem Mendel Eichenstein of Zhydachov, zy”a—an exceedingly rare find!
On the title page, there are additional ownership inscriptions, including the signature and stamp of Rebbe Baruch Rubin, Av Beis Din of Brizdovitz, son-in-law of Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Zhydachov, Further in the sefer, there is a handwritten signature of Rebbe Baruch.
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Admur HaKadosh Rebbe Menachem Mendel Eichenstein of Zhydachov (1840–1901), A towering gaon and mekubal, third-generation in the Zhydachov dynasty. Chassidim relate that at his birth, his father, Rebbe Yitzchok Izik of Zidichoiv, was visited in a dream by Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Rimanov, zy”a, who instructed him to name the child after him, so that his memory would endure in this world. (Notably, his father—known as the Mehari”a—was born as a result of Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Rimanov’s bracha, who blessed his parents that they would have a son who would illuminate the world.)
From a young age, his extraordinary memory was legendary—he would listen to his father’s lengthy Torah discourses and immediately recite them verbatim.
Rebbe Menachem Mendel served as Rav of Mykolaiv, succeeding his father-in-law. In 1884, following the passing of his father and brother, he assumed the mantle of leadership as Rebbe of Zhydachov. He authored numerous seforim, displaying his great mastery of Kabbalah, including: Likutei Maharama”m (on Kabbalah), Pardeis Menachem (on the 613 mitzvos in the mystical tradition) And many others.
HaGaon HaKadosh Rebbe Baruch Rubin, Av Beis Din of Brizdovitz, Baal ‘She’eiris Baruch’, A tzaddik and gaon, born in the late 1840s. In his youth, he was already recognized as a formidable talmid chacham. He was a talmid of the ‘Divrei Yechezkel’ of Shinova, and later became the son-in-law of Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Zhydachov, forming a close and profound relationship with his illustrious father-in-law.
Rebbe Baruch served as Rav of Brizdovitz, later moving to Kolomyia, where he was surrounded by devoted talmidim and Chassidim of Zhydachov. Following World War I (1917), he settled in Samosh-Ujvar, where he assumed the position of Rebbe, bringing many Yidden closer to Torah and chassidus. His son was Rebbe Yosef Meir Rubin of Kerestir, zy”a, son-in-law of Rebbe Avraham, ben the holy Rebbe Yeshaya of Kerestir, zy”a.
