Daugavpils / Dvinsk / Dinabug / Denenborg / Denabarg / Dayyanim, Rabbinic Decisors, and Synagogue Rabbis
His father was a ritual slaughterer and rabbinic decisor in Anishishok, and rabbinic decisor in Kreutzburg.
Son-in-law of R. Yosef Leib son of R. Shimon Zerachi, rabbi of Jakobstadt.
He served as rabbinic decisor and Av Beit Din of the community of Vishyan, Av Beit Din of the community of Dubna near Dvinsk, and afterward was Maggid Mesharim and rabbinic decisor in Plan Chadash, and from 5629 onward rabbinic decisor in Vilna1).
Author of the book Matzav HaYashar (vol. 1, Vilna 5641; vol. 2, Vilna 5647)2).
Approbations from him: Birkat Avraham (Vilna 5632), Even Shmuel (Toldot Chakhmei Yerushalayim, Vilna 5634), Mayim Chaim (Warsaw 5635), Mafik Margaliyot (Vilna 5650), Ikkar Shulchan Aruch (Piotrków 5670)3).
In the second volume of his book (p. 72) he writes:
“And by the way I will not refrain from writing for him a worthy thing which I heard in the name of the Maggid of the holy congregation of Vilna, R. Zalman Ze'ev, may his memory be for a blessing: when he resided for several months in the holy congregation of Lubavitch, the seat of the Rebbe our teacher R. Menachem Mendel, author of the books of responsa of the Tzemach Tzedek on Orach Chaim, Yoreh De'ah, and Even HaEzer, and on the Mishnah, of blessed and righteous memory — and he [the Rebbe] took pleasure in the aforementioned rabbi throughout all the days of his stay there — and before parting from him, the Maggid of Vilna said to the aforementioned Rabbi of Lubavitch: 'It is written “I rejoice at Your word like one who finds great spoil” — the matter of “who finds great spoil”: [when staying alone and coming to a place of empty wilderness,] one certainly rejoices greatly; but he also has great sorrow that he did not know about it before, and now he has no horses and wagons and large vessels and large sacks with which to take all the great spoil, and he is only able to take a very little according to his strength — so am I now, having grown old and my strength waned, and I must travel to my city of sojourn, the community of Vilna, and I have no strength to take of the great spoil I have found in your honor's eminence, only according to the little of my capacities and the brief time the Almighty has granted me to stay in the holy congregation of Lubavitch and shelter under your wings.' — And when the Gaon Rabbi of Lubavitch was summoned to the heavenly yeshiva, the aforementioned Maggid eulogized him with great lamentation in the holy congregation of Vilna, even though this was against the wishes of certain distinguished persons.”
And further there (p. 92):
“And in my childhood I heard that the Alter Rebbe, our teacher R. Shneur Zalman, author of the Shulchan Aruch and the Tanya, was asked where it is hinted in three words of Scripture that encompass all of Jewish faith, and he replied: 'Know Him in all your ways.' He was then asked: where is it hinted in five words of the Sages, and he replied: 'And all your deeds shall be for the sake of Heaven.' — So I heard. And it seems he was asked this in his childhood when he was a small child, for otherwise what is the novelty, and who would have the audacity to ask him such a trivial question — unless perhaps at the time of the well-known controversy of his opponents, and in the great abundance of his humility he did not take offense at all and answered them so.”
In his book he also mentions (p. 132) that his father belonged to the Hasidic sect at the end of the days of the Middle Rebbe of Lubavitch.
Latvia and Rabbis