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R. Yisrael Leib son of R. Eliezer Chaimovitch

Jelgava / Mitau / Mitava / Litave

Born in 5589 (1829).

Son-in-law of R. Yaakov Bendtman, rabbi of Bauska.

Until the beginning of 5622 he served as temporary rabbi in Bauska, and afterward was accepted as rabbi here from approximately 5622 (1862).

He passed away here on 27 Kislev 5641 (30 November 1880).

At the end of Zikaron Yaakov of his father-in-law, Torah novellae from him were printed under the title Chidushei MaHaRiL.1)

In the responsa Meshiv Davar, vol. 4, section 71, a responsum was printed to him “to the rabbi, the Av Beit Din of the holy congregation of Mitave.”2)

An additional responsum to him was printed in his brother-in-law's book Torat Rabbi Alexander Moshe (Lapidot), Even HaEzer, section 10, on the matter of sending a get by post.

Death registration book. Di Geshikhte, p. 140.

Latvia and Rabbis

1)
Both in Toldot Yeshivat HaYehudim BeCourland and in Di Geshikhte fun di Yidn in Letland, R. Avitzinsky writes that sections 8–9 in the book Zikaron Yaakov of his father-in-law are responsa to him. But this is an error, since in section 8 the date is from 5594, when he was 5 years old; furthermore R. Avitzinsky himself writes that the responsum was written to the aforementioned R. Yisrael Friedman.
2)
On the matter of writing in a get the name of a woman whose name is Ada and who is called by the name Hanchen; and it says there “and he was firm about this halakhic matter based on the opinion of his father-in-law the Tzaddik, of blessed memory.” And see in his father-in-law's book Zikaron Yaakov, section 50, p. 72: “And similarly there came to me from a woman from Litave whose cradle-name was Ada… called by all Hanchen.” It is possible that the responsum in the same work, Orach Chaim, section 15, on the placement of the bimah in the eastern side of the synagogue, is also addressed to him, since according to what follows (in the section on government-appointed rabbis) from the responsa Zekher Yehoseph, the question about this was approximately in 5624, and he was then the rabbi here.