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26-460: He was born in 1847 (5608) and named Yehudah Leib; he was known to family and friends as Leybl. His father, Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter, died when Yehudah Leib was only eight years old, and his mother Mrs. Esther Alter (née Landsztajn) died before that. Orphaned of both parents, he was brought up by his grandparents, Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Alter (known as the Chiddushei Harim ) and his wife. When he

52-504: A different neighborhood. Nonetheless, there were epidemics of typhus and tuberculosis from what was still overcrowding and lack of adequate sanitation. By 1941, many Jews were conscripted for forced labor . In 1942, Kock's Jews were deported. In August, some were sent to Parszew and then on to Treblinka where they were immediately murdered. In September, able men were sent to labor camps, and in October, hundreds were sent to Lukow's ghetto where

78-459: A few weeks later they too were sent to Treblinka to be murdered. During these months, there were several mass killings of Jews in Kock. Only about 30 of Kock's Jews are thought to have survived The Holocaust during the war. Several were saved by Polish Christian villagers. One survivor was murdered in Kock after liberation. The Jewish community was not reestablished after the war. The brief discussion of

104-440: A ghetto. Though the pre-war Kock Jewish community was only about 2200, by late 1939, the ghetto contained 8000 Jews. Sometimes several dozen people resided in a single room. The overcrowding and lack of adequate sanitation led to a typhus epidemic. In turn, local Christian villagers would not allow Jews to leave the ghetto, so lack of food caused some children to starve. Conditions improved somewhat in 1940 as Jews were resettled in

130-645: A relationship with God and serving Him. This represents a wholeness that we as human beings are capable of only if we think of ourselves as walking amongst angels. Menachem Mendel of Kotzk Menachem Mendel Morgensztern of Kotzk (Kock, Poland), better known as the Kotzker Rebbe and the Kotzker (1787–1859) was a Hasidic rabbi and leader. Born to a non- Hasidic family in Goraj near Lublin , Poland , he became attracted to Hasidic philosophy in his youth. He

156-579: Is a town in eastern Poland , about 45 kilometres (28 miles) north of Lublin and 120 kilometres (75 miles) south-east of Warsaw . It lies in Lublin Voivodeship , in Lubartów County . It is the capital of the administrative district Gmina Kock . Historically Kock belongs to the Polish province of Lesser Poland and is located in its northeastern corner. As of 2004 , its population numbered 3,509. Kock

182-722: Is considered to be the spiritual founder upon which the Ger dynasty in Poland is based, through the teachings of its founder and the first Rebbe Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Alter , known for his work as the Chidushei Harim , who was a preeminent disciple of the Kotzker Rebbe and his brother in law through his second wife. One of his major students was Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica . 5. https://kotzk.com/ "Exploring Kotzk" by Avrohom Meir (Mitchell) Morgenstern Kock Kock

208-447: Is located a few kilometers north of the Wieprz river, approximately 150 meters above sea level, near the Łuków Lowland ( Równina Łukowska ). In 1952–1954 it was the seat of Gmina Białobrzegi. The town first appears in chronicles in 1258 as Cocsk . In the 15th century, it was called Kocsko or Koczsko , and in 1787, its name was spelled Kocko . Current form has been in use since

234-511: The 19th and early 20th centuries: After World War I , Poland regained independence and Kock administratively belonged to the Lublin Voivodeship of Poland. In 1927 large parts of it burned in a fire. The town, located away from rail connections, stagnated. On October 2–5, 1939, Kock was the site of the last battle between Poland and Germany during the joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland , which started World War II . Afterwards it fell under German occupation , and already in October 1939,

260-416: The 19th century, and the word Kock either comes from the last name or a nickname Kot (a person named so founded the town), or from a plant called kocanka ( Helichrysum arenarium ), which grows abundantly in the area. Kock has been recognized as an established community since the 12th century. It received its city charter in 1417, by King Władysław II Jagiełło , who granted the charter upon request of Jakub,

286-627: The Bishop of Płock . From 1512 Kock was shortly a royal town of Poland, and afterwards it was a private town , administratively located in the Lublin Voivodeship in the Lesser Poland Province of the Polish Crown . In 1518 the town belonged to Mikolaj Firlej , Crown Hetman and the Voivode of Sandomierz . The Firlej family owned Kock until the second half of the 18th century, and at that time

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312-569: The Germans carried out executions of Poles at the local cemetery. During the occupation, the Jewish half of the Kock population, about 2,200 of the town's 4,600 population, was murdered or died of disease and starvation in the ghetto set up by the Germans in Kock. Kock was one of centers of the Home Army , whose units ( 27th Volhynian Home Army Infantry Division ) freed the town on July 22, 1944. Afterwards,

338-578: The Gerrer Hasidim sought to bestow the mantle of leadership upon eighteen-year-old Yehudah Aryeh Leib. He refused that position, and leadership went to Rabbi Chanokh Heynekh HaKohen Levin of Aleksandrów Łódzki. However, after the death of the latter in 1870, the Hasidim succeeded in gaining Alter's assent to become their Rebbe. During the Russo-Japanese War , many of his young followers were drafted into

364-480: The Rav of Sochachov made a powerful impression. Alter was succeeded as Gerrer Rebbe by his son, Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter . Most of Gerrer hasidim followed Avraham Mordechai, but some chasidim followed the brother-in-law of Alter - Rabbi Pinchas Menachem Justman of Piltz. Alter was one of the greatest Torah scholars of his generation, teaching students such as Rabbi Nachman Shlomo Greenspan and many others. His output

390-567: The Russian Army and sent to the battlefields in Manchuria . Alter was very worried over these devotees and would constantly write to them. His health suffered, and he died at the age of 57 on 11 January 1905 (5 Shevat 5665). When news of the Admor's petirah (passing away) spread, so many people rushed to Ger yesterday morning that although the railway dispatched extra trains there was hardly any space in

416-655: The Talmud without the Sfas Emes is unthinkable to the modern-day scholar. The Sfas Emes Yeshiva in Jerusalem is named after him and includes his teachings in the curriculum. One of the greatest religious problems is that people fear having a relationship with God and consequently distance themselves from Him. Just as angels serve God without fear despite their lower status in comparison to God, so too human beings should take their model (walk amongst them) and not be afraid of developing

442-407: The advancing Soviets disbanded Polish soldiers. However, Kock was re-captured by Polish anti-Communist resistance (May 1, 1945). In the 17th century, a Jewish community was established in the town. In Yiddish , the community is known as Kotzk or Kotsk . Polish colonel of Jewish origin, Berek Joselewicz , leader of one of the first solely ethnic Jewish military units since ancient times , and

468-417: The cars and thousands of people were still left without means to travel... One (tram) car with seating for 44 people held over 200, not even leaving any standing room, and in another car some people fainted as a result of the overcrowded conditions... When the time for tefillas Mincha arrived, all of the funeral-goers, 20,000 in number, stood in a field and davened Minchah together... The brief words spoken by

494-611: The first such unit in Poland, was killed in the Battle of Kock (1809) between Poles and Austrians. In the 19th century, the town became an important centre of Hasidism as the longtime home of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk , the Kotzker rebbe who established the Kotsk dynasty . During World War II, Jews were brutalized by the German occupiers. They along with deportees from other villages, were confined to

520-454: The last twenty years of his life. The Kotzker Rebbe never published any works. He wrote many manuscripts, but he had them all burned before his death. Several collections of his sayings have been published, most notably Emes VeEmunah (Truth and Faith). The Kotzker Rebbe's disciple Rabbi Avrohom Bornsztain , author of Avnei Nezer and first Sochatchover Rebbe , was his son-in-law, having married Sara Tzina Morgenstern. The Kotzker Rebbe

546-535: The same name. The Sochatchover Rebbe, Rabbi Avrohom Bornsztain (known as the Avnei Nezer ), a leading Torah scholar and posek in his own right, is said to have maintained two bookcases — one for Rishonim (earlier commentators) and another for Acharonim (later commentators). The volumes of the Sfas Emes , written in the late 1800s, were to be found in his bookcase containing the Rishonim. To study some portions of

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572-615: The town became an important center of the Protestant Reformation in Lesser Poland. Around the year 1750 Kock passed into the hands of Princess Anna Jabłonowska of the Sapieha family , who invested a lot of money and energy into the town, ordering the construction of a town hall, a palace and a church. Furthermore, she established the market square (or rynek ). Polish King Stanisław August Poniatowski visited Kock several times. Kock

598-477: Was about ten years old, his grandfather took him to visit the Kotzker Rebbe , which left a lifelong impression on him. He married Yocheved Rivka, daughter of Yehuda Leib ("Yidl") Kaminer. In order not to have the same name as his father-in-law, his own name was changed to Yehudah Aryeh Leib. He is said to have been attached to the name Yehudah, and was upset at not being able to use it as his name any longer. When his grandfather, Yitzchak Meir, died in 1866, many of

624-677: Was annexed by Austria in the Third Partition of Poland in 1795. It was regained by Poles in 1809 and included in the short-lived Polish Duchy of Warsaw , and in 1815 it became part of so-called Congress Poland in the Russian Partition of Poland. The residents of the town participated in the January Uprising , for which the Russians deprived Kock of its town rights (1870, recovered in 1915). Several important battles took place at Kock in

650-415: Was known for having acquired impressive Talmudic and Kabbalistic knowledge at an early age. He was a student of Reb Bunim of Peshischa , and upon the latter's death attracted many of his followers. Morgensztern was well known for his incisive and down-to-earth philosophies, and sharp-witted sayings. He appears to have had little patience for false piety or stupidity. From 1839 he lived in seclusion for

676-691: Was prodigious, and his works (all entitled Sfas Emes ) deal with the Talmud , the ethics of the Midrash , and mysticism of the Zohar . His Torah homilies as delivered to his hasidim, and arranged according to the weekly parashah and the festivals, were the first to be published posthumously under the name Sfas Emes . The title was taken from the closing words of the final piece he wrote ( Sfas Emes , Vayechi 5665). His chiddushim (original Torah thoughts) on many Talmudic tractates, and on Yoreh De'ah , have been published under

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