Moshe Teitelbaum (Ujhel)

Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum (1759 – 17 July 1841) (Hebrew: משה טייטלבוים‎), also known as the Yismach Moshe, was the Rebbe of Ujhely (Sátoraljaújhely) in Hungary. According to Leopold Löw, he signed his name "Tamar", this being the equivalent of Teitelbaum, which is the Yiddish for "palm-tree" (compare German "Dattelbaum"). An adherent of the Polish Hasidic Rebbe, the Chozeh of Lublin (as well as of Rabbi Sholom Rokeach of Belz), Rabbi Teitelbaum was instrumental in bringing Hasidic Judaism to Hungary. Though initially opposed to Hassidism, after his son-in-law introduced him to the Chozeh of Lublin, he soon became an adherent to Hassidism.

Teitelbaum first served as a rabbi in Przemyśl, and later in Ujhely, where he was called in 1808. In Ujhely he founded a Hassidic congregation which was independent of the Galician leaders. In 1822 Teitelbaum was suspected of having supplied amulets to certain Jewish culprits who had been cast into prison for libel, in order to assist them in escaping. When called upon to vindicate himself he declared that the amulets in question served only as substitutes for the mezuzah and that their only purpose was to protect their bearers against demons. Teitelbaum enjoyed an enviable reputation, with even Rabbi Moses Sofer paying him homage.

Teitelbaum authored three main works, Heishiv Moshe ("Moses Responded", a collection of responsa), Tefillah Le-Mosheh, (a commentary on Psalms), and Yismach Moshe ("Moses Rejoiced", 1849; 2d ed. 1898, containing homilies on the Torah), and he is commonly referred to by the title of the latter. He originally wrote a significant portion of his commentary on Psalms on the backs of personal notes handed to him by petitioners seeking his aid and blessing. These notes were transmitted via a succession of prominent hasidic rabbis, until finally being edited and published for the first time in Kraków in 1880.

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