חנוך הניך הכהן לוין

Rav Chanoch Heynich HaKohen Levin of Aleksander (5558/1798–18 Adar II 5630/1870), called in Yiddish Reb Henich, led thousands of Gerrer chassidim in the four years between the passing of the Chiddushei HaRim and the leadership of his grandson, the Sefat Emet. He was born to Rav Pinchas HaKohen, rav in Lutomiersk near Lodz, of a family of rabbanim reaching back to Rav Yona Nachum, brother of the Shach; the family name Shatin was later changed to Levin. His father was a sharp opponent of chassidut, but a melamed of his childhood drew the boy toward it. Betrothed at about thirteen to the daughter of Yaakov Yakil, one of the wealthy men of Przysucha, he married two years later and sat at his father-in-law’s table there.

He attached himself to the Yid HaKadosh of Przysucha until his passing, and afterward became one of the leading talmidim of Rav Simcha Bunim of Przysucha, at whose side he remained twelve years. From there he went to Rav Menachem Mendel of Kotzk while the Kotzker still sat in Tomashov. In those years he was appointed to the rabbanut of Aleksander, which he held from about 1837 until 1853, followed by Nowy Dwor until 1859 and Przasnysz until the mid-1860s, when he left the rabbanut and settled in Aleksander. After the Kotzker was niftar in 5619 he joined the majority of Kotzker chassidim who accepted the leadership of Rav Yitzchak Meir Alter, the first Rebbe of Ger.

Seven years later, in 5626, the Chiddushei HaRim was niftar, and most of the chassidim took Rav Chanoch Heynich as his successor; Aleksander became a great chassidic center. The Sefat Emet himself accepted his authority and would travel to him, receiving particular closeness there. Before his own passing the Rebbe sent to call the Sefat Emet, and on the last Shabbat of his life he instructed his chassidim to give him the aliyah reserved for the Rebbe — a hint at who would fill his place. Rav Shimon Sofer of Krakow, son of the Chatam Sofer, wrote to him as a chassid writes to his Rebbe.

Apart from one derashah for Shabbat Shuvah and a few teshuvot he left no writings of his own, but his chassidim wrote down his Torah and it is quoted widely; it was gathered into the sefer Chashava Letova, printed in Piotrkow in 5689/1929, with a later expanded edition in Yerushalayim. Among his talmidim were the Sefat Emet of Ger, Rav Avraham of Sochatchov of the Avnei Nezer, Rav Pinchas Eliyahu Rotenberg of Pilz and Rav Noach Shachor. He was niftar on 18 Adar II 5630, and the renewed ohel over his kever in Aleksander was dedicated in Adar 5784.