נפתלי צבי הורוביץ

Rav Naftali Tzvi Horowitz of Ropshitz (6 Sivan 5520/1760–11 Iyar 5587/1827) was the founder of Ropshitz chassidut and the greatest of the Galician admorim of his generation. He was born on Shavuot — the very day the Baal Shem Tov was niftar — to Rav Menachem Mendel, rav of Linsk, and to Beila, daughter of Rav Itzikl of Hamburg, Rav Yitzchak Halevi Horowitz, whose surname he took in place of his family’s name. He learned under his grandfather and under his uncle, Rav Meshulam Igra, in Tismenitz, alongside Rav Mordechai Benet and Rav Yaakov Lorberbaum, who became leading chachamim of the next generation.

Drawn from his youth to chassidut, he traveled to learn the ways of avodat Hashem from Rav Yechiel Michel of Zlotchov and Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk, and afterward from Rav Mordechai of Neschiz, the Maggid of Kozhnitz, and the two he held as his rebbes muvhakim — Rav Menachem Mendel of Rimanov and the Chozeh of Lublin. On the Rimanover’s recommendation he was appointed rav of Ropshitz, and later served also as rav of Linsk, his father’s seat, and of Strzyzow and Sanok. When his rebbes were niftar in 5575/1815 he began to lead as Admor, and tens of thousands streamed to him; he became famed for his piercing wisdom and sharp sayings, and the “minhagei Ropshitz” are kept among Galician chassidim to this day. He labored much for the poor of Eretz Yisrael, serving as nasi of the fund of maot Eretz HaKodesh.

In his lifetime he withheld his Torah from print, and only with the agreement of his great talmid, Rav Chaim of Sanz, author of the Divrei Chaim, were his two sefarim published: Zera Kodesh on the Torah and the moadim, and Ayalah Sheluchah on the Torah. Among his talmidim were also Rav Shalom of Kaminka, Rav Tzvi Hirsh of Rimanov, Rav Yitzchak Eizik of Komarno, and Rav Yosef Babad, author of the Minchat Chinuch. The only praise he permitted on his matzeivah was “yachid b’doro b’chochmat Elokim” — singular in his generation in the wisdom of Hashem. He was niftar on 11 Iyar 5587/1827 in Lantzut and was buried there; his son-in-law, Rav Asher Yeshaya Rubin, author of Or Yesha, succeeded him in the rabbanut of Ropshitz.