View source for Chaim Halberstam

{{Short description|Polish rabbi (1793–1876)}}
{{Infobox rebbe
| title           = Tsanzer Rov
| image           = Sanz.jpg
| caption         = 
| began = 1830 
| ended =  19 April 1876
| birth_name       = Chaim Halberstam
| main_work       = ''Divrei Chaim''
| predecessor     = none
| successor       = Aharon Halberstam of Sanz
| spouse = Rochel Feyga Frenkl-Thumim,  ?? Frenkl-Thumim,  Rechl Unger
| children = [[Yechezkel Shraga Halberstam]]<br />[[Dovid Halberstam]]<br />Myer Noson Halberstam<br />Aharon Halberstam<br />Boruch Halberstam,  (none),  Shulem Eliezer Halberstam<br />Yeshayo Halbertsam<br />Reytse Twerski<br />Miryom Unger<br />Nechume Rubin<br />Yita Baron<br />Fradil Rozenfeld<br />Gutshe Moskovitsh<br />Tilla Horowitz

| spouse4         = Rivka Torim
| issue4          = (none)
| dynasty         = [[Sanz (Hasidic dynasty)|Sanz]]
| father          = Arye Leyb Halberstam, [[Beth din#Officers of a beth din|av beis din]], Tarnogrod
| mother          = 
| birth_date      = 1793
| birth_place     = [[Tarnogród]]
| date of death   = 19 April 1876
| place of death  = [[Nowy Sącz]]
| date of burial  = 
| place of burial = Nowy Sącz
| }}
'''Chaim Halberstam of Sanz''' (1793&ndash;1876) ({{langx|he|חיים הלברשטאם מצאנז}}), known as '''the ''Divrei Chaim''''' after the title of his writings, was the rabbi of [[Nowy Sącz|Sanz]] ({{langx|pl|Nowy Sącz}}), and the founding [[rebbe]] of the [[Sanz (Hasidic dynasty)|Sanz dynasty]] of  [[Hasidic Judaism]].<ref name=ej>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Meislish|first=Pnina|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopaedia Judaica]]|title=Halberstam|edition=2nd|year=2007|publisher=|volume=8|location=|id=|isbn=978-0-02-865936-7|oclc=|doi=|pages=264|quote=}}</ref>

== Life ==
Halberstam was a pupil of Rabbi [[Sholom Rokeach]] of [[Belz (Hasidic dynasty)|Belz]],<ref>''[[Ami (magazine)|Ami Living]].'' No. 87. Sep/12/12. p. 44.</ref> Rabbi Moshe Yehoshua Heshl Orenstein and Rabbi [[Naftali Tzvi of Ropshitz]]. His first rabbinical position was in [[Rudnik nad Sanem|Rudnik]]. In 1830 he was appointed as the town rabbi of Sanz,<ref name=ej/> where he founded a Hasidic dynasty. He attracted many followers and students, due to his piety and greatness. Sanz has been succeeded nowadays by the [[Klausenberg (Hasidic dynasty)|Sanz-Klausenberg]], [[Sanz-Zmigrad (Hasidic dynasty)|Sanz-Zmigrad]], Tshakover (Chokover) Hasidic dynasties,  and the [[Bobov (Hasidic dynasty)|Bobov]] Hasidic dynasties, among others.

== Family life ==
Halberstam was born in 1793, in [[Tarnogród]],<ref name=ej/> today [[Poland]]. His first wife Rochel Feyga was the daughter of Rabbi [[Boruch Frenkl-Thumim]] (1760&ndash;1828), the rabbi of [[Lipník nad Bečvou]] ({{lang|yi|לייפניק}} ''Leipnik'') and author of the work ''Boruch Taam''. They had five sons and three daughters. When she died he then married her sister, who died childless. His third wife was Rechil Devorah Unger, daughter of Rabbi Yechil Tzvi Unger, son of Rabbi Mordechai Dovid Unger of [[Dombrov]]; they had three sons and four daughters.

Halberstam had eight sons and seven daughters. His eight sons were:

*Rabbi [[Yechezkel Shraga Halberstam]] (1814–1898) of [[Sieniawa|Shinove]]
*Rabbi [[Dovid Halberstam]] (1821–1894) of [[Chrzanów]]
*Rabbi [[Myer Noson Halberstam]] (1827–1855), father of Rabbi [[Shlomo Halberstam (first Bobover rebbe)|Shlomo Halberstam]], the first [[Bobov (Hasidic dynasty)|Bobover]] Rebbe
*Rabbi [[Aharon Halberstam]] (1828-1903) his successor in [[Nowy Sącz]]
*Rabbi [[Boruch Halberstam]] (1829–1906) of [[Gorlice]] ({{langx|yi|גארליץ|translit=Gorlitz}})
*Rabbi [[Shulem Lazer Halberstam]] of [[Újfehértó|Ratzfert]] (1861–1944), who was murdered by the [[Nazis]] in [[the Holocaust]]
*Rabbi [[Yeshaye Halberstam]] of [[Czchów]] (Yiddish: טשחויוו ''Tshkhoiv'') (1864–1944), who was also murdered by the Nazis.
*Aryeh Leibish Halberstam died aged 7

Halberstam's sons all became famous rebbes (except for Myer Noson, who predeceased him). His seven daughters all married Hasidic leaders.

Halberstam died in Sanz, [[Austria-Hungary]] (now Poland) in 1876 (25 [[Nisan]] 5636).

== Leadership ==
Halberstam  was acclaimed by the leading rabbis of his generation as one of the foremost [[Talmud]]ists, [[Posek|poskim]] and [[Kabbalah|Kabbalistic]] authorities of his time, he received queries from Rabbis and communities from all over the world. His [[responsa]], as well as his Torah commentaries, published under the title ''Divrei Chaim'', reflect his Torah greatness, his humility, and his compassionate nature. He was a champion of the poor and established many organizations to relieve them of their poverty. He was the first Honorary President of [[Kolel Chibas Yerushalayim]]. His compassion and generosity was legendary; he literally gave away everything he had for the needy; and went to sleep penniless.

During his 46 years as Rabbi of Sanz; that city was transformed into a vibrant center of Hasidism, attracting tens of thousands of followers. Among his many disciples, are counted such leaders as Rabbi [[Zvi Hirsh Friedlander]] of [[Liska (Hasidic dynasty)|Liska]], the ''[[Solomon HaCohen|Tiferes Shlome]]'' of [[Radomsko|Radomsk]], Rabbi [[Abraham Judah ha-Kohen Schwartz]], Rabbi [[Ropshitz (Hasidic dynasty)#Lineage|Meir Horowitz]] of [[Tarnobrzeg|Dzhikov]], and the ''[[Chananya Yom Tov Lipa Teitelbaum (I)|Kedishes Yom Tov]]'' of [[Sighet]]. He studied with his brother-in-law, [[Yosef Babad]], author of the ''[[Minchat Chinuch]]''.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Halberstam, Chaim}}
[[Category:1793 births]]
[[Category:1876 deaths]]
[[Category:Sanz (Hasidic dynasty)]]
[[Category:Orthodox rabbis from Galicia (Eastern Europe)]]
[[Category:Polish Hasidic rabbis]]
[[Category:Hasidic rabbis in Europe]]