Shmelke of Nikolsburg | |
|---|---|
 The tombstone of Shmuel Shmelke HaLevi in Nikolsburg | |
| Title | The Rebbe Reb Shmelke |
| Personal | |
| Born | Shmuel Shmelke Horowitz 1726 |
| Died | April 28, 1778 |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Spouse | Shaindel Rabinowitz |
| Children | Jacob Horowitz, Zevi Joshua Horowitz, Toiba Horowitz |
| Parent |
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| Jewish leader | |
| Predecessor | Dov Ber of Mezeritch |
| Successor | Yaakov Yitzchak of Lublin, Menachem Mendel of Rimanov, Yisroel Hopsztajn, Mordecai Benet, Moshe Leib of Sassov |
| Main work | Divre Shmuel |
| Dynasty | Nikolsburg, Boston |
Shmuel Shmelke HaLevi Horowitz of Nikolsburg (Yiddish: שמואל שמעלקי הלוי הורוויץ פון ניקאלשבורג, [ˈʃmɛlkɛ ˈfʊn ˈnɪkɛlʃbʊʁɡ]; 1726 – April 28, 1778) also known as the Rebbe Reb Shmelke was an early Hasidic master and kabbalist, who is amongst the most important figures to early Polish Hasidism. A leading disciple of Dov Ber of Mezeritch, he held rabbinic positions in Rychwal and Sieniawa, where he successfully introduced Hasidic Judaism to the region. From 1773 to 1778, he served as the Chief Rabbi of Moravia, basing himself in the town of Nikolsburg (Mikulov), where he introduced Hasidic philosophy to the chagrin of the city's conservative Misnagdic population. Despite efforts to depose him from his office, he was nevertheless mostly successful in introducing Hasidic Judaism to Moravia. He is the progenitor of the Nikolsburg Hasidic dynasties which includes Boston Hasidism.