Rav Boruch Mordechai, the son of Rav Eliezer Lazer Etinga of Lvov, was born in the year 1727 (5527/ז"תקכ). He was a child prodigy who was renowned as “the illui of Svintzion”. Rav Boruch Mordechai learned Torah from the Vilna Gaon himself and served as Rosh Yeshiva. His father-in-law was Rav Shmuel, the Av Beis Din of Vilna, and Rav Boruch Mordechai was appointed a dayan in Vilna after Rav Shmuel passed away in 5551 (תקנא).
Due to the influence of Rav Michel Optzker, one of the the Alter Rebbe’s greatest disciples, Rav Boruch Mordechai agreed to visit Rav Shneur Zalman of Liadi. His first visit, in the year 1793 (5553/תקנג), made a great impression on him. By the time he returned to Vilna, he was an ardent chassid and follower of the Alter Rebbe - although he hid this from others. When the matter was found out, one of the misnagdim slandered him to the authorities on false charges. Rav Boruch Mordechai was jailed, together with another chassid, Rav Meir Rafaels, although eventually the charges were proven false and they were released. According to some accounts, Rav Boruch Mordechai tried to convince the Vilna Gaon that Chassidus had its merits and was a true Torah path; however, the Gaon refused to hear his testimony, since he was deemed to be biased.
In the year 1801 (5562/ב"תקס), Rav Boruch Mordechai was appointed Rav of the Chassidim in Bobruisk, a position he held for some 40 years. He remained a follower of Chabad after Rav Shneur Zalman’s passing, and he acknowledged the authority of the Mittler Rebbe, Rav Dov Ber, as well as that of the third Rebbe, Rav Menachem Mendel (the Tzemach Tzedek). He wrote an approbation (haskama) to the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch HaRav.
Rav Boruch Mordechai was renowned for his beauty and his wisdom. For many years, he greatly desired to move to Eretz Yisroel, although he only succeeded in doing so after the age of 90, in the year 1851 (5611/תריא). He passed away in Yerushalayim on 14 Elul in the year 1857 (5617/תריז) and was laid to rest on Har HaZeisim, near the Ohr HaChaim.
