Rav Menachem Mendel was born in 5548/1788 in Tarnow. His father was Rav Moshe Avrohom Dovid. As a child he excelled in Torah, outshining the other children his age. Aside from his ge’onus, he served Hashem with a unique inner fire, and was a mushlom in Torah and Avodas Hashem.
His Rebbe was Rav Menachem Mendel of Rimanov, who cherished him. He also traveled to the Kozhnitzer Maggid and the Chozeh of Lublin.
Rav Mendel of Strizov was the Ba’al Mussaf in the Rimanover court, famous for his fiery davening as well as for being a great Tzaddik. He had the privilege to help the Yomim Noro’im tefillos of the holy Rimanover Rebbe reach the highest celestial spheres.
One Yom Kippur, the Rimanover Rebbe suddenly banged his machzor shut in the middle of Mussaf. After davening, the Rebbe explained to the perplexed Chassidim that Rav Mendel was trying to have the kavonos of the Kohen Godol on Yom Kippur, and because he was so young the Rebbe feared that it would harm him!
Rav Menachem Mendel served as Rav in Strizov for a while, where he wrote many responsa in Halocha, especially on the topic of agunos. After serving as Rav in Strizov he returned to Tarnow, the city of his birth, where he led an elite group of Chassidim to higher aspirations in Avodas Hashem. Unfortunately, he was niftar at the young age of forty-three.
This is how his passing came about: During his last year, 5591/1831, a terrible plague erupted in his town and many Yidden tragically succumbed. It was only after Rav Mendel offered himself as a kappora that the dying stopped...
Sova Semochos al HaTorah, a collection of Divrei Torah that he told his talmidim on Shabbosos and Yomim Tovim, was revered by all as a holy sefer. It was reprinted with a lengthy foreword in 5759/1999. Another of Rav Mendel’s seforim is Sova Semochos al Maseches Kiddushin.
Yehi zichro boruch.
