Rav Avrohom Dov Auerbach of Avritch and Tzefas was a talmid of Rav Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev and the first two Rebbes of Chernobyl. He was the Rebbe of Avritch from 1785. He moved to Tzefas in 1830 at the age of sixty-five. He is the mechaber of Bas Ayin, a commentary on Chumash. In the deadly earthquake of the 24th of Teves 5597 (January 1, 1837), five thousand people lost their lives, of whom four thousand were Jews. Although most of the shul of the Avritcher Rebbe collapsed, the part where the men were clustered remained upright and everyone was saved. He is buried in the old cemetery of Tzefas.
Rav Avrohom Dov was the son of Rav Dovid Auerbach, Maggid of Chemelnik. Although his exact year of birth is unknown to us, it is estimated that he was born sometime between the years 5506 and 5525.
From a young age, Rav Avrohom Dov was already recognized as someone of a spiritual level higher than average.
I was orphaned by the tender age of nine and raised by my grandmother. One Thursday night I sat up learning and studying Torah all night long. The next day my grandmother prepared me a special treat for lunch – pot roast! I wondered to myself what holiday it was, as I was not used to such a special meal. When I realized that surely this was her way of rewarding me for diligence and studiousness last night, I was so upset that I bit of
