Rabbi Avraham Dov of Avritch, author of the book Bat Ayin, was born in 5520 (1760) to his father Rabbi David, a maggid in Khmilnyk. He married the daughter of Rabbi Nasan Neta of Avritch, a disciple of the Ba’al Shem Tov, and was a student of Rabbi Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl, Rabbi Mordechai of Chernobyl, and Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev. He served as rabbi in Zhitomir and Avritch, and in 5591 (1831) he made aliyah to the Land of Israel, his love for which is strongly reflected in his book. However, he did not allow his love for the Land to influence his perspectives: when Sir Moses Montefiore approached him with a request "to encourage the building of the Land according to the spirit of the times," he responded sharply: "The spirit of the times is heresy!" Upon arriving in the Land, Rabbi Avraham Dov settled in Tzfat, where he was accepted as the rabbi of the Chasidic community. He remained in Tzfat for the rest of his life, even in the face of enormous difficulties such as the Fellaheen riots in 5594 (1834), the earthquake in 5597 (1837), and the Druze riots in 5598 (1838). On the 12th of Kislev 5601 (1840), Rabbi Avraham Dov passed away and was buried in his city, Tzfat.
Rabbi Avraham Dov, whose reputation as a genius and holy man preceded him, was the first rebbe to settle in Tzfat after the Rebbes Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk and Avraham of Kalisk, founded the chasidic settlement in the Land of Israel and lived in Tzfat for a time, about sixty years before him. He was received with royal honor and holy awe by the chasidic community in Tzfat, who were enchanted by his great and distinguished personality. They crowned him as the rabbi and leader of the community, head of the chasidic kollel of Poland, and cleaved to him with love and admiration.
Rabbi Shmuel Heller, the rabbi of Tzfat, found in him a teacher and guide and connected to him with heart and soul. Rabbi Avraham Dov also related to his student Rabbi Shmuel with special love and would call him, not in his presence, "my Rabbi Shmuel." He influenced him to stop the fasting that he had taken upon himself. Whenever Rabbi Shmuel initiated a new fast, Rabbi Avraham Dov would sense it and invite him over, honoring him with a cup of coffee.
Once, Rabbi Shmuel immersed in the mikveh to mark the beginning of a fast of three consecutive days. Rabbi Avraham Dov met him on his way home from his immersion and said to him: "Shmuel, stop mortifying yourself with fasts, for fasts and mortifications arouse harsh judgments!" His rabbi's words were sacred to him, and he followed them without hesitation.
Rabbi Shmuel's younger brother, Moshe Yehudah Leib, the ritual slaughterer of Tiberias, also cleaved with all his soul to the Rebbe of Avritch. He would often visit him in Tzfat. Out of love for the mitzvah, he did not travel by animal, but would walk the entire long way from Tiberias, up the mountain to Tzfat, on foot.
Every Yom Kippur eve, after intense work slaughtering the kaparot chickens the night before, Moshe Yehudah Leib would nonetheless maintain his custom and walk on foot from Tiberias to Tzfat to spend the holy day of Yom Kippur with his rebbe. One year, he lost his way and arrived in Tzfat in the late afternoon. When he entered Rabbi Avraham Dov’s house, the Rebbe was already finishing the final meal before the fast. "Moshe Leib!” he said to him. “Here, have some leftovers!" And he gave him a few spoonfuls of soup to swallow. Reb Moshe Leib later related that despite his severe exhaustion from his wanderings all that day without food, his physical and spiritual feeling on that Yom Kippur was more elevated than it had ever been before.
Reb Moshe Leib passed away in Tzfat in the year 5630 (1870), on the 13th of Tevet, which fell that year on Shabbat eve. Shortly after his passing, he came to his brother in a dream and told him: "When I ascended to the upper world immediately after my passing, Shabbat was approaching, and because of its holiness, they did not summon me to the heavenly court for that entire 24-hour
