Born in Goray, near Lublin, Poland, Rav Menachem Mendel received a thorough Torah education from his father, Leibush Morgenstern, a zealous opponent of Chassidus. After his marriage at fourteen, his father introduced him to the world of Chassidus. Thereafter, he became an ardent follower of the Chozeh of Lublin and Rav Simcha Bunim of Peshis'cha, whom he eventually succeeded. Rav Menachem Mendel was a new type of Chassid. If the Ba’al Shem Tov embodied chessed (loving-kindness), Rav Mendel represented din (strict justice). While the Ba’al Shem sought to reach all the people, Rav Mendel knew that what he sought could only be attained by the elite. The Ba’al Shem lifted the people up; Rav Mendel rebuked them for their inadequacies and always demanded more. Rav Leibel Eiger was entranced by Kotzk, to the despair of his father, Rav Shlomo. Rav Mendel and Rav Mordechai Yosef of Izhbitz had been close friends and talmidim of Rav Simcha Bunim of Peshis’cha. After Rav Bunim’s passing, Rav Mendel became Rebbe. However, because of Rav Mendel’s extreme aloofness the two friends were traveling on a collision course. Finally, on Simchas Torah of 1840 there was an irrevocable split between the two and Rav Mordechai Yosef left with his Chassidim to form a new Chassidus. Most prominent among his talmidim were the Chiddushei HaRim of Ger and Rav Chanoch of Alexander.
