Yisrael Friedman of Ruzhin

Friedman was a direct descendant through the male line of Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezeritch (the Maggid of Mezritch) (1704–1772), the main disciple of the Baal Shem Tov. He was the great-grandson of the Maggid of Mezritch, the grandson of Rabbi Avrohom HaMalach Friedman (1739–1776), and the son of Rabbi Sholom Shachne of Prohobisht (1769–1802). His maternal grandfather was Rabbi Nochum of Chernobyl, a close associate of the Baal Shem Tov. He was given the name Yisroel (Israel) after the Baal Shem Tov, Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer. and a younger sister, Chaya Ita. Claiming descent from the Royal line of King David, his father, the rebbe of Porebishtsh, comported himself differently from other Hasidic leaders of the time. While most Hasidic leaders dressed in white clothes, he wore fashionable woolen clothes sewn with buttons. He also lived in an impressive house with a large garden. These elements would later be incorporated into Friedman's conduct as rebbe. Friedman was six years old when his father died and his brother Avrohom, aged 15, took over the leadership of their father's Hasidim in Porebishtsh. At age 7, Friedman was engaged to Sarah, daughter of Rabbi Moses Efrati of Berdichev. At age 13, he married and moved to Botoșani, Romania. Friedman settled in Ruzhin, where he achieved the reputation of a great holy man and attracted thousands of followers, making the Ruzhin dynasty "the largest and most influential Hasidic community in the southwestern districts of the Pale of Settlement". ==Regal court==

The Ruzhiner Rebbe was a charismatic leader known for his aristocratic demeanor. He set a regal tone for his court, living in a palatial home with splendid furnishings; riding in a silver-handled carriage drawn by four white horses; being accompanied by an entourage of attendants; and wearing a golden yarmulke and stylish clothing with solid-gold buttons. His children, too, dressed like nobility and were attended by servants in livery. Although this type of grandeur and opulence was highly unusual for Hasidic leaders, the Rebbe was accepted by many leading rabbis and rebbes of his time, who accepted that he was comporting himself in a way that would elevate God's glory through His representative, the tzadik. The Ruzhiner Rebbe was thought by his followers to constantly humble himself before God and afflicted his body with fasts and other afflictions. Allegedly, one winter night, after standing outdoors to sanctify the New Moon wearing his solid-gold boots studded with diamonds, his Hasidim noticed blood on the snow where he had been standing. They discovered that the extravagant boots had no sole, and thus, when the Rebbe walked outside, he was essentially walking barefoot. After that, people understood that the Rebbe's style of living was meant solely for the sake of Heaven. The impressions of contemporaries who knew him are interesting Dr. S. Rubin describes him as follows "He spoke little, confining his remarks to the absolute essential. All his movements were deliberate… He sat upon his throne dressed in immaculate and expensive garments, like one of the Russian nobles, and on his head a hat embroidered in gold. From the tips of his toes to his head, there was an elegance about his expensive clothes." Dr. Mayer, who visited him in 1826, was filled with enthusiasm for Israel's personality: "When I visited him in his home, I found there Field-Marshal Witgenstein who honored him in every possible manner and wanted to present him with one of the most beautiful of his palaces, in a neighboring town, so that he should take up residence there… in truth he deserves all this honor. Although not particularly educated, he has a preeminently naturally keen mind. With his sharp eye and keen intellect he immediately penetrates to the heart of any difficulty brought to him, however obscure and complicated, and arrives at a decision. His imposing presence and his stature make a pleasing impression upon the onlooker. He is noble and refined: He has no beard, only a moustache. His eyes exercise a hypnotic charm so that even his greatest opponent is compelled to submit to him." The Rebbe related to the poor and downtrodden as to the famous rebbes and Hasidim who flocked to his court. He also gained the respect of the Russian upper class. ==Imprisonment and escape==

The Rebbe's extravagant lifestyle and prestige aroused the envy of Tsar Nicholas I and the ire of the Jewish maskilim (members of the Jewish Enlightenment movement); the latter continually plotted to bring about the Rebbe's downfall. Moving from town to town — including Shatsk in Bukovina (which belonged to Austria), Kompling, and Skole The Rebbe built another palatial home in Sadigura that was even more beautiful than the one he had left in Ruzhyn. His beis medrash (synagogue) accommodated 3,000 worshippers. Thousands of Hasidim crossed the border from throughout Galicia, Russia and Romania to be with him, and all the Jews in Sadigura became Ruzhiner Hasidim. ==Activities in Eretz Israel==

in Jerusalem was named after the Ruzhiner Rebbe, who instigated its construction. The Apter Rav named the Ruzhiner Rebbe as president of Kollel Volhynia, with responsibility for raising and distributing the money to support the Hasidic community in the Land of Israel. The Rebbe encouraged Hasidim to emigrate and provided for their support through the kollel. Although he wished to make aliyah himself, he said that he could not leave his Hasidim. The Rebbe's son, Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov Friedman of Sadigura, completed the task of raising funds and inaugurated the building in the summer of 1872. The synagogue was named Tiferet Yisroel after the Ruzhiner Rebbe, Tiferet meaning "glory", though it was also known as the Nissan Beck Synagogue after its architect and builder. The Rebbe died at the age of 54 on 9 October 1850 (3 Cheshvan 5610), probably due to heart failure, and was buried in Sadigura. On his deathbed he testified to his disciple, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Fastan: "The holy master, Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, Rabbeinu Hakadosh, testified about himself that he did not take pleasure from this world, even as much as a small finger. I bear self-witness, Heaven and Earth, that I did not take enjoyment from this world even as much as a slender thread. As for my behaving with overt leadership and pomp, this was all done to honor the Holy One, Blessed is He". His gravesite, which eventually became the burial place of two of his sons, Avraham Yaakov of Sadigura and Dov Ber of Leova, as well as other family members, became a shrine for Ruzhiner Hasidim. His gravestone was destroyed during World War I and afterwards replaced by a large white concrete slab. ==Family==

Friedman and his first wife, Sarah, had six sons and four daughters. These were: Shortly after the death of his wife Sarah in 1847, the Rebbe remarried to Malka, the widow of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch of Rimanov. She had a seven-year-old girl and three-year-old boy from her first marriage; this second marriage did not produce children. ==Legacy==

The Rebbe did not write any sefarim (books); however, his sayings and teachings have been recorded by Ruzhiner Hasidim and biographers. These include the Mesivta Tiferet Yisroel, the Ruzhiner Yeshiva in Jerusalem, established in 1957 by the Rebbe's great-grandson, the Boyaner Rebbe of New York. ==His progeny==