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Israel Meir (HaKohen) Kagan (1839–1933), known popularly as the Chofetz Chaim, was an influential rabbi of the Musar movement,〔Musar movement: Its history, leading personalities and doctrines by Rabbi Dov Katz, Feldheim Publishers 1996 (the new edition),printed in Israel.〕 a Halakhist, posek, and ethicist whose works continue to be widely influential in Jewish life. == Biography == Kagan was born in Dzyatlava, Grodno Governorate, Russian Empire (today Belarus), on January 26, 1839, and died in Radun'/Raduń, Wilno Voivodship in Poland (now Belarus) on September 15, 1933. His surname, Poupko, is not widely known.〔"Israel Meir Ha-Kohen" Encyclopedia Judaica. Jerusalem: Keter, 1972. (Excerpt )〕 His home town, Dzyatlava, was once named Zdzięcioł when it was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until the time of the partitions of Poland. When Kagan was ten years old, his father died. His mother moved the family to Vilnius in order to continue her son's education. While in Vilnius, Kagan became a student of Rabbi Jacob Barit. Kagan's mother later remarried (Epstein) and moved to Raduń. At 17, he married the daughter of his stepfather, and settled in Raduń. He served as the town rabbi of Raduń for a short period. He then resigned from this position to establish the yeshiva in the city, which eventually became world famous. By all accounts he was a modest and humble man. For a while he had a shop selling household provisions, which his wife managed.〔(Chofetz Chaim )〕 However, the business was not successful and he turned to teaching in order to support himself and his family. From 1864 to 1869 he taught Talmud in Minsk and Washilishok.〔Moses M. Yoshor, ''Israel Meir haKohen'' in ''Jewish Leaders'', ed. Leo Jung. p. 462.〕 In 1869, he formed a Yeshiva in Raduń. The Yeshiva was a success and grew to prominence, later becoming known as "Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim of Raduń". In addition to spreading Torah through his yeshiva, Kagan, who became known as the Chofetz Chaim, was very active in Jewish causes. He traveled extensively to encourage the keeping of the Mitzvot amongst Jews. He became one of the most influential rabbis within Orthodox Judaism during the late 19th and early 20th century, taking a central leadership role in the World Agudath Israel movement in Eastern Europe. In 1925, it was announced that he would be leaving Warsaw with his daughter and son-in-law, settling permanently in Petach Tikvah, Palestine. He died on September 15, 1933, at 95. He had been ill for some time. Many other Jewish religious institutions throughout the world also bear his name. One American yeshiva named in his honor is the Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yisrael Meir HaKohen centered in Queens, New York founded by his great nephew, Rabbi Dovid Leibowitz, with several branches in the United States, Canada, and Israel. The ''Chofetz Chaims teachings have inspired some English-speaking American Jews to establish the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation, dedicated to the dissemination of his teachings to Jewish communities around the world. An Orthodox kibbutz in Israel was named in his honor. The house of the Chofetz Chaim in Raduń, was disassembled, moved to Lithuania, and later transported to the USA. This fact became the ground for a criminal case which is in court in Belarus. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Israel Meir Kagan」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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