Rabbi Dr. Nathan David Rabinowich : Author of the Popular Illanos Although Rabbi Dr. Rabinowich is very proud of all his sacred ancestors, many of them considered the greatest Hassidic Admorim in Jewish History 1 , (i.e., the “Sanzer Rebbe”, the “Bnei Yissachar”, the “Yishmech Moshe”, the “Shem Shloma”, Rebbe Moshe Leib Sassover”, “Rebbe Baruch of Gorlitz”, Rebbe Shmelke of Sassov”), he takes most pride in his direct lineage to the “Holy Jew”, Rebbe Yakov Yitchak Rabinowich of Pshischa, the prize pupil of the Seer of Lublin (d. 1814). Many various and fascinating explanations have been offered for this unique “nickname” that no other Hassidic Admor received 2 . What is known for certain is that throughout his short life of forty-seven years he tried to conceal his “holiness” through various manipulations. Hashem, however, wanted the ‘world’ to appreciate his holiness and thati swhy of all the great Admourim/Tzaddkim, he is the only one to have received the appellation” “Holy Jew”. As mentioned earlier, the “Yid” was not born a Hassid; he was introduced to Hassidut by Rebbe Moshe Leib Sassover (d.1807), another grand-father of Rabbi Rabinowich and Rebbe David of Lelov, the Yid’s in-law 3 . It is extremely noteworthy that these two teachers of the “Yid”, giants in Hassidut, are most famous in Hassidic lore for their love of fellow Jews! This, naturally, was one of the Yid’s extraordinary personality traits; he had wonderful teachers 4 . Another trait that made the “holy Jew” stand out among “Hassidic greats” was his tremendous scholarship. This, too, is not surprising as his grandfather Rebbe Elchanon Rabinowich (the first in the family with that name) was the grandson of Rebbe Yitzchok Ha’Levi, the famous brother of the famous Halachic authority, the “Tunei Zahav”. In fact, some genealogical works claim that the “Holy Jew” was the tenth generation to Rebbe Bezalel Ashkenazi, the great scholar and author of the “Shita Mekubetzet”. His learning was awe-inspiring and many Hassidic masters and leading Talmidei Chochamim were in awe of his great erudition. Supposedly, the leading scholar of his generation, the holy Rebbe Akiva Eign said: “It is impossible to understand the sharpness and depth of the ‘Yehudi’s’ brain”. He was compared to the leading Medievalist, the Rabbeinu Tam (“the Fire of Strelisk”). The holy Rebbe Simcha Burim of Pschicha said: “The World is not worth of the ‘Torah’ of the Rebbe R’Heschel 5 and of the “Yehudi”. Interestingly, his yartzheit, 19 Tishrei is the same as that of the Holy Gra of Vilna; nothing is coincidental.