Simcha Bunim of Peshischa

Simcha Bunim of Peshischa
Bunim ca. 1824
Title	Rebbe Reb Bunim (רבי ר׳בונם)
Personal
Born	Simcha Bunim Bonhardt c. 1765 (1765) Wodzisław, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Died	4 September 1827 (aged 61–62) Przysucha, Congress Poland
Religion	Judaism
Nationality	German-Polish
Spouse	Rebeccah Auvergir-Kogov
Children	Avraham Moshe of Peshischa, Liba Bonhardt, Beyla Bonhardt.
Parents	R. Tzvi Hersh Bonhardt (father) Sarah Rachel (mother)
Occupation	Apothecary
Signature
Jewish leader
Predecessor	R. Yaakov Yitzchak Rabinowicz of Peshischa
Successor	Avraham Moshe of Peshischa R. Menachem Mendel Morgensztern of Kotzk
Began	1813
Ended	1827
Yahrtzeit	12 Elul
Buried	Przysucha, Poland

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Topics Anger Chosen people Eschatology Ethics Faith God Happiness Holiness Holocaust Messiah Microcosm–macrocosm Righteousness
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Simcha Bunim Bonhardt of Peshischa^[a] (Yiddish: שמחה בונם בונהרט פון פשיסכע, [ˈsɪmχə ˈbʊnɪm ˈbʊnhaʁt ˈfʊn ˈpʒɪsχə]; c. 1765 – September 4, 1827) also known as the Rebbe Reb Bunim was the second Grand Rabbi of Peshischa (Przysucha, Poland) as well as one of the key leaders of Hasidic Judaism in Poland. The main disciple of Yaakov Yitzchak Rabinowicz ("the Yid Ha-Kadosh"), from 1813 to 1827, he led the Peshischa movement of Hasidic thought, in which he revolutionized 19th-century Hasidic philosophy by juxtaposing the rationalistic pietism of German-Jewry with the spiritual nature of God defined by the Hasidic movement.

Bunim was instrumental in challenging the Hasidic status quo, in which he paired enlightenment philosophy with traditional Orthodox Judaism while controversially emphasizing the importance of the individual in regard to one's personal relationship with God. He outwardly challenged the dynastic and autocratic nature of Hasidic rebbes and encouraged the democratization of Judaism, which led to several unsuccessful attempts by the Hasidic leadership to excommunicate him. Above all else, he believed that authenticity and self-honesty were the foundation of true piety, and that the pursuance of authenticity should always usurp the status quo. His teachings are foundational for Kotzk, Ger, Amshinov, Zychlin Hasidism, Aleksander, Vurka, Sochatchov, Radzymin, Lublin, Strikov, Lelov, Kuzmir Hasidism and Izhbitza-Radzin Hasidism. Because of his widespread influence on Polish Hasidism, many consider Simcha Bunim to be one of the most important Jewish philosophers of the Napoleonic era.^[1][2][3][4]

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