TzadikimRabbi Naftali Amsterdam (1832-1916) was a Lithuanian-born Orthodox rabbi and a leader in the Mussar movement.
Rabbi Naftali Amsterdam (1832-1916) was a Lithuanian-born Orthodox rabbi and a leader in the Mussar movement.
He was born in the town of Salant, Lithuania in 1947. His youth stood out in his diligence and awe, and Rabbi Yisrael Salanter delivered his son to his educator.
After his marriage, he refused to take on a rabbinate and opened a bakery in his home for a living, but Rabbi Yisrael forbade him to work as a simple laborer, so he sought a rabbinate job. In 1867 he was appointed rabbi of Helsinki, (later the capital of Finland), where he served for about eight years. During 1870 he tried to move to the Novgorod rabbinate, but the attempt failed and he returned to Helsinki until 1875 when he resigned and returned to Kaunas. In Kaunas, he lived in poverty and Rabbi Israel sent to Saint Petersburg as justice teacher alongside his friend Rabbi Yitzchak Blazer, where he served for about a year. He then served as a rabbinate in the towns of Yaswin and Alexot, and finally abandoned the rabbinate and devoted himself to his moral training.
In Amsterdam was a rabbi and lived in
Helsinki, 1867 - 1876
St. Petersburg, 1876 - 1880
Lithuania, 1880 - 1906 (By Bais Din in Novograd
Jerusalem, 1906 - 1916. He moved to Israel shortly after the death of his wife.
He was buried on the Mount of Olives.
A student of Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, the Mussar movement's founder, his teacher categorized the roles of three top followers as:
Rabbi Yitzchok Blazer ("Reb Itzele Peterburger"): scholar
Rabbi Simcha Zessel Ziv Broida: sage
Amsterdam: pietist
May the merit of Rabbi Naftali Amsterdam protect us all. Amen
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