Summary
The present volume contains partial Polish translation of the legacy of Rabbi Kalonimus Kalman Shapiro, the Admor of Piaseczno – a well-known rabbi, a charismatic Chasidic leader, and a progressive educator. Born in 1889, he was a descendant of famous Chasidic families and having been orphaned by his father, rabbi Elimelech Shapiro of Grodzisk, received his Chassidic education at the court of rabbi Yerachmiel Moshe Hofstein of Kozienice. In 1913 he became the rabbi of Piaseczno and after the First World War, in 1924, he set up a yeshiva in Warsaw, where he would use pioneering methods to educate young adepts of Chasidism. As a result of his educational activity, he wrote his first guide for young boys, Chovat ha-talmidim, which was published in Warsaw in 1932 and brought him reputation as an innovative educator; with time, his yeshiva came to be one of the biggest and most popular in pre-war Warsaw. Already in September 1939 he lost almost all members of his family. Nevertheless, he continued to support his followers, both materially (e.g. a Joint-sponsored soup kitchen was located in his Warsaw house), as well as spiritually (until 1942 he kept delivering sermons on Sabbaths and holidays). In spring 1943 he was deported from the Warsaw ghetto to the labour camp in Trawniki, where he was killed in November 1943.
Two of the three documents presented in this volume, both of which have been preserved in manuscript, were intended as the continuation of Chovat ha-talmidim. The first one, Hachsharat ha-avrechim, is directed at young married yeshiva students and systematically describes the basics of Chasidic spirituality, with emphasis on self-improvement, spiritual enthusiasm and imagination. Moreover, Shapiro emphasizes the importance of restoring traditional Chasidic institutions, which enabled young men to pursue their religious involvement by means of study while dwelling at the tzaddik’s court. The second work, Mavo ha-shearim, was intended as an introduction to the next book for more advanced students which, however, was never written. It refers the reader to the prophetic tradition in Judaism and Chasidism, emphasizes God’s presence in the surrounding world, as well as analyses the meaning of Chasidism and differentiates between its varieties. Description of Chasidic institutions also plays an important part in the discourse, encouraging the young entrants to revive the traditional model
