Tosher Rebbe the holy tzaadik succumbs to his illness at 95

Rabbi Meshulem Feish Lowy, the Tosher Rebbe, known for his magnetic personality and an ever present aura of holiness, died today at the age of 95.

The Rebbe was born in Demetch, Hungary and was the son of the Grand Rebbe Rabbi Mordechai Segal Lowy, the third rebbe in the Tosher dynasty which had strong links to the Chozeh of Lublin, Reb Elimilech of Lizhensk, the Magid of Mizritch and the Baal Shem Tov.  According to one source, the Tosher Rebbe was able to trace his patrilineal ancestors all the way back to Rashi.

A Holocaust survivor who served in the Hungarian Labour Service before being liberated by the Red Army in 1944, Rabbi Lowy was proclaimed the new Tosher Rebbe by his father’s surviving Chasidim. 

The Rebbe first settled in Nyiregyhaza in northeast Hungary, and married his wife Chava Weingarten, a direct descendant of the Noam Elimilech in 1946.  Fearful of the nearby Communist government, the Rebbe and his Chasidim relocated to Montreal in 1951, establishing Kiryas Tosh in Boisbriand, Quebec in 1963.  The first Tasher Rebbetzin passed away in 1996 and the Rebbe remarried in 2007.

A 1966 article in the Canadian Jewish News by Norman Abrahams described the Tosher Rebbe’s dedication to his followers, many of whom were Holocaust survivors who turned to the Rebbe for guidance.

“Indicative of the Rebbe’s devotion to Judaism and his followers, this great man stays up most of the night fulfilling the many requests for advice and prayer and it is not uncommon to see him eating breakfast, his first meal of the day at five o’clock in the afternoon.”

A Talmudic expert, the Rebbe was incredibly knowledgeable in many other areas, frequently offering medical advice and guidance on other topics.

“His wisdom extends to other fields, particularly those of politics and law,” wrote Abrahams. “It is said that even lawyers come to him for advice.”

Renowned for his insistence to read from the Torah on his own for over 50 years, the Rebbe would complete the entire Sefer Tehillim daily and could stand in shul for over five hours, according to Israeli news site Kikar HaShabbat.

Over the past five decades, Tosh became a destination for those seeking spiritual counsel, advice and brachos, with thousands coming every year from all walks of life to seek out the Tosher Rebbe’s guidance. 

A six volume set titled Avodas Avodah features the Rebbe’s discussions of the parsha, yomtim tovim and other insights, in both Yiddish and Hebrew, as well as a Yiddish/Hebrew collection of the Rebbe’s teachings about yahrtzeits of various tzadikim.  Satellite Tosher communities have been established in various locations including Borough Park, Williamsburg, Kiryas Joel, Monsey and London.

The levaya for the Tosher Rebbe is expected to take place at 7 PM tonight in Kiryas Tosh.