TEITELBAUM, MOSES:

By: Isidore Singer, Ludwig Venetianer

Austrian Ḥasid; died July 17, 1841. According to Löw, he signed his name Tamar, this being the equivalent of Teitelbaum, which is the Yiddish for Dattelbaum = "palm-tree." He officiated as rabbi, first in Przemysl, and later in Sátoralja-Ujhely, to which latter place he was called in 1809. In Ujhely he founded a Ḥasidic congregation which was independent of the Galician leaders. In 1822 Teitelbaum was suspected of having supplied amulets to certain Jewish culprits who had been cast into prison for libel, in order to assist them in escaping. When called upon to vindicatehimself he declared that the amulets in question served only as substitutes for the mezuzah and that their only purpose was to protect their bearers against demons.

Teitelbaum enjoyed an enviable reputation, even R. Moses Sofer paying him homage. He was the author of: "Yismaḥ Mosheh" (1849; 2d ed. 1898). homilies on the Torah: "Tefillah le-Mosheh," commentaries on the Psalms; and "Heshib Mosheh," a collection of responsa.

S. L. V.