Rav Aharon Yechiel Haufstein of Kozhnitz zt"l
הרב אהרן יחיאל בן ירחמיאל משה האפשטיין זצ"ל
Tishrei 3 , 5703 / Tishrei 9 , 5703
Known As: Rav Ahreleh Kozhnizter
Father's Name: Yerachmiel Moshe Haufstein
Relatives: Rav Yerachmiel Moshe Haufstein of Kozhnitz
Rav Aharon Yechiel Haufstein of Kozhnitz zt"l
Rav Aharon Yechiel Haufstein was the son of Rav Yerachmiel Moshe of Kozhnitz. He was born in Kozhnitz in 5649 (1889).
At the young age of twenty, Rav Aharon Yechiel was appointed rebbe in Kozhnitz. At one point he changed direction and distanced himself from the chassidic establishment of the time – the wealthy, the lamdanim, the esteemed and the elders – and instead began to draw close to the simpler chassidic common folk, such as the workers, wagon drivers etc. He left Kozhnitz and began to travel, wandering from place to place.
Eventually Rav Aharon Yechiel settled in Lodz, later moved to Warsaw and afterwards established himself in Otovczak, continuing to wander and travel sporadically.
His ways appeared strange to many, but he saw it as his mission to draw the simple common laborers to avodas Hashem, and he achieved notable success.
Rav Aharon Yechiel’s tefillos were accompanied by leaping, jumping and loud yells. As he davened, he would skip and jump to-and-fro, walking on tables and chairs.
The tzadikim of his generation greatly praised him. They said that whatever (words of blessing, assurances of salvation, etc. that) came out of his mouth was fulfilled. Hundreds of eyewitness accounts circulated about his wonders and miracles. He distributed all the money he earned from pidyonos to tzedaka. He himself lived in abject poverty and privation. His great talent for playing the violin was legendary.
When the Nazis entered Poland, Rav Aharon Yechiel left Otovczak for Warsaw, where he was seen running around collecting food for the hungry and destitute souls.
Many mistakenly believe that he passed away and was laid to rest in Warsaw. There seems to be clear evidence that he actually passed away in Zelichov, where he’d fled at the behest of his chassidim. One eyewitness report stated: “The Kozhnitzer brought with him a feeling of home, a heimishkeit. He conducted tischen that many attended. Although it was hard to obtain travelers’ passes, somehow his chassidim acquired them to travel and visit their rebbe.”
On Erev Rosh Hashanah, Rav Aharon Yechiel contracted typhus. He asked the chassidim to daven by themselves at home, but they remained with him for both days of Yom Tov, davening alongside him and constantly reciting Tehillim. However, his condition worsened and he began to frequently lose consciousness. Word went out to the chassidim, and although all travel in and out of the Warsaw ghetto was officially banned, they were somehow able to bring in two good doctors. But it was of no avail.
Rav Aharon Yechiel passed away on Erev Yom Kippur, the 9th of Tishrei, 5703 (1942) in Zelichov, during the Holocaust. His funeral and burial were attended by many Jews from both the ghetto and Zelichov. He left behind no children.