Heschel, Abraham Joshua. Oheiv Yisrael [homilies on Pentateuch and Festivals, and Collectanea]

R. Abraham Joshua Heschel, rabbi of Apt (hence his sobriquet, “Apter Rav”) or Opatow, and later Mezhbizh was one of the most esteemed figures within the early Chassidic movement. His book, Oheiv Yisrael (“Lover of Israel”), is a profound, thought-provoking collection of Chassidic homilies. It is said that Rabbi Chaim Halberstam of Sanz studied a portion of the Oheiv Yisrael daily and declared, “A Jew should even pawn his Sabbath garments to acquire a copy of this book.” Among the author's descendants were the legendary Kopitschnitser Rebbe, R. Abraham Joshua Heschel of Vienna and New York (1888-1967), and the latter's cousin (and brother-in-law) the renowned theologian Professor Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972). See Harry M. Rabinowicz, Hasidism: The Movement and Its Masters (1988) pp. 138-9.