Rare Photogrpah of the Admor of Ottynia-Vizhnitz. Maramures, 1930s

Rare Photogrpah of the Admor of Ottynia-Vizhnitz. Maramures, 1930s

Rare and unknown photograph of the Admor Rabbi Chaim Hager of Ottynia.

Source: Descendants of Rabbi Mendel Ber Hershtik. Rabbi Mendel Ber Hershtik was an Ottynia chassid who hosted the Admor in his home in Masif, Maramures in the early 1930s, just a few months before he passed away. When the Admor requested that he visit, the chassid Rabbi Mendel received permission to photograph him. This rare photograph has been kept in his descendants' homes through the generations. There are almost no pictures extant of the Admor of Ontynia. Rare and important item.

The holy Admor Rabbi Chaim Hager of Ottynia [1862-1931] in Eastern Galicia was the son of Rabbi Baruch Hager - the second Admor of Vizhnitz, grandson of Rabbi Pinchas of Koritz. He was raised by his grandfather, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Hager, the Tzemach Tzaddik, and was ordained by rabbinic leaders in Galicia [including Rabbi Shlomo Drimmer, author of Beit Shlomo] at the age of 13. After his father's passing in 1893, he established his court in the small town of Ottynia, and the number of his followers quickly grew to be in the thousands. He suffered much, undergoing dozens of operations due to his physical weakness. It is told that after he underwent a series of operations over a number of days, when the doctors were finally about to stitch him up, they wanted to anesthetize him for a long period. Rabbi Chaim refused and requested that the Zohar be brought to him, as well as a cigarette, and that candles be lit above him. After a half an hour of study, they could begin to stitch. Indeed, he didn't stir for the entire procedure, without any anesthetic whatsoever. This astonished the doctors and the matter was soon published in the local press.

Aside from his Torah prowess, he was also a master of prayer and a musician. He added melodies and emphases to the prayer style of Vizhnitz chassidut. He also composed tunes, such as the second part of Vizhnitz chassidut's Odeh LaKel.

During WWI, he fled to Vienna. Most of his Torah thoughts were lost during the war. After the war he returned to Galicia. He passed away in Krakow on the way to Vienna for an operation, while he was lighting candles, just after concluding the shehecheyanu blessing for lighting the first Chanukah candle. After his passing, his chassidim printed Tal Chaim on Torah and Nimukei Chaim on Talmud.

Size: 18x24 cm. Placed in a nice wooden frame: 35x25 cm.