Meir Simcha of Dvinsk
Lithuanian rabbi (1843-1926)
Meir Simcha of Dvinsk (also known as Meir Simcha Ha-Kohen, 1843 – 14 August 1926) was an Orthodox rabbi in the Russian Empire and Latvia. A leader of the Jewish community in Daugavpils, he is known for his writings on Maimonides' Mishneh Torah, which he titled Ohr Somayach, as well as his novellae on the Torah, titled Meshech Chochma.
Early life
Meir Simcha was born in Butrimonys (Yiddish: Baltrimantz), Vilna Governorate, in the Russian Empire (now Lithuania) to Samson Kalonymus, a local wealthy merchant. According to family tradition, his later success in Torah study was attributed to two blessings his parents had received from local rabbis before his birth. He received his education locally, and managed to evade the regular roundups of Jewish boys that were being held as a result of the Cantonist decrees that had been in effect since 1827. After marrying in 1860, at age 17, he settled in Białystok, Grodno Governorate (now Poland), where his wife opened a business to support him while he continued his Talmudic studies.
Career
After turning down many rabbinical positions that were offered him during his 27 years in Białystok, Meir Simcha finally relented and accepted the rabbinate of the mitnagdim (non-Hasidic Jews) in the town of Dvinsk, Vitebsk Governorate (now Daugavpils, Latvia). He served in that position for 39 years until his death. His counterpart there was Yosef Rosen, a Hasidic rabbi known as the Rogatchover Gaon—or by his work, Tzofnath Paneach. The two had great respect for one another—despite Rosen's fiery temper—and on occasion referred questions in Jewish law to each other.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2910090. VIAF identifies the subject as 25762499. The Library of Congress control number is n83300400. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1843, 1926, 1827 and 1860.
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