Rebbe Shmuel Eliyahu Taub of Zvolin
Upon the death of Rebbe Yechezkel Taub of Kuzmir in 1856, his son, Rebbe Shmuel Eliyahu Taub of Zvolin, Poland, succeeded him. He excelled in Torah scholarship and creating Hasidic songs. He was called Menagen mafli pla'os Hebrew for "[a] wondrous musical talent". When he died in 1888, his first son Rabbi Moshe Aharon succeeded him as Rebbe of Zvolin, while his second son, Rebbe Yisrael, went on to found the actual Modzitz Chasidic dynasty.
Rebbe Yisrael Taub (1849-1920)Rebbe Yisrael Taub, second son of Rebbe Shmuel Eliyahu Taub of Zvolin, was born in 1849. In 1888 he succeeded his father as a rebbe of the Zvoliner chasidim. In 1891 he settled in Modrzyc, a village near the town of Demblin, Poland.[1] He became known as the Modzhitzer Rebbe (after his place of residence), thus establishing the dynasty of Modzhitz. He composed many melodies that are still sung by Chasidim and others today. He suffered from diabetes and in 1913 he travelled to Professor Israel in Berlin. The only way to save his life was by amputating his gangrenous leg (a consequence of diabetes). Before the operation, the rebbe observed the beautiful Berlin architecture which upset him by comparison with the desolation of the holy city of Jerusalem. During the operation he composed his epic masterpiece based on the words of Ezkero (recited on Yom Kipur).[2] Modzhitzer chasidim sing this tune each year when they gather to commemorate his yortseit.
His teachings on Breishis, Shemos and Vayikra have been collected in his work Divrei Yisrael. Unfortunately, the writings on Bamidbar and Devarim were lost.
When he died on 24 November 1920, he was succeeded by his son Rebbe Shaul Yedidya Elazar Taub.
