synagogue yahrtzeit buried synagogueposition parents birth_date spouse residence article_title name
'' chevrah hashas '' 8 cheshvan , 5640 a.m. grodno '' shammash '' uziel and meida kaplan 1811 itta grodno nachum kaplan
 menachem nachum kaplan
nachum kaplan

menachem nachum ben uzziel kaplan -lrb- 1811 -- october 25 , 1879 -rrb- was a preacher , philanthropist , jewish encyclopedia bibliography : gurvich , in `` razsvyct '' , 1879 , no. 7 ; lipshitz , `` nekrolog rabbi nokhim iz grodno '' -lrb- reprinted from `` russki yevrei '' , 1879 , no. 9 -rrb- , st. petersburg , 1879 ; `` ha-Ẓefirah '' , 1879 , no. 42 ; `` ha-meliẓ '' , 1879 , no. 43 ; friedenstein , '' ` ir gibborim '' , pp. 95-96 , wilna , 1880 .
and `` talmid chacham '' who was known throughout lithuania and poland as reb nachum ` ke of horodna or reb nahum grodner .
rabbi israel meir kagan regarded rabbi nachum as his mentor , and the jewish leaders of his time compared rabbi nachum 's levels of piety and kindness to those of the `` rishonim '' .
rabbi nachum was a great talmudist , well-versed in talmud and the `` poskim '' as well as in kabbalah and in many works of the `` rishonim '' and `` acharonim '' .
yet , because of his humility , he refused to render halachic decisions -lrb- except for one occasion when it was a matter of life and death -rrb- and preferred to hold the humble position of `` shammash '' -lrb- sexton -rrb- in the synagogue `` chevra shas '' and to pass his life in poverty .
but his untiring energy in behalf of the distressed of all classes and the implicit confidence reposed in him made him famous throughout russian jewry .
he spent a great part of his time in going from house to house , collecting from residents of grodno and from visitors money or articles of necessity and bestowing them wherever they were most needed .
he exercised much influence also by his great piety and simplicity of life .
he was a preacher of much force and was adored by the jewish masses , to whom he spoke , usually on shabbat afternoons , on plain moral truths in a language and manner suited to their feeling and understanding .
numberless anecdotes about his kindness and liberality , and about the esteem in which he was held by high personages , are told over , and his memory is revered .
