Ze'ev Wolf Kitzes (Yiddish: זאב וואלף קיצעס, Russian: рабби Зеев Волф Кицис; c. 1685 – 12 November 1788, Poland) was a noted Hassidic rabbi.
He was the rabbi of the Tulchin (Тульчин) community. Later he moved to Medzhibozh where he, together with Rabbi David Purkes, stood at the head of the group of Chassidim that preceded the Baal Shem Tov. When the Baal Shem Tov arrived in Mezhibuzh, Kitzes and Purkes opposed him, however they later accepted and supported his leadership. Kitzes was a student of the Baal Shem Tov. He was the Baal Tokeah (the one who blows the Shofar) at the beit midrash of the Baal Shem Tov.
Rabbi Yitzchak Michelowitz of Radvil writes that Kitzes was famous for his piety and meticulous observance of Mizvot, to the extent that "he would even immerse a needle". In a book called Me'ah Shearim, it is mentioned that Kitzes was very strict about not eating meat that was made kosher with him not being present, even if his rabbi, the Baal Shem Tov was present. There are many stories about him in the biography of Baal Shem Tov called Shivhei ha-Besht (In Praise of the Ba'al Shem Tov).
Kitzes is buried in Medzhibozh next to the Ba'al Shem Tov.
Read more about Ze'ev Wolf Kitzes: Children
Famous quotes containing the word wolf:
“Our ancestors were savages. The story of Romulus and Remus being suckled by a wolf is not a meaningless fable. The founders of every state which has risen to eminence have drawn their nourishment and vigor from a similar wild source. It was because the children of the Empire were not suckled by the wolf that they were conquered and displaced by the children of the northern forests who were.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)