Rabbi Dovid of Tolna רבי דוד מטולנא
the rebbe of Tolna; one of the eight sons of Rabbi Mordechai of Chernobyl who divided Ukraine among their courts
Son of Rabbi Mordechai of Chernobyl and grandson of Rabbi Menachem Nachum, author of the Meor Einayim. When Rabbi Mordechai died in 1837 his eight sons spread across Ukraine and each founded a court; Rabbi Dovid sat first in Vasilkov and from 1854 in Tolna, where his court became one of the most populous.
He loved music and was the first rebbe to keep a resident cantor—Rabbi Yosef of Tolna; the Tolna melodies are sung in Chassidic courts to this day. His books are Magen David, Birkat David and Kehillat David.
He died on 10 Iyar 1882. His grandson Rabbi Menachem Nachum continued the court; today the Tolna rebbe lives in Jerusalem.
Related
Sources
Acharonim and later rabbinic literature
- Magen David and Birkat David by Rabbi Dovid of Tolna — his teaching
Scholarship
- Encyclopaedia Judaica, “David of Talna” — the years 1808–1882, Vasilkov and Tolna from 1854, the cantor, the books
Basis: documents and evidence.