Meir Simcha of Dvinsk Meir Simcha of Dvinsk Meir Simcha of Dvinsk (1843–1926) was a rabbi and prominent leader of Orthodox Judaism in Eastern Europe in the early 20th century. He was a kohen, and is therefore often referred to as "Meir Simcha ha-Kohen" ("Meir Simcha the Kohen"). 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". Meir Simcha was born in Butrimonys (), Lithuania, to Samson Kalonymus, a local wealthy merchant. According to family tradition, his later success in Torah study was attributed to two blessings
Simcha Friedman Simcha Friedman Simcha Friedman (, 1911, Střížov, Bohemia - 5 January 1990) was an Israeli rabbi, educator and politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the National Religious Party in two spells between 1969 and 1977. Born in Driesendorf in Bohemia, Austria-Hungary (now Střížov in the Czech Republic) in 1911, Friedman moved to Nuremberg with his family at a young age. He studied at a rabbinical seminary and at the Humboldt University of Berlin. He taught at a Jewish school between 1935 and 1938, before making aliyah to Mandatory Palestine in 1939, where he taught at Mikveh