The Doctor Rebbe: Healing Through Faith

Piotrków, located in Poland, south of Łódź, is a city rich in Jewish history. It has produced great figures, and its cemetery is home to several righteous figures' graves. Rabbi Meir Shapiro served as the city's rabbi, followed by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Lau, the father of Rabbi Israel Meir Lau. A magnificent structure stands there, but the grave belongs to "Dr. Bernhard." Who was Dr. Bernhard?<\/p>

Chaim David Bernhard was born in 1775 to his father Yissachar Ber, a doctor, merchant, and poet. At 14, he began studying medicine in Berlin and served as a doctor at the Berlin military hospital. At 23, he was stationed in Warsaw as a physician for the Prussian legions, and later in the Radomsk region. After returning to Berlin, he was appointed as the court physician of Frederick William III, Emperor of Prussia, and the chief physician of the Prussian army. At the palace, he met his wife Helena, later known as Hadassah, the daughter of the Jewish banker Shmuel Halevi Lando from Breslau, who gave embroidery and reading lessons to the court's daughters.<\/p>

After Napoleon Bonaparte's conquests and the establishment of the Duchy of Warsaw, Bernhard was appointed as the physician to General Józef Zajączek and the chief doctor for the duchy's western regions, serving as a professor of medicine at the University of Warsaw.<\/p>

Dr. Bernhard initially did not observe commandments and was known to visit the synagogue once a year to hear the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, though it did not touch his heart. During a mission to a Polish general, he passed through the town of Lelov, where Rabbi David of Lelov asked him to assist his daughter-in-law, who was in labor. This happened on Yom Kippur. Rabbi David, knowing he was Jewish, talked to him, and in the middle of their conversation said: "Chaim David, if you were to repent, it would bring great joy to our Father in Heaven." This sentence deeply affected him, leading him and his wife to return to their faith.<\/p>

After his return, he served as the physician and confidant of the Chozeh of Lublin, the Maggid of Kozhnitz, Rabbi Efraim Fishel of Strikuv, the "Holy Jew," Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Peshischa, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, and other righteous figures. Known for his philanthropy and expertise in Chassidic and Kabbalistic teachings, he continued practicing medicine, refusing the position of a Rebbe, but significantly influenced people spiritually, earning him the moniker "the Doctor Rebbe."<\/p>

In Piotrków, he was the chief doctor at the Jewish municipal hospital and since 1852 at the shared municipal hospital. It's said that a Polish colleague, Dr. Wigziewolski, initially opposed him. Later realizing his error, Wigziewolski hired an artist to paint a portrait of the Doctor Rebbe, a painting that remains in the National Library to this day.<\/p>

In 1813, after the Russians defeated Napoleon, the Polish government commissioner tried to persuade Bernhard to return and take charge of Poland's health services. He declined, insisting that he first needed to care for the health of Poland's Jews, whom the government neglected.<\/p>

The Doctor Rebbe brought artist David Friedlander to design the Great Synagogue in Piotrków and decorate the eastern wall, while David Goldstein decorated the western wall. Although he planned to move to Israel with the Chozeh of Lublin and the Maggid of Kozhnitz, this plan did not materialize, but he supported the community financially.<\/p>

Bernhard passed away in Piotrków on 20th Shvat 5618 (February 3, 1858). In 5638 (1878), followers of Rabbi Yissachar Dov Berish Hacohen of Wolbromz erected an "ohel" over his gravesite. The ohel was destroyed during World War II, rebuilt in 1945, and renovated in 1992 by the Dessau family.<\/p>