Judah Leib ben Isaac

Judah Leib ben Isaac of Szydłów (Szydlowski) (Hebrew: יהודה לייב בן יצחק משדלוב; d. 1730) was an 18th-century Polish rabbi who served as a representative of Kraków in the Council of Four Lands.

Biography

Born in Szydłów, Poland to and old and distinguished rabbinic family form Przemyśl. His father Isaac ben Samuel Zak (Zera Kodesh) was the Chief Rabbi of Przemyśl and later Krakow. His mother was the daughter of Joshua Höschel ben Joseph, Meginei Shlomo. His grandfather Rabbi Shmuel “Schmelke” Zak (Zera Kodesh) was the chief rabbi of Ostroh and was the husband of the granddaughter of Rabbi Naphtali Hirsch Treves. According to family tradition he was a descendant of Rabbeinu Jacob ben Asher, Baal Haturim, Rabbeinu Asher Ben Jehiel, The Rosh, and Rabbeinu Gershom. In his early years, Judah officiated as rabbi in Szydłów later serving as representative of Kraków in the Council of Four Lands. After 1715 he became rabbi and president of the Yeshiva at Kraków, where he remained till his death in 1730. His son, David Samuel served as the Av Beit Din of Szydłów and is the paternal grandfather Shmuel of Karov.

Juda Leib ben Isaacs wife left a last will and testament in which she favored the younger son Rabbi David Samuel instead of the oldest son Rabbi Yehoshua of Szydlow. Rabbi David Samuel was accused of falsifying the last will and testament by Rabbi Yehoshua of Szydlow. A fight therefore erupted between the two sons which compromised Rabbi David Samuel so much that he left his position as the chief rabbi of Cracow.