Judah Leib ben Isaac

Judah Leib ben Isaac of Szydłów (Szydłowski) (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 Kraków. 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. Judah’s great grandfather Rabbi Meir Zak adopted the family name Zak (Zera Kodesh) after his brother Rabbi Mordechai Avdek of Lublin was martyred. According to family tradition he was a descendant of Rabbeinu Jacob ben Asher, Baal Haturim, Rabbeinu Asher Ben Jehiel, The Rosh, Rabbi Eliezer ben Nathan, Ra’avan, 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.

Judah’s 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 forging 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 Kraków. Judah’s son Rabbi Josef “Harif” Zak of Szydlow married Liba Shapiro the daughter of the chief rabbi of Kraków Rabbi Nathan Nata Spira, the Megaleh Amukkot.