Chaim Halberstam of Sanz (Polish: Nowy Sącz) (1793–1876) (Hebrew: חיים הלברשטאם מצאנז), known as the Divrei Chaim after hismagnum opus on halakha, was a famous Hasidic Rebbe and the founder of the Sanz Hasidic dynasty.
He was a pupil of Rabbi Moshe Yehoshua Heshl Orenstein and the Rebbe, Rabbi Naftali Zvi of Ropshitz. His first rabbinical position was in Rudnik. In 1830 he was appointed as the town rabbi of Sanz, where he founded a Hasidic dynasty. He attracted many followers and students, due to his piety and greatness. Sanz has been succeeded nowadays by the Sanz-Klausenberg, Sanz-Zmigrad Hasidic dynasties and the Bobov Hasidic dynasties, among others.
Family life The Divrei Chaim was born in 1793, in Tarnogród Poland.
His first wife was the daughter of Rabbi Boruch Frenkl-Thumim; Rochel Feyga, who bore him five sons and three daughters. When she died he then married her sister, who died childless. His third wife was Rechil Devorah Unger, daughter of Rabbi Yechil Tzvi Unger, son of Rabbi Mordechai Dovid Unger of Dombrov; who bore him three sons and four daughters.
The Divrei Chaim had eight sons and seven daughters. His eight sons were:
• Rabbi Yechezkel Shraga Halberstam (1814–1898) of Shinove • Rabbi Duvid Halberstam (1821–1894) of Chrzanów • Rabbi Myer Noson Halberstam (1827–1855), father of Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam, the first Bobover Rebbe • Rabbi Aharon Halberstam (1828-1903) his successor in Nowy Sącz • Rabbi Boruch Halberstam (1829–1906) of Gorlice (Yiddish: גארליץ Gorlitz) • Rabbi Shulem Lazer Halberstam of Ratzfert (1862–1944), who was murdered by the Nazis in the Holocaust • Rabbi Yeshaye Halberstam of Czchów (Yiddish: טשחויוו Tshkhoiv) (1864–1944), who was also murdered by the Nazis. • Aryeh Leibish Halberstam died at age of 7 • The Divrei Chaim's sons all became famous rebbes (except for Myer Noson, who predeceased him). His seven daughters all married Hasidic leaders.• The Divrei Chaim died in Sanz, Austria-Hungary (now Poland) in 1876 (25 Nisan 5636).
