A halachic sefer authored by a renowned rov, who was a chossid of the Mitteler Rebbe and the Tzemach Tzedek, has been republished for the first time in over 100 years, and is now available as a free download.
A full 160 years after the passing of its author, and 157 years since its original publication, Oholei Yosef, a halachic sefer written by a chossid of the Mitteler Rebbe and once considered essential for learning Hilchos Vestos, has been reprinted in a new edition.
Oholei Yosef was authored by the renowned chossid Reb Eliyahu Yosef Rivlin, and covers Hilchos Kiddush Hashem, Niddah, Tzedaka, and Shatnez. It is especially noted for its treatment of Hilchos Niddah, long regarded as a foundational text among Lubavitcher rabbonim studying the topic.
Reb Eliyahu Yosef was born around 1805 in Ulla, Belarus, to a family of Alter Rebbe chassidim. The Rebbe, in Igros Kodesh and Reshimos, writes that Reb Eliyahu Yosef himself was a talmid of the Alter Rebbe. He later became a chossid of Reb Aharon of Strashele and subsequently of the Mitteler Rebbe and the Tzemach Tzedek.
Chassidic tradition recounts many stories about Reb Eliyahu Yosef: his lengthy davening, deep hiskashrus to the Rebbeim, and his brilliance in both Nigleh and Chassidus. He initially lived in Dribin, later served as the rov of Polotzk, and eventually moved to Eretz Yisrael in 1847, where he became one of the founders of the Chabad community in Chevron. During a visit back to Lubavitch, the Tzemach Tzedek greeted him personally, holding two lit candles in his honor.
Reb Eliyahu Yosef passed away in 1865. His halachic writings were published posthumously in Oholei Yosef, with a second volume on Shas released decades later. For generations, Lubavitcher rabbonim have studied and cited this sefer, particularly its section on vestos. But with no new edition in over a century, access to the sefer became increasingly difficult.
Although two reprints of the 1865 edition were issued, and digital scans later appeared online, these were simply facsimiles of the aging original. A proper reprint was long overdue.
The initiative to reprint the sefer began in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in Kollel Ohel Yosef Moshe, founded by Rabbi Chaim Lapidus. The idea was conceived and spearheaded by the Kollel’s then-Rosh Kollel, Rabbi Chananya Yosef Eisenbach a”h, who encouraged the retyping and annotation of the sefer while learning Hilchos Niddah with the yungeleit. Under his leadership, and with the dedicated work of the yungeleit, led by Rabbi Sholom Boruch Lapidus and avrechim Netanel Minián and Ionatan Harkatz, the project steadily progressed. After Harav Eisenbach’s passing, the Kollel continued the work in his memory, bringing it to completion in time for the author’s 160th yahrzeit.
The new edition features a clear layout, expanded roshei teivos, footnotes, and reorganized sections for easier learning. It also includes a biography of the author and additional chiddushim published in various journals over the years.
To honor Reb Eliyahu Yosef’s memory and make his sefer widely accessible, the Kollel has released the new edition as a free download. IYH, a full printed edition is planned for the near future.
The full sefer can be downloaded here
