Introduction
This article – based extensively on the research by Professor Yaakov Levinger[1] − examines the authenticity of many of the sayings popularly attributed to the Chassidic Rebbe, Menachem Mendel of Kotzk (1787-1869).
Many sefarim (books) have been published, claiming to present anthologies of the teachings of the Kotzker Rebbe. I have collected these books over the years and always found them to be of immense interest. These include publications like Emet miKotzk Titzmach (The Truth Sprouts from Kotzk) and Emet veEmunah (Truth and Faith). With time, more and more books purporting to contain the teachings of the Kotzker Rebbe began to emerge and soon they appeared in the English language as well, most notably in the iconic works of R. Avraham Yehoshua Heschel who, growing up in Warsaw, actually knew older people who had travelled to the court of the Rebbe in the Polish town of Kotzk.
