R. Avraham Asher was the son of R. Hirsch of Korshev and the son-in-law of R. Nachum of Chernobyl. His wife Malka was R. Nachum's daughter. He took over as the rabbi of Prohobist after R. Nachum went on to become rabbi of Chernobyl. He had three sons-in-law, one of whom was the rabbi of Bender, another was the magid (preacher) of Bahofel, and the third was R. Sholem of Prohobist. Before his death, he requested that the Jewish community of Prohobist appoint R. Sholem as his successor. He explained to them, “My son-in-law, who was the rabbi of Bender, a large city in Bessarabia, did not require the position of rabbi as he already held it. My second son-in-law, the magid of Bahofel, was able to earn a living through his travels. My R. Shalom, however, is an orphan without a rabbinical position. I urge the Prohobister Jews to appoint him as my successor.”

Y.F.

Pinchas Landau