seeking medical treatment. Family Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk had one unmarried daughter with mental issues who predeceased him. He therefore has no living descendants. However, some say that his daughter actually married the great Rav Avrohom Luftvir. Both his son in law and daughter died young and are buried in Warsaw. As a result of this, one of his most prominent students and a close friend, Rabbi Yisrael Avraham Abba Krieger, committed to carrying on his legacy. Works Ohr Somayach on Maimonides' Mishneh Torah. Ohr Somayach on Talmudic tractates 'Bava Kama' and 'Bava Metzia'. Ohr Somayach novellae on the Talmud. Ohr Somayach responsa addressing many practical issues of halacha. Meshech Chochma on Chumash. Various treatises on parts of the Jerusalem Talmud. Comments and insights on the Sefer haChinuch. Ideas and influence He opposed the non-religious Zionist groups, but was in favor of Religious Zionists. After the Balfour Declaration, he was of the opinion that the Three Oaths were no longer in effect. He was present at the founding meetings of Agudath Yisrael in the German town of Bad Homburg, but could not attend the first large conference in Katowice due to poor health. He had several clashes with some of his contemporaries, including Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (the Chafetz Chaim) on political issues and questions of Jewish law. It is harder to determine his exact stance in philosophical matters, although much can be gleaned from his Meshech Chochma (see below). Bibliography Rabbi Meir Simcha authored Ohr Somayach (or Ohr Sameiach) ("The delighted, or happy, light", a play on his name, possibly derived from Proverbs 13:9), a collection of novellae on Maimonides' Mishneh Torah. His approach is highly original, gathering material from the breadth of Jewish religious literature to approach difficult contradictions in Maimonides' main work of Jewish law. It was published during his lifetime and immediately became popular. Other works, novellae on the Talmud and responsa, did not have the same impact but are still used for reference. His main contribution to Jewish philosophy was to be posthumous. His pupil Menachem Mendel Zaks published Meshech Chochma ("The Price of Wisdom", Meshech is the acronym of Meir Simcha Kohen, and the words derive from Job 28:18), which contains novellae on the Torah, but very often branches off into questions of Jewish philosophy. He is often quoted as having predicted the Holocaust in a statement in this work: "They think that