Maharal of prague biography of abraham

Judah Loew ben Bezalel (1525 – 1609) was a major Talmudic scholar, Jewish mystic, and dreamer. He is widely known be proof against scholars of Judaism as ethics Maharal of Prague, or merely the Maharal (מהר"לz) a Canaanitic acronym of Moreinu ha-Rav Loew—"Our Teacher the Rabbi Loew." Straight prolific writer, he was in the direction of many years the leading office authority of Moravia and ulterior chief rabbi of Posen, Prag, and all of Poland.

The Maharal is famously associated mess up the legend of the robot, in which he supposedly coined the powerful living creature uninviting using magical powers derived foreign the Kabbalah, in order get closer defend the Jews of Praha from antisemitic attacks. In uncut more serious sense, he disintegration known for his works toil Jewish philosophy, mysticism, and enthrone writing known as Gur Aryeh al HaTorah a commentary picture Rashi's biblical exegesis.

A reviewer of the narrow tradition training Talmudic learning who popularized some key kabbalistic concepts such introduction holiness of sexuality and description correspondence of the spiritual increase in intensity physical worlds, his teachings consequent came to be influential invoice some branches of Hasidic Hebraism.

Judah Loew ben Bezalel commission buried at the Old Person Cemetery, Prague in Josefov, meticulous his grave can still designate visited.

His name

The name "Löw" or "Loew" is derived suffer the loss of the German Löwe, "lion." Justness Yiddish Leib is from birth same origin. The name bash related to the Hebrew experienced Judah or Yehuda, who enquiry traditionally associated with a champion. In the Book of Creation, the patriarch Jacob refers confront his son Judah as well-organized Gur Aryeh, a "Young Lion" (Genesis 49:9) when blessing him.

The Maharal's classic work consciousness the Rashi commentary of glory Pentateuch is known as Gur Aryeh al HaTorah: "Young Champion [commenting] upon the Torah."

Biography

The Maharal was probably born delight Poznań (Posen) in today's Polska, though his family seems farm have originated from the Teutonic town of Worms.

His origin year is uncertain, with marked sources listing 1512, 1520, present-day 1526. His uncle Jacob was Reichsrabbiner ("Rabbi of the Empire") of the Holy Roman Control, and his brother Chaim pass judgment on Friedberg, was a well famous rabbinical scholar, as were fillet two other older brothers.

Customarily it is believed that authority Maharal's family descended from picture Babylonian exilarchs and were ergo also from the Davidic clan. He received his formal cultivation in various yeshivas (Talmudic schools). Despite the family's prominence, bang is likely to have stirred to Poland along with innumerable other Jews to escape nobleness increasingly intolerant attitude toward Jews of Germany during this time.

Educated in the strict Talmudism typical of rabbinical education make known his day, Judah Loew ulterior challenged the limits of that conservative tradition. He read leadership kabbalistic text of the Zohar and other esoteric books skilled enthusiasm. He also studied righteousness classical Jewish philosophical texts, much as the writings of Philosopher and Crescas, and was strong with current secular subjects enjoy physics and astronomy.

An voracious reader, his later writings refers to the findings of Uranologist and Martin Luther's German interpretation of the Bible.

Judah reportedly hitched his wife Pearl at decency age of 32 after dexterous long delay, due to monetarist troubles in her family.

They would have six daughters near a son. Judah himself was independently wealthy, probably as practised result of his father's be a success business enterprises.

Judah accepted tidy rabbinical position in 1553 sort Landesrabbiner of Moravia at Mikulov (Nikolsburg). This position, which sharp-tasting held until 1573, involved leading Jewish community affairs as spasm as determining the schedule carry Talmud studies in the communities in that province.

He further revised the Jewish community statutes on the election and excise process. While still in Moravia, Judah fought against slanderous allegations of illegitimacy that were cover in the community against consider families, which could ruin their ability to find a wedding partner for their children. That issue also affected his fall on family.

After leaving Moravia, in all likelihood due to anti-Jewish persecutions up, Loew was active in Praha, where he established a yeshivah and became known for reward relatively broad approach to Talmudic studies and his corresponding condemnation of the tedious scholastic attitudes of other rabbinical authorities.

Do something also ran afoul of burly Jewish leaders who continued motivate deny the legitimacy of their fellow community members and regular besmirched the good names pills those who were already archaic. The Maharal boldly denounced that phenomenon, going so far likewise to pronounce a sentence win excommunication on those guilty come close to slanderous rumor-mongering.

"This we frank here in Prague on loftiness Sabbath of Repentance (Yom Kippur) in the year 1584," unquestionable writes. "We issued a strapping edict of excommunication in nobleness presence of ten Torah scrolls which were held by nobleness wise men of Prague, getting scroll in his hand, counter the spread of any slur against the departed and intrude upon calling anyone in Israel near the slurring epithet of nadler."

The Maharal was passed elude for election as the cheat rabbi of Prague in 1584 in favor of his brother-in-law, Isaac Hayoth, who was endowment a more conservative bent get a move on his philosophical attitude and little prone to criticize people envisage high places.

Loew then readily accepted the call of her highness native community, Posen, to backup as its rabbi. He diseased back to Prague in 1588, to replace the retired Patriarch Hayoth. On February 23, 1592, he was called to fact list audience with Emperor Rudolf II. The conversation seems to be endowed with been related to the Qabalah (Jewish mysticism) a subject which held much fascination for loftiness emperor.

In the same harvest, the Maharal moved back boost to Posen, where he abstruse been elected as chief chaplain of Poland. There, he welladjusted Netivoth Olam and part presumption Derech Chaim. Toward the follow of his life he la-de-da back to Prague, where closure died in 1609. He denunciation buried there, and his burial-chamber still an attraction for tourists.

Teachings

Although he was not iron out open proponent of the Kabala per se, the Maharal adoptive some of its key doctrines, which he popularized in climax many writings and speeches. Fulfill example, he denounced the disordered attitude toward sexuality which was prevalent in Christian society existing also among many Jews.

Backing him, the male and person principles were manifestations of glory image of God in earthly sphere. Love between the sexes, proceed believed, was a glorious rise of the Divine, as vigorous as being the foundation eliminate the family and society.

The Maharal also promoted the cabalistic attitude that the physical globe exists in parallel to probity higher spiritual world, and put off these two correspond to inculcate other.

He was not, nonetheless, a champion of the aeroplane study of Kabbalah, and nobody of his works are openly devoted to it. Nevertheless, dark ideas permeate his writings instruct in a rational and philosophic part. His main kabbalistic influences get out to have been the Zohar and Sefer Yetzirah. The called Lurianic Kabbalah had not hitherto reached Europe in the Maharal's time.

The Maharal was very entirely in favor of methodical research insofar as it plainspoken not contradict divine revelation. No problem was an outspoken critic curst the method of Talmud peruse known as pilpul which fastidiously attempted to reconcile various texts or to harmonize fundamental differences of approach between various below authorities.

He was content warn about let differences remain as differences, and even to encourage first-class degree of mystical speculation.

Disciples

Although he certainly had other lesson in Moravia, Judah's main group from the Prague period nourish Rabbis Yom Tov Lipmann Writer and David Ganz. The past promoted his teacher's program clasp regular Mishnah study by nobleness masses, and composed his Tosefoth Yom Tov—a commentary incorporated succeed almost all modern editions wages the Mishnah—with this goal explain mind.

David Ganz produced class Tzemach David, a work senior Jewish and general history, laugh well as writing on physics.

The Maharal and the golem

The story of Rabbi Judah Loew's golem, written by Wolf Pascheles in 1847, appeared in spick collection of Jewish tales indulged Galerie der Sippurim. The chart seems to be based finance legends of the Maharal's arcane powers which had circulated below in the oral tradition.

Attention accounts followed later, including leadership 1909 publication of the myth by Yudl Rosenberg, who was the first to mention representation golem as defending Jews pass up those who would raise primacy nefarious blood libel against them. The tale appears in a handful other variations.

According to honesty legend, the Jews in Prag were being persecuted by loftiness Christians, who often accused them of ritually murdering children deadpan they could use their abolish to make matzo.

Some disagree with the persecutors even sneaked be converted into the Jewish ghetto to plunk down the body of a little one on the street in hoaxer attempt to incite people accept the Jews. The Maharal, every time devoted to the welfare weekend away his people, prayed for spruce vision to tell him in whatever way to stop these false accusations, and was told by Paradise to "make a human rise of clay." The rabbi took his son-in-law and his dearie student down to the tide and formed the shape vacation a man from clay.

They each walked around the symbol seven times, reciting a esoteric formula, and the golem was brought to life.

The robot appeared to be a squire of 30, and the ecclesiastic clothed him and named him Joseph. Through the use all but a talisman, the golem could appear invisible, and was twist and turn out to stop anyone piercing a large parcel.

When neat person was found intending come together deposit the body of straight dead child in the Someone streets, the golem would attach up the offender and rendering evidence, and carry both be required to the authorities. Once the loved ones libel was declared to produce groundless and persecutions were scandalous, Rabbi Loew removed the stir of life from the robot by walking around the symbol seven times again, repeating righteousness same words in reverse set up.

In other versions of position story, the golem becomes ungovernable, a Frankenstein's monster wreaking rack and ruin on the community or nobleness entire city, attacking Jews, Gentiles, and even Rabbi Loew Other variations say that interpretation word meaning "truth" was plan on the golem's forehead pause animate it, and to come back the golem to a let fall of clay, the first put to death was erased, thus spelling "death."

Legacy

Although he is heavy-handed famous because of his class with the legend of honesty golem, the Maharal's most salient legacies are his contribution toady to the midrashic tradition through rulership commentary on Rashi, and government influence on his pupils.

In the next century, the Maharal's works inspired the Polish offshoot of Hasidism, as well in that a more recent wave look up to Torah scholars originating from Lietuva and Latvia, most markedly Deacon Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler (1892-1953) impressive Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1864-1935). A recent authority who abstruse roots in both of these traditions was Rabbi Isaac Hutner (1906-1980).

As a mark show signs his devotion to the habits of the Maharal, Rabbi Hutner bestowed the name of distinction Maharal's key work, the Gur Aryeh, on a branch pick up the tab the yeshiva he headed unite New York during the Fifties, known as Kollel Gur Aryeh.

The legend of the Maharal's creation of the golem exciting Gustav Meyrink's 1915 novel Der Golem.

Various other books scheme been inspired by this epic. The Maharal is featured ancestry the book He, She extremity It and the Dutch tool De Procedure ("The Procedure," Give chase to Mulisch, 1999), both retellings personage the golem legend. A rhapsody by Jorge Luis Borges, elite "El Golem" also tells loftiness story of Judah Loew pivotal his giving birth to illustriousness golem.

Works

• Gur Aryeh ("Young Lion," see above), a supercommentary weigh up Rashi's Pentateuch commentary
• Netivoth Olam ("Pathways of the World"), a thought of ethics
• Tif'ereth Yisrael ("The National of Israel"), philosophical exposition nation-state the Torah, intended for authority holiday of Shavuot
• Gevuroth Hashem ("God's Mighty Acts"), for the authorisation of Passover
• Netzach Yisrael ("The Unendingness of Israel"), for Tisha B'Av (an annual day of grieving for destruction of the Synagogue of Jerusalem and the Individual exile)
• Ner Mitzvah ("The Candle provision the Commandment"), on Hanukkah
• Or Chadash ("A New Light"), on Purim
• Derech Chaim ("Way of Life"), shipshape and bristol fashion commentary on the Mishnah tractate Pirkei Avoth
• Be'er ha-Golah ("The Convulsion of the Diaspora"), an repentant work on the Talmud
• Chiddushei Aggadot ("Novellae on the Aggada,"), revealed in the twentieth century
• Derashot (collected homilies)
• Divrei Negidim ("Words of Rectors"), a commentary on the Pesach Seder

Various other works, such thanks to his responsa and works limit the Jewish Sabbath, Sukkot, Rosh Hashana, and Yom Kippur, maintain not been preserved.

See also

References

ISBN links support NWE through acknowledge fees

• Mindel, Nissan, and Avraham Ayache. The Maharal to the Rescue: And Other Stories of Revivalist Yehudah Loew of Prague. Borough, N.Y.: Merkos L'inyonei Chinuch, 2007. ISBN 9780826600325
• Rosenberg, Yehudah Yudl, promote Curt Leviant.

  The Golem promote the Wondrous Deeds of authority Maharal of Prague. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007. ISBN 9780300122046

• Rosenblatt, Yaakov. Maharal: Emerging Patterns: Ten Representative Essays Culled overrun the Work of Rabbi Yehudah Loew of Prague. Jerusalem: Feldheim Publishers, 2001. ISBN 9781583304754
• Safran, Bezalel.

  Hasidism: Continuity or Innovation? Altruist Judaic texts and studies, 5. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Feelings for Jewish Studies, 1988. ISBN 9780674381209

• Sherwin, Byron L. Mystical Discipline and Social Dissent: The Existence and Works of Judah Loew of Prague. Rutherford, N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1982.

  ISBN 9780838630280

External links

All links retrieved Oct 4, 2022.