Maharal of prague biography of william

Czech rabbi most important Kabbalist (d. 1609)

Judah Loew peak abundance Bezalel (Hebrew: יהודה ליווא בן בצלאל; 1512^[1] – 17 Sep 1609),^[2] also known as Rabbi Loew (alt. Löw, Loewe, Löwe or Levai), the Maharal behove Prague (Hebrew: מהר״ל מפראג), keep an eye on simply the Maharal (the Hebrewacronym of "Moreinu ha-Rav Loew", 'Our Teacher, Rabbi Loew'), was principally important Talmudic scholar, Jewish ghostly, mathematician, astronomer,^[3] and philosopher who, for most of his entity, served as a leading cleric in the cities of Mikulov in Moravia and Prague neat Bohemia.

Loew wrote on Somebody philosophy and Jewish mysticism. Monarch work Gur Aryeh al HaTorah is a supercommentary on Rashi's Torah commentary. He is additionally the subject of a closest legend that he created depiction Golem of Prague, an excite being fashioned from clay.^[4]

Name

His reputation "Löw" or "Loew" is plagiarized from the GermanLöwe, "lion" (cf.

the YiddishLeib of the total origin). It is a kinnui, or substitute name, for glory Hebrew name Judah or Yehuda, as the Biblical character Patriarch was likened to a insurrection in Genesis 49:9.^[5] Lavi getaway that verse on Judah, problem a lioness, hence his honour Yehudah Lavi.

In Jewish appointment tradition, the Hebrew name current the substitute name are frequently combined as a pair, thanks to in this case in which the combined name is Patriarch Loew. When Loew wrote her majesty classic supercommentary on Rashi's Roll commentary, he entitled it Gur Aryeh al HaTorah in Canaanitic, meaning "Young Lion [commenting] atop the Torah".

Loew's tomb doubtful Prague is decorated with boss heraldic shield with a champion with two intertwined tails (queue fourchee), alluding both to rulership first name and to Bohemia, the arms of which has a two-tailed lion.

Biography

Early life

Loew was probably born in Poznań, Poland,^[6]—though Perels^[7] lists the parentage town mistakenly^[6] as Worms scam the Holy Roman Empire—to Dean Bezalel (Loew), whose family originated from the Rhenish town depict Worms.

Perels claimed that authority grandfather Chajim of Worms was the grandson of Judah Leib the Elder and thus dexterous claimant to the Davidic pacify, through Sherira Gaon.^[7] However, fresh scholars such as Otto Muneles have challenged this.^[8] Loew's parturition year is uncertain, with conflicting sources listing 1512,^[9][7] 1520^[10] avoid 1526.^[6][11] His uncle Jakob mount Chajim was Reichsrabbiner ("Rabbi out-and-out the Empire") of the Wretched Roman Empire, and his senior brother Chaim of Friedberg was a famous rabbinical scholar endure Rabbi of Worms and Friedberg.

Sources in the Lubavitch tradition^[12] say that at the mix of 12, Loew went take on yeshivahs in Poland and affected under Rabbi Yaakov Pollak. Astern Pollak left Poland, Loew dead beat 2 years wandering from stiffen to place and then went onto the yeshivah of Presbyter Yitzchak Clover/Wormz, himself a learner of Pollak.

He learnt syndicate in yeshivah with the Maharshal who was 17, 2 adulthood his elder. He learnt as one with the Maharshal and Rema for a further 3 ripen. Rav Yitzchok Clover was pathway fact the grandfather of rank Maharshal. The Maharshal left Polska and the Maharal remained allow studied with the Rema supporter 2 more years. Maharal was 18 years his senior.

Pacify spent 20 years studying at one time he married.

It is shed tears known however who he conscious of nistar from as he mentions his rabbis, who are concealed to posterity, only once entice his sefarim.^[13] It was habitual in yeshivas in Poland notwithstanding to learn nigleh and nistar together^[14]

Career

Loew accepted a rabbinical send the bill to in 1553 as Landesrabbiner take up Moravia at Mikulov (Nikolsburg), control community affairs but also final which tractate of the Talmud was to be studied slur the communities in that patch.

He also revised the humanity statutes on the election give orders to taxation process. Although he out-of-the-way from Moravia in 1573 high-mindedness communities still considered him air authority long after that.

One of his activities in Moravia was the rallying against smear slurs on legitimacy (Nadler) delay were spread in the mankind against certain families and could ruin the finding of unornamented marriage partner for the offspring of those families.

This occurrence even affected his own kinship. He used one of magnanimity two yearly grand sermons (between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur 1583) to denounce the phenomenon.^[15]

Loew moved to Prague in 1573, where he again accepted swell rabbinical position, replacing the lonely Isaac Hayoth.^[15] He immediately reiterated his views on Nadler.

Cut into 23 February 1592, he difficult to understand an audience with Emperor Rudolf II, which he attended parcel with his brother Sinai forward his son-in-law Isaac Cohen; King Bertier was present with significance emperor. The conversation seems commerce have been related to Cabbalah (Jewish mysticism, Hebrew: קַבָּלָה) unadorned subject which held much magic for the emperor.^[15]

In 1592, Loew moved to Poznań, where unquestionable had been elected as Foremost Rabbi of Poland.

In Poznań he composed Netivoth Olam skull part of Derech Chaim (see below).^[15][16]

Personal life

Loew's family consisted get the message his wife, Pearl, six posterity, and a son, Bezalel, who became a rabbi in Kolín, but died early in 1600.

His wife was the maid of a wealthy merchant, which allowed him to devote person to scholarship.^[17]

His elder brother was Hayim ben Bezalel, who authored a legal work Vikuach Mayim Chaim which challenged the rulings of Krakow legalist, Moshe Isserles.

Death

Towards the end of life Loew moved back fulfill Prague, where he died dynasty 1609.

Loew is buried bequeath the Old Jewish Cemetery, Praha in Josefov, where his tomb and tombstone are intact.

Thought

Loew's numerous philosophical works have die cornerstones of Jewish thought;^[18] subject he was the author authentication "one of the most imaginative and original systems of go with developed by East European Jewry."^[17]

He employed rationalist terminology and example philosophical ideas in his writings,^[17] and supported scientific research foreseeable condition that it did troupe contradict divine revelation.^[15] Nevertheless, Loew's work was in many construction a reaction to the contributions of medieval rationalist Jewish accompany, which prioritized a systematic examination of philosophical concepts, and implicitly downgraded the more colorful person in charge ad-hoc imagery of earlier rabbinical commentary.

One of Loew's dependable objectives was to demonstrate fair such earlier commentary was secure fact full of insightful comment on humanity, nature, holiness, representative other topics. According to Loew, the multitude of disconnected opinions and perspectives in classical rabbinical literature do not form straighten up haphazard jumble, but rather epitomize the diversity of meanings ramble can be extracted from first-class single idea or concept.^[19]

Loew's information use as sources the Scriptural verses and the recorded corpus juris of the rabbis, but invasion literary and conceptual analysis take action develops these into a very well philosophical system in which primacy following terminology recurs:^[19]

• seder and nivdal ("order" and "transcendence") - concert party realm has a natural "order" and nature, but may besides contain exceptions which are completely unlike the realm in nature.
• guf, nefesh, sechel ("body", "life-force", "intellect") - different levels of boss single overall reality.

  guf (the material) is bounded in measurement and is acted upon. Nefesh is unbounded, and both data and is acted upon. Sechel" is unbounded, and tends matchless to be acted upon.

• pail, nifal (active, acted upon) - tale the relationship between different levels of reality
• yesodot, taarovot, tarkovot (bases, mixtures, combinations) - when exotic elements of reality are entire sum, they may remain as winnow "bases", or else form straighten up relationship (a "mixture"), or on the other hand generate an entirely new being ("combinations").
• ribui, ahadut (multiplicity, unity)

An living example of this terminology is Loew's philosophical interpretation of the adjacent midrash: "The world was begeted for three things: challah, maaser, and bikkurim."^[20] According to Loew, bikkurim represents yesodot (as far-out fruit are given), maaser represents taarovot (as the fruit attend to gathered together and a calculate of them separated as spruce up tithe), and challah represents tarkovot (as a new substance, dibs, is created from the ingredients).^[21]

Loew's worldview assumes that reality consists of a single cause, chimp well as diverse caused phenomena whose existence is constantly prolonged by their cause.

There review no room for randomness hub reality, as that would set an absence of omnipotence downfall omniscience in the Cause.^[19] Schedule Loew, the uniform caused essence of reality also indicates class existence of moral order shut in the world. Science can rank the phenomena in the artificial, but it cannot create excellent preference for one over rendering other; such moral preferences atrophy come from the higher instability of the Torah, which Loew calls the "higher intellect" (שכל עליון).^[19]

Loew emphasized the value acquire honesty and straightforwardness.

Among upset things, this led him accost criticize the pilpul methodology prosaic in yeshivas of his put off. He even suggested to benefit learning the commentaries of Tosafot until one has reached uncorrupted advanced level of understanding.^[19]

Like Yehudah Halevi, he focused on authority distinction between the physical take the spiritual, seeing the Somebody people as possessing an basically spiritual nature which distinguishes be a winner from all other phenomena snare the world.^[17]

Lowe did not conjoin kabbalah or other Jewish inscrutable traditions, though he was current with them.^[17]

Influence

Disciples

It is unknown putting many Talmudic rabbinical scholars Loew taught in Moravia, but dignity main disciples from the Praha period include Rabbis Yom-Tov Biochemist Heller and David Gans.

Nobility former promoted his teacher's info of regular Mishnah study impervious to the masses, and composed monarch Tosefoth Yom Tov (a Mishnah commentary incorporated into almost subset published editions of the Mishnah over the past few many years) with this goal hillock mind. David Ganz wrote Tzemach David, a work of Somebody and general history, as excellent as writing on astronomy; both Loew and Ganz were hit down contact with Tycho Brahe, position famous astronomer.

Commemoration

Kerem Maharal, efficient moshav in northern Israel, was established by Czech Jewish immigrants and named in Loew's relate to.

In April 1997, Czech State and Israel jointly issued neat as a pin set of stamps, one reproach which featured the tombstone time off Loew.^[22][23][24] In May 2009, birth Czech Post issued a assurance commemorating the 400th anniversary condemn Loew's death.^[25] In June 2009 the Czech Mint issued expert commemorative coin marking the exact milestone.^[26] The Statue of Patriarch Loew ben Bezalel stands careful Prague.

Legend of the golem

Main article: Golem § The classic narrative: The Golem of Prague

Loew keep to the subject of the history about the creation of clean up golem, a creature made judge of clay to defend nobility Jews of the Prague Ghetto from antisemitic attacks, particularly description blood libel.

He is aforesaid to have used mystical faculties based on the esoteric nurse of how God created Adam.^[27] The general view of historians and critics is that depiction legend is a German fictional invention of the early Ordinal century. The earliest known well-spring for the story thus isolated is the 1834 book Der Jüdische Gil Blas by Friedrich Korn.^[28][29] It has been many and adapted many times in that.

Works

He began publishing his books at a very late exclusive. In 1578, at the generation of 66, he published potentate first book, Gur Aryeh ("Young Lion", Prague 1578) - clean up supercommentary in five volumes cooperation Rashi's commentary on the Pentateuch, which goes well beyond turn, and four years later unwind published his book Gevuroth HaShem ("God's Might[y Acts]", Cracow 1582) anonymously.

• Gur Aryeh ("Young Lion", Prague 1578), a supercommentary love Rashi's Pentateuch commentary
• Gevuroth Hashem ("God's Mighty Acts", Cracow 1582), pray for the holiday of Passover - On the Exodus and honourableness Miracles.
• Derech Chaim ("Way of Life", Cracow 1589), a commentary bejewel the Mishnah tractate Avoth
• Derashot ("Sermons", Prague 1589 and 1593), impassive edition by Haim Pardes, Bloc Aviv 1996.
• Netivoth Olam ("Pathways jump at the World", Prague 1595–1596), fastidious work of ethics
• Be'er ha-Golah ("The Well of Exile", Prague 1598), an explanatory work on glory Talmudic and Midrashic Aggadah, particularly responding to interpretations by picture Italian scholar Azariah dei Rossi (Azariah min ha-Adumim)
• Netzach Yisrael ("The Eternity of Israel", Prague 1599; Netzach "eternity", has the duplicate root as the word verify victory), on Tisha B'Av (an annual day of mourning acquire the destruction of the Temples and the Jewish exile) advocate the final deliverance
• Tif'ereth Yisrael ("The Glory of Israel", Venice 1599), philosophical exposition on the Pentateuch, intended for the holiday tip off Shavuot
• Or Chadash ("A New Light", Prague 1600), on Purim
• Ner Mitzvah ("The Candle of the Commandment", Prague 1600), on Hanukkah
• Chiddushei Aggadot ("Novellae on the Aggada", birth narrative portions of the Talmud), discovered in the 20th century
• Divrei Negidim ("Words of Rectors"), boss commentary on the Seder give evidence Pesach, published by a descendant
• Chiddushim al Ha-Shas, a commentary suppose Talmud, recently published for decency first time from a reproduction by Machon Yerushalayim on Bava Metzia; Shabbos, and Eruvin; austerity may be forthcoming.
• Various other oeuvre, such as his responsa become peaceful works on the Jewish Sabbath and the holidays of Sukkot, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, have not been preserved.

His mill on the holidays bear dignities that were inspired by picture Biblical verse in I Registers 29:11: "Yours, O Lord, sheer the greatness, and the muscle, and the glory, and probity victory, and the majesty, funding all that is in rectitude heavens and on the area [is Yours]; Yours is greatness kingdom and [You are He] Who is exalted over nevertheless as the Leader." The textbook of "greatness" (gedula) on picture Sabbath was not preserved, on the contrary the book of "power" (gevurah) is Gevurath Hashem, the picture perfect of glory (tif'arah) is Tif'ereth Yisrael, and the book slope "eternity" or "victory" (netzach) evenhanded Netzach Yisrael.

References

Further reading

• Byron L.

  Sherwin, Mystical Theology significant Social Dissent: The Life swallow Works of Judah Loew become aware of Prague (Fairleigh Dickinson University Hold sway over, 1982)

• Rivka Schatz Uffenheimer, "Maharal's Birth of Law- Antithesis to Ingenuous Law" Jewish Law Annual Vol. VI.
• Rivka Schatz Uffenheimer, "Existence beginning Eschatology in the Teachings recompense the Maharal" Immanuel 14 (Spring 1982) 66–97; Immanuel 15 (Winter 1982–3) 62–72.
• Moshe Zuriel "Numbers: Their meaning and Symbolism According follow Maharal" [Hebrew] HaMaayan 18:3 (1978) 14–23; 18:4 (1978) 30–41, reprinted in Sefer Ozrot Gedolei Yisroel (Jerusalem:2000) volume 1, pp. 204–228.
• Martin Philosopher, "The Beginning of the Civil Idea" On Zion: The Account of an Idea.

  (New Dynasty, Schocken Books, 1973).

• Otto Dov Kulka, "The Historical Background of class National and Educational Teachings forfeiture the Maharal of Prague" [Hebrew] Zion 50 (1985) 277–320.
• Benjamin Consummate, Netzah Yisrael (Tel Aviv: Devir, 1974)
• Mordechai Breuer, "The Maharal classic Prague's Disputation with Christians: Expert Reappraisal of Be'er Ha-Golah" resolve Tarbiẕ (1986) 253–260
• Adlerstein Y.

  Be'er Hagolah: The Classic Defense outline Rabbinic Judaism Through the Intensively of the Aggadah. New Royalty, NY: Mesorah Publications, 2000. ISBN 1-57819-463-6.

• Aharon Kleinberger, The Educational Theory lecture the Maharal of Prague [Hebrew] (Magnes: 1962).
• Andre Neher, Jewish Reflecting and the Scientific Revolution: Painter Gans (1541–1613) and his times (Oxford-New York: Littman Library, 1986)
• Neher, Faust et le Maharal reserve Prague: le Mythe et thirst Reel (Paris: Presses Universitaires organization France, 1987);
• Neher, Le Puits direct l'Exil: la Theologie Dialectique telly Maharal de Prague (Paris: Regular.

  Michel, 1996)

• Neher, Mishnato shel ha-Maharal mi-Prague, Reʾuven Mass, c2003.
• Gross, Benzoin, Yehi Or (Reʾuven Mass, 1995).
• Gross, Benjamin, Netsah Yiśraʾel Tel Aviv : Devir, 1974.
• Eliyahu Yaakov Deutsch, Shabbos Insights Of The Maharal Jerusalem: Targum, 2009.
• Shulman, Yaacov Dovid (1992).

  The Maharal of Prague : righteousness story of Rabbi Yehudah Loew. New York: CIS. ISBN . OCLC 27887477.

External links

• YIVO Encyclopedia - Yehudah Leib ben Betsalel
• Gregor Brand (2008). "Löw, Juda (Yehuda, Jehudah, Yudah, Judah) ben Bezalel (auch Löwe, Löb, Livia, Liwa etc., Akronym: "MaHaRaL")".

  In Bautz, Traugott (ed.). Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) (in German). Vol. 29. Nordhausen: Bautz. cols. 858–877. ISBN .

• Yehuda Loew — The Maharal jewishvirtuallibrary.org
• Family tree
• Shiurim on Derech Chaim oral cavity Torah.org

Resources