Abraham Auerbach (middle of the 1700s – November 3, 1846) was a German

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

. A descendant of an old rabbinical family, he was destined from his childhood for the rabbinate, and was educated first by his grandfather at

Worms Worms may refer to: *Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs Places *Worms, Germany, a city **Worms (electoral district) *Worms, Nebraska, U.S. *Worms im Veltlintal, the German name for Bormio, Italy Arts and entertainme ...

, and later by his uncle,

Joseph David Sinzheim Joseph David Sinzheim (1745 – November 11, 1812 in Paris) was the chief rabbi of Strasbourg. He was son of Rabbi Isaac Sinzheim of Treves, and brother-in-law of Herz Cerfbeer. Biography Sinzheim was the most learned and prominent member of ...

, subsequently president of the

Central Consistory The Israelite Central Consistory of France (french: link=no, Consistoire central israélite de France) is an institution set up by Napoleon I by the Imperial Decree of 17 March 1808 to administer Jewish worship and congregations in France. He also d ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. Under the latter's direction, Auerbach acquired not only extensive

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

ic knowledge, but a secular education as well. When, owing to the efforts of

Herz Cerfbeer of Medelsheim Herz Cerfbeer of Medelsheim (german: Herz Cerf Beer von Medelsheim, born yi, נַפְתָּלִי(־הערץ) בֶּן דּוֹב־בּער ''Naphtali Ben Dov-Beer'', 1730 – December 7, 1793) was a French Jewish philanthropist. He was a contrac ...

, a Jewish community had been formed at

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

, Auerbach was charged with its administration. At the outbreak of the

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...

in France, Auerbach, on account of his connection with Cerfberr (who as former contractor to the royal army was suspected by the revolutionists), was thrown into prison where he remained for a year. On leaving Strasbourg he was appointed rabbi at

Forbach Forbach ( , , ; gsw, Fuerboch) is a commune in the French department of Moselle, northeastern French region of Grand Est. It is located on the German border approximately 15 minutes from the center of Saarbrücken, Germany, with which it const ...

, then at

Neuwied Neuwied () is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the east bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne. Th ...

, and in 1809 at

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...

. In 1837 he resigned the position, ostensibly on account of his great age, but really to have his son succeed him in his place. Auerbach was the author of several liturgical poems and prayers, and of a poem on the abolition of the

poll tax A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources. Head taxes were important sources of revenue for many governments fr ...

, entitled ''Dibre ha-Mekes we-Beṭuloh'' (History of the Tax and its Abolition), still extant in manuscript. The poem was dedicated to Cerfberr, who by his intervention brought about the abolition. A specimen of the poem was given by

Samuel Joseph Fuenn Samuel Joseph Fuenn (; 15 October 1818 – 11 January 1891), also known as Rashi Fuenn () and Rashif (), was a Lithuanian Hebrew writer, scholar, printer, and editor. He was a leading figure of the eastern European Haskalah, and an early member of ...

, who was the possessor of the manuscript. Auerbach left seven sons, among whom the best known was

Benjamin Hirsch Auerbach Benjamin Hirsch Auerbach (1808 – 30 September 1872) was a German rabbi and one of the most prominent leaders of modern Orthodox Judaism. Benjamin received his first instruction from his father, subsequently studying at the ''yeshibot'' of Kref ...

, rabbi at

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...

and

Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bombi ...

References

, ''Keneset Yisrael,'' p. 277; *''Allgemeine Zeitung des Judenthums,'' 1839, No. 98, p. 593. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Auerbach, Abraham 18th-century French rabbis 19th-century German rabbis Alsatian Jews 18th-century births 1846 deaths