Aaron Chorin
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Aaron Chorin ( he, אהרן חארין; August 3, 1766August 24, 1844) was a Hungarian
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 o ...
and pioneer of early religious reform. He favored the use of the
organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...
and of prayers in the vernacular, and was instrumental in founding schools along modern lines. Endnote: See L. Löw, ''Gesammelte Schriften'', ii, 251. Chorin became a pivotal figure for reformers, although he himself still operated inside a traditional framework. He also interested himself in public affairs—he took an active part in the efforts for Jewish emancipation, and was very influential with the state authorities.


Early years

Chorin was born in
Hranice (Přerov District) Hranice (; german: Weißkirchen or ''Mährisch Weißkirchen'') is a town in Přerov District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 17,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an ur ...
, Moravia, Austria (now in the Czech Republic) in 1766. At the age of fourteen he studied in the '' yeshivah'' of Rabbi Jeremiah Mattersdorf in
Mattersburg Mattersburg (; formerly ''Mattersdorf'', hu, Nagymarton, Croatian: ''Matrštof'') is a town in Burgenland, Austria. It is the administrative center of the District of Mattersburg and was home to former Bundesliga football team, SV Mattersburg. ...
, Austria, and two years later at Prague in the higher Talmudical school of
Ezekiel Landau Yechezkel ben Yehuda HaLevi Landau (8 October 1713 – 29 April 1793) was an influential authority in halakha (Jewish law). He is best known for the work ''Noda Biyhudah'' (נודע ביהודה), by which title he is also known. Biography Land ...
. Here he also learned
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
. Chorin married on December 26, 1783, and entered commerce; but his business career being unsuccessful, he accepted the post of rabbi at Arad in the spring of 1789, which he occupied till his death.


His First Work

In 1798, Chorin published his first pamphlet, ''Imre No'am'' (אמרי נועם ''Words of Pleasantness''), in which he argued that as the
sturgeon Sturgeon is the common name for the 27 species of fish belonging to the family Acipenseridae. The earliest sturgeon fossils date to the Late Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretace ...
had scales it was permitted as food according to Scripture. His opinion, although following that of Landau and other authorities, was strongly opposed by
Mordecai Benet Mordecai ben Abraham Benet ( he, מרדכי בן אברהם בנט, also Marcus Benedict; 1753–1829) was a Talmudist and chief rabbi of Moravia. Biography He was born at Csurgó, a small village in the county of Stuhlweissenburg, Hungary. As Be ...
and his partisans. Rabbi
Isaac Krieshaber Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was th ...
of Páks wrote a refutation, ''Maḳḳel No'am'' (מקל נועם ''Staff of Pleasantness''), which called forth a second pamphlet by Chorin, ''Shiryon Ḳasḳassim'' (שריון קשקשים ''Armour of Quills''), (Prague, 1799). By his determined opposition to the traditional usages in Hungary, Chorin incurred the hostility of most of his colleagues. In the spring of 1802 he journeyed to the Somogy district. The favorable impression which his sermons made upon his Jewish hearers there induced him to consider himself as the future rabbi of this district, and on the title page of a pamphlet he published he assumed this title. The rich and prominent
Moses Lakenbacher Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...
, president of the congregation of Nagykanizsa, promised Chorin his influence with his brethren of the district; but when Lakenbacher became aware of the strong opposition of the conservative party against the reformer he soon turned against him.


Opposition by the Orthodox

At Prague in 1803, Chorin published '''Emeḳ ha-Shaweh'' (''Vale of the Plain''), a work divided into three parts. The first and most important part, ''Rosh Amanah'' (''Head of the Perennial Stream''), in which he granted to the spiritual guides of the people authority to modify the traditional laws and adapt them to the requirements of the time, led to much opposition to him. Chorin treats of Maimonides' thirteen articles of faith, and gives evidence of knowledge rare among his Hungarian contemporaries. Next to the '' Halakha'', Chorin also interpreted the '' Aggadah'' in a philosophical way. This method he applied in like manner to the ''
Zohar The ''Zohar'' ( he, , ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah (the five ...
'', which he, far from all mysticism, considered as a rich source of speculative knowledge. This view referred only to the theoretic or intuitive, and not the practical, '' Kabbalah'', the belief in which he considered as contradictory to sound reason. At the beginning of this book are printed the approbation of Rabbi
Moses Münz Moses Münz (; – 15 August 1831), also known as Maharam Mintz () was a Hungarian rabbi. He served as chief rabbi of Alt-Ofen (Óbuda) from 1790 until his death. Early life and education Münz was born in Minkowitz around 1750. He studied u ...
and a eulogistic Hebrew poem of Rabbi Moses Kunitz. This work gave great offense to the Orthodox party, which thwarted the publication of a second edition, for which Chorin had prepared many corrections and additions. Benet wrote to the Arad congregation that the book contained
heresies Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
and must be burned. The congregation, however, stood by their rabbi; but some of its members sided with Benet, and their leader, a rich man, publicly insulted Chorin while he was preaching. The Arad board now applied to Münz to certify that the book contained no heresies. Having given his approbation to the author, Münz was in a great dilemma, since he was urged by the Orthodox party to condemn Chorin and to inflict upon him an exemplary punishment. He concluded to yield to the insinuations, and on September 1, 1805, he invited two rabbis to come to
Óbuda Óbuda was a town in Hungary that was merged with Buda and Pest on 17 November 1873; it now forms part of District III-Óbuda-Békásmegyer of Budapest. The name means ''Old Buda'' in Hungarian (in German, ''Alt-Ofen''). The name in Bosnian, ...
to form with him a tribunal before which Chorin was summoned. The session of the court was prolonged to the next day, but then Münz failed to appear.


Sentence Pronounced

Samuel Butschowitz, rabbi of Aszod, now pronounced sentence that "Chorin must retract the contents of his book. Should he refuse to do so, his beard will be cut off as a penalty for his heretical transgressions." Thereupon Chorin, whom the populace had stoned in the courtyard of the synagogue, declared that he subordinated his views to those of the theologians of his time, and desired that his book be suppressed. The court also decreed a reduction of Chorin's salary, but the board of his congregation indignantly rejected this decree. Chorin appealed to the imperial government which, on June 24, 1806, annulled the judgment and condemned the leader of his adversaries at Arad to pay the expenses of the
lawsuit - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...
; the same was also to be punished for his scandalous conduct on
Shabbat Shuvah Special Shabbatot are Jewish Shabbat days on which special events are commemorated. Variations in the liturgy and special customs differentiate them from the regular Sabbaths and each one is referred to by a special name; many communities also a ...
, 1804. Chorin declared that he forgave his adversary, and declined his claims for compensation of the expenses. To avoid further trouble, he determined to give up writing.


Attitude Toward Reform

The Reform movement among the Jews of Hamburg met his hearty approval. In ''Ḳin'at ha-Emet'' (''Zeal for Truth''), a paper written on April 7, 1818, and published in the collection ''Nogah ha-Ẓedeḳ'' (''Light of Righteousness''), he declared himself in favor of reforms, such as German prayers, the use of the organ, and other liturgical modifications. The principal prayers, the '' Shema''', and the eighteen benedictions, however, should be said in Hebrew, he declared, as this language keeps alive the belief in the restoration of Israel. He also pleaded for opening the temple for daily service. Influenced by Münz, Chorin recalled this writing on February 19, 1819; but a year later he published ''Dabar be-'Itto'' (''A Word in Its Time''), in which he reaffirmed the views expressed in ''Ḳin'at ha-Emet'', and pleaded strongly for the right of Reform. A German translation by Löb Herzfeld appeared at Vienna. This directed upon him the attention of the progressive party in Austria and in Germany. Michael Lazar Biedermann, a prominent man, proposed the appointment of Chorin at the new temple to be erected at Vienna; but the government being opposed to it, Isaac Noah Mannheimer was elected instead.


Consulted by Baden

The government of the grand duchy of Baden asked Chorin (on February 3, 1821), through the banker
S. Haber S is the nineteenth letter of the English alphabet. S may also refer to: History * an Anglo-Saxon charter's number in Peter Sawyer's, catalogue Language and linguistics * Long s (ſ), a form of the lower-case letter s formerly used where "s ...
, for his opinion about the duties of a rabbi, and about the reforms in the Austrian states. Chorin answered by writing ''Iggeret Elasaf'', or ''Letter of an African Rabbi to His Colleagues in Europe'', which was published by M. I. Landau (Prague, 1826). In it he stated that the '' Torah'' comprised religious truths and religious laws, the latter partly applicable only in
Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
, partly obligatory everywhere. These may be temporarily suspended, but not entirely abolished, by a competent authority, such as a
synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...
. Only ordinances and precautionary laws which are of human origin may be abrogated in conformity with the circumstances of the time. As for mere customs and usages ('' minhagim''), the government, after having consulted Jewish men of knowledge, may modify or abolish them; but in no other way may it interfere with religious affairs. Chorin also pleaded for the establishment of consistories, schools, a theological seminary, and for the promotion of agriculture and professions among the Jews. Some of these ideas he carried out in his own congregation, which included a great number of mechanics. He succeeded in founding a school, and introducing liturgical reforms into the
synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
; even an organ was installed at his instance. He permitted the eating of rice and pulse during the days of Passover. To his theory of a synod regulating and modifying Jewish laws and customs, Chorin always adhered. In his ''Treue Bote'' (Prague, 1831) he declared himself against the transfer of the
Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as G ...
to Sunday, but expressed the opinion that, considering the requirements of our time, synods might mitigate the severity of the Sabbatical laws, especially in regard to traveling and writing. In another treatise, ''Hillel'', which appeared at
Buda Buda (; german: Ofen, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Budim, Будим, Czech and sk, Budín, tr, Budin) was the historic capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and since 1873 has been the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest, on the ...
in 1835, he interpreted the prophetic promises about the reuniting of Israel to signify the establishing of a supreme religious authority at Jerusalem. ''Hillel'', in the form of a dialogue, and other contributions of his pen were published in the fourth volume of '' Bikkure ha-'Ittim''. In 1819 he wrote ''Abaḳ Sofer'' (''The Dust of a Writer''), published by Landau (Prague, 1828), containing glosses about ''Yoreh De'ah'', ''Eben ha-'Ezer'', the phylacteries, an exposition of '' Proverbs'' I.10, ''et seq.'', and two riddles. In his ''Yeled Zeḳunim'' (''Child of Old Age''), (Vienna, 1839), partly in Hebrew, partly in German, he again strongly advocated practical reforms in regard to railroad traveling on the Sabbath and on holidays, the abridgment of the seven days of mourning, the use of the organ, etc., and gave a short sketch of his life. His biographer,
Leopold Löw Judah Leib "Leopold" Löw ( he, יהודה לייב לעף, hu, Lőw Lipót; 22 May 1811 – 13 October 1875) was a Hungarian rabbi, regarded as the most important figure of Neolog Judaism. Biography 220px, Portrait of L. Löw Löw was born ...
, wrote an introduction to this work. In consequence of the Damascus affair in 1840, Chorin republished the apology written in 1753 by Sonnenfels, in which the author proves the falsity of the
blood accusation Blood libel or ritual murder libel (also blood accusation) is an antisemitic canardTurvey, Brent E. ''Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis'', Academic Press, 2008, p. 3. "Blood libel: An accusation of ritual mur ...
. Chorin added an introduction and Löw a biographical notice. On July 26, 1844, during the last weeks of his life, he wrote from his sick-bed a declaration expressing his full accord with the Rabbinical Conference of Brunswick, and on August 11 he sent an address to the conference of Hungarian rabbis at Páks. He died at Arad, Romania. He took an active part in the efforts for Jewish emancipation, and was very influential with the state authorities. His grandson, Franz Chorin, was a Hungarian deputy.


Inscription

Image:Chorin_Aron_Inschrift1.JPG, Upper part of the Inscription on his grave at the Jewish Cemetery in Arad Image:Chorin_Aron_Inschrift2.JPG, Lower part of the Inscription on his grave at the Jewish Cemetery in Arad


Bibliography

*
Leopold Löw Judah Leib "Leopold" Löw ( he, יהודה לייב לעף, hu, Lőw Lipót; 22 May 1811 – 13 October 1875) was a Hungarian rabbi, regarded as the most important figure of Neolog Judaism. Biography 220px, Portrait of L. Löw Löw was born ...
. ''Gesammelte Schriften'', Szegedin, 1889–90, ii. 251-420 *
Jost Jost is both a German given name and a surname and a Jewish (Ashkenazi) surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Jost Amman (1539–1591), Swiss * Jost Bürgi (1552–1632), Swiss clockmaker, maker of astronomical instruments ...
, ''Culturgeschichte'', Berlin, 1847, iii. 24-25, 73-75, 175-176 *
Moritz Steinschneider Moritz Steinschneider (30 March 1816, Prostějov, Moravia, Austrian Empire – 24 January 1907, Berlin) was a Moravian bibliographer and Orientalist. He received his early instruction in Hebrew from his father, Jacob Steinschneider ( 1782; ...
, ''Cat. Bodl.'' No. 4751, pp. 845–846 * Julius Fürst, ''Bibl. Jud.'' i. 176 *
Joseph Zedner Joseph Zedner (10 February 1804 – 10 October 1871) was a German Jewish bibliographer and librarian. After completing his education, he acted as teacher in the Jewish school in Strelitz (Mecklenburg), where the lexicographer Daniel Sanders wa ...
, ''Cat. Hebr. Books Brit. Mus.'' pp. 186–187 * William Zeitlin, ''Bibl. Hebr. Post-Mendelssohniana'', pp. 56–57 * ''Allg. Zeit. des Jud.''1844, pp. 547–551 * Jost's ''Annalen'', 1840, pp. 205–208 * ''Literaturblatt des Orients'', ii., No. 33. * "Chief Rabbi Aron Chorin: writings and contemporary references". Leopold Loew: Aron Chorin, a biographical sketch; translated from Romanian by Loredana Roman and Oana Bulzan; introductory study, critical apparatus and text review by Claudia Ursutiu; bibliographical references by Lucian-Zeev Herscovici. Arad: "Vasile Goldiș" University Press & Hereditas Association, 2016, pp. 28-32.


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chorin, Aaron 1766 births 1844 deaths People from Hranice (Přerov District) Rabbis of the Austrian Empire Hungarian Reform rabbis Hungarian people of Czech descent People from Arad, Romania