Eliyahu Menachem of London (1220-1284) was a rabbi and communal leader in 13th-century

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He is not to be confused with

Elias of London Elias of London also known as Elijah ben Moses or Elias le Evesque, was Presbyter Judaeorum in 13th-century England. He is not to be confused with Eliyahu Menachem of London, one of the Rishonim who lived from 1220-1284. Some of the below detail ...

(Elijah ben Moses or Elias le Evesque), the chief rabbi of English Jewry from 1243-1257.

Biography

He was born to one of the leading families of English Jewry at the time, which held many official positions until the final expulsion in 1290. His family had its origin in the

Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...

, unlike most English Jews whose family origin was in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. His father was

Moses of London Moses of London (died 1268), was a thirteenth-century English grammarian, halakhist and Jewish scholar in London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands ...

. His brother was

Berechiah de Nicole Berechiah de Nicole also known as Benedict fil Mosse, (d. after 1270), was a thirteenth-century English Tosafist who lived at Lincoln, Lincolnshire, Lincoln. Biography He was born in the first quarter of the 13th century.Mordechai Yehudah Leib Za ...

. His nephew was Hagin Deulacres.Mordechai Yehudah Leib Zakash (ed.)
Perushei Rabbeinu Eliyahu meLondrish upsakav
Jerusalem: Mossad Harav Kook, 1956 In his youth he was sent to study in France, apparently in

Sens Sens () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yonne Departments of France, department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France, 120 km from Paris. Sens is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture and the second city of the d ...

in one of the

Tosafist The Tosafot, Tosafos or Tosfot ( he, תוספות) are medieval commentaries on the Talmud. They take the form of critical and explanatory glosses, printed, in almost all Talmud editions, on the outer margin and opposite Rashi's notes. The auth ...

academies. In 1251 he wrote his commentary to the

Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Torah ...

, and then returned to London. For the next three decades he engaged in business, finance, and real estate in England. Many details of his business history are recorded, including dealings with the king and queen. In the

Second Barons' War The Second Barons' War (1264–1267) was a civil war in England between the forces of a number of barons led by Simon de Montfort against the royalist forces of King Henry III, led initially by the king himself and later by his son, the fut ...

his family lost much property, but were physically unharmed and apparently managed to escape to

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

. When the fighting ceased, they returned to England and resumed business. When legal restrictions were placed on the Jews in the 1270s, Eliyahu and his brothers were given an exemption from some of them. In addition to business, he also served as a doctor. He was known among Jews as a leading

halachic ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...

authority, quoted under the name ''R"M meLondrish'' or ''HaRav meLondrish'' in such works as that of

Mordechai ben Hillel Mordechai ben Hillel HaKohen ( he, "המָּרְדֳּכַי" ,רבי מרדכי בן הלל הכהן; c. 1250–1298), also known as The Mordechai, was a 13th-century German rabbi and posek. His chief legal commentary on the Talmud, referred to as ...

. A few of his rulings are observed by Jews to this day. He was also involved in mysticism.

Biography

References

Further reading