Rabbi Hillel Lichtenstein (1814-1891) 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 the leader of hasidic
Orthodoxy
Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion.
Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Church ...
in
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...
.
Life
Hillel Lichtenstein was born at Vécs, Heves county, Hungary (Veča) in 1814 to the dayan R. Baruch Bendit. After studying at the
yeshiva
A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy a ...
of the
Chassam Sofer, he married in 1837 the daughter of a well-to-do resident of
Galanta
Galanta ( hu, Galánta, german: Gallandau) is a town (about 15,000 inhabitants) in the Trnava Region of Slovakia. It is situated 50 km due east of the Slovak capital Bratislava.
Etymology
The name is derived from a Slavic name ''Golęta'' ( ...
, where he remained until 1850, when he was elected rabbi of
Margarethen (Szent Margit). In 1854 he was elected rabbi of
Klausenburg
; hu, kincses város)
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, subdivision_type1 = County
, subdivision_name1 = Cluj County
, subdivision_type2 = Status
, subdivision_name2 = County seat
, settlement_type = City
, le ...
, but the opposition of the district rabbi,
Avrohom Friedman, made it impossible for him to enter upon the duties of the office; finally he was expelled from Klausenburg by the authorities. Having lived for some time at
Nagyvárad
Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...
, he was recalled to Margarethen, where he remained until about 1865, when he was called to
Szikszó
Szikszó is a small town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northern Hungary, from county capital Miskolc.
History
Szikszó was first mentioned in documents in 1280. It belonged to the estate of the Aba clan. After 1370 Aba Estates in the area b ...
. Thence he went, in 1867, to Kolomyia, where he remained until his death.
He was a prominent leader of Haredi Judaism in Hungary: he not only resisted the slightest deviation from the traditional ritual, as the removal of the
bimah from the center of the synagogue, but also vigorously denounced the adoption of non-Jewish social manners and dress and the acquisition of secular education. He directed his criticism not only at the reformers, but also at the moderate Orthodox
Azriel Hildesheimer
Azriel Hildesheimer (also Esriel and Israel, yi, עזריאל הילדעסהיימער; 11 May 1820 – 12 July 1899) was a German rabbi and leader of Orthodox Judaism. He is regarded as a pioneering moderniser of Orthodox Judaism in Germany an ...
. He bitterly opposed the
Hungarian Jewish congress of 1868-69 and the establishment of the
Neolog rabbinical seminary in
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population o ...
. In 1865 he called a rabbinical convention at
Michalovce
Michalovce (; hu, Nagymihály, german: Großmichel, Romani: ''Mihalya'', Yiddish: ''Mikhaylovets'' or ''Mykhaylovyts''; uk, Михайлівці) is a town on the Laborec river in eastern Slovakia. Originally named after the Archangel St Micha ...
, which banned reforming synagogues.
His religious practise was unusually strict even among Hungarian Orthodox rabbis, even going so far as to keep a she-donkey in order to be able to fulfill the law of
Petter Chamor
The Petter Chamor ( he, פטר חמור) or Redemption of the firstborn donkey, is a mitzvah in Judaism in which a male firstborn (bechor) donkey is redeemed by the owner of the donkey, who gives a lamb or kid to a Kohen. The lamb is not required ...
. He kept a sheep also in order to be able to give the first fleece to a
Kohen
Kohen ( he, , ''kōhēn'', , "priest", pl. , ''kōhănīm'', , "priests") is the Hebrew word for " priest", used in reference to the Aaronic priesthood, also called Aaronites or Aaronides. Levitical priests or ''kohanim'' are traditionally ...
(Deuteronomy 18:4), from whom subsequently he bought it back to make ''
tzitzit
''Tzitzit'' ( he, ''ṣīṣīṯ'', ; plural ''ṣīṣiyyōṯ'', Ashkenazi: '; and Samaritan: ') are specially knotted ritual fringes, or tassels, worn in antiquity by Israelites and today by observant Jews and Samaritans. are usual ...
'' from it. Rabbi Lichtenstein was an ardent admirer of
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism ( Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of cont ...
, and made pilgrimages to the famous
Rebbe
A Rebbe ( yi, רבי, translit=rebe) or Admor ( he, אדמו״ר) is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spiritu ...
of
Sanz
Sanz (or Tsanz, yi, צאנז) is a Hasidic dynasty originating in the city of Sanz (Nowy Sącz) in Galicia. The dynasty was founded by the rebbe Rabbi Chaim Halberstam (1793–1876) who was the rabbi of Nowy Sącz and the author of the work ...
, the
Divrei Chaim
Chaim Halberstam of Sanz (1793–1876) ( he, חיים הלברשטאם מצאנז), known as the ''Divrei Chaim'' after his sefer (works), was the rabbi of Sanz ( pl, Nowy Sącz), a famous Hasidic Rebbe and the founder of the Sanz Hasidic dy ...
. He offered his own intercession through prayer to people in distress, but declined any gifts. He died on 18 May 1891 in
Kolomyia
Kolomyia, formerly known as Kolomea ( ua, Коломия, Kolomyja, ; pl, Kołomyja; german: Kolomea; ro, Colomeea; yi, ), is a city located on the Prut River in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast ( province), in western Ukraine. It serves as the ad ...
,
Galicia
Galicia may refer to:
Geographic regions
* Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain
** Gallaecia, a Roman province
** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia
** The medieval King ...
(now
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
).
Views
Lichtenstein was a powerful preacher and a popular writer, and the resistance to modern tendencies among the Jews of northern Hungary is largely due to his influence. He inveighed against the use of other than traditional Jewish names; he denounced not only secular education, but even the playing of musical instruments and innocent social games, like chess and checkers; and he condemned those who relied on reason, for the ideal Jew should live up to the principle of
Psalm
The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...
73:22, "I was as a beast before thee".
["'Et la-'Asot," p. 118a, ]Lemberg
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukrain ...
, 1881 He was a decided opponent also of all agitation for the political emancipation of the Jews, saying that it is the duty of the Jews to suffer the tribulations of the Exile until God finds them ripe for Messianic
redemption.
Works
Of the numerous works which Lichtenstein wrote, some of them being in
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
and others in
Judæo-German, the most important of which were published included his responsa in Teshuvot Beit Hillel (Satmar 1908) and his sermons ''Maskil el Dal'' (
Lemberg
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukrain ...
, 1867), ''Eis La'asos'' (ib. 1881), and ''Avkath Roichel'' (ib. 1883), all of which have been repeatedly reedited. They are all devoted to the denunciation of
reform Judaism
Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous sear ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lichtenstein, Hillel
1814 births
1891 deaths
Hungarian Haredi rabbis
19th-century Hungarian rabbis
People from Kolomyia