Shlomo Ephraim ben Aaron Luntschitz (1550 – 21 April, 1619) was a
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 ...
and
Torah commentator, best known for his Torah commentary ''Keli Yekar''.
[Although most write this as ''Keli Yakar'', "the second word should be ''Yekar''" (יְקָר), as the vowelization appears in (Marc Shapiro, Seforim Blog]
The Pew Report and the Orthodox Community (and Other Assorted Comments), part 1
endnote 4
Jewish Encyclopedia
. He served as the Rabbi of Prague from 1604 to 1619.
Biography
He was born in
Łęczyca
Łęczyca (; in full the Royal Town of Łęczyca, pl, Królewskie Miasto Łęczyca; german: Lentschitza; he, לונטשיץ) is a town of 13,786 inhabitants () in central Poland. Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship, it is the county seat of the ...
(also known as Luntschitz) and
studied under
Solomon Luria
Solomon Luria (1510 – November 7, 1573) ( he, שלמה לוריא) was one of the great Ashkenazic ''poskim'' (decisors of Jewish law) and teachers of his time. He is known for his work of Halakha, ''Yam Shel Shlomo'', and his Talmudic commenta ...
in
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of t ...
, and subsequently served as ''
rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...
'' (dean) of 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 are s ...
'' in
Lvov
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...
(Lemberg). In 1604 he was appointed rabbi of
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
, a position he filled until his death. In the introduction of his ''Keli Yekar'' he relates that the name Shlomo was added to his name during life-threatening illness, a common practice in Judaism.
Works
![Ir giborim1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Ir_giborim1.jpg)
Luntschitz is best remembered for his homiletical work, most prominently ''Keli Yekar'' ("precious vessel", an allusion to
Proverbs
A proverb (from la, proverbium) is a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic speech, formulaic language. A proverbial phra ...
20:15) on the
Torah
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...
which first appeared in Lublin in 1602, is still printed in many editions of the Pentateuch and continues to be highly popular.
He composed two penitential prayers in commemoration of the 1611 pogroms that hit Prague on the 2nd of Adar on the Jewish calendar.
In addition he wrote:
* ''Ir Gibborim'' ("city of strong men", cf. Proverbs 21:22), comprising ''Petichot u-Shearim'' ("openings and gates") and two works of Torah homilies. It was first published in
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
in 1580.
* ''Olelot Ephraim'' ("grapes of Ephraim", a reference to
Judges
A judge is an official who presides over a court.
Judge or Judges may also refer to:
Roles
*Judge, an alternative name for an adjudicator in a competition in theatre, music, sport, etc.
*Judge, an alternative name/aviator call sign for a membe ...
8:2), four volumes of sermons published in Lublin 1590.
* ''Ammudei Shesh'' ("pillars of marble",
Esther
Esther is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther. In the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti, is deposed for disobeying him. Hadassah, a Jewess who goes by the name of Esther, is chosen ...
1:6), sermons (Prague, 1617). Known for its criticism of
pilpul
''Pilpul'' ( he, פלפול, loosely meaning 'sharp analysis'; ) is a method of studying the Talmud through intense textual analysis in attempts to either explain conceptual differences between various halakhic rulings or to reconcile any appare ...
.
* ''Siftei Da'at'' ("words of wisdom", also Proverbs 20:15), a continuation of ''Keli Yekar'' in style and reach, Prague 1610.
* ''Orach le-Chayyim'' ("a path for life", Proberbs 10:17), sermons for ''Shabbat Shuvah'' and ''Shabbat ha-Gadol'', Lublin 1595.
* ''Rivevot Efraim'' ("myriads of Ephraim",
Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy ( grc, Δευτερονόμιον, Deuteronómion, second law) is the fifth and last book of the Torah (in Judaism), where it is called (Hebrew: hbo, , Dəḇārīm, hewords Moses.html"_;"title="f_Moses">f_Moseslabel=none)_and_th ...
33:17), not extant but mentioned in the introduction of ''Orach le-Chayyim''.
References
Literature
* Leonard S. Levin: ''Seeing with Both Eyes: Ephraim Luntshitz and the Polish-Jewish Renaissance''. Brill, Leiden/Boston 2008, .
External links
Jewish Encyclopedia biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Luntschitz, Shlomo Ephraim
1550 births
1619 deaths
16th-century Polish rabbis
17th-century Bohemian rabbis
Bible commentators
Rabbis from Prague