Reb Menachem Nachum
ben Uzziel Kaplan (1811 – October 25, 1879) was a
Lithuanian Talmudist, philanthropist,
Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography:
*Gurvich, in ''Razsvyct'', 1879, No. 7;
*Lipshitz, ''Nekrolog Rabbi Nokhim iz Grodno'' (reprinted from ''Russki Yevrei'', 1879, No. 9), St. Petersburg, 1879;
*'' Ha-Ẓefirah'', 1879, No. 42;
*''Ha-Meliẓ
''Ha-Melitz'' or ''HaMelitz'' (Hebrew: ) was the first Hebrew newspaper in the Russian Empire. It was founded by Alexander Zederbaum in Odessa in 1860.
History
''Ha-Melitz'' first appeared as a weekly, and it began to appear daily in 1886. From ...
'', 1879, No. 43;
*Friedenstein, '''Ir Gibborim'', pp
95
96, Wilna, 1880. and ''
Talmid Chacham
''Talmid Chakham'' is an honorific title which is given to a man who is well versed in Jewish law, i. e., a Torah scholar. Originally he, תלמיד חכמים ''Talmid Chakhamim'', lit., "student of sages", pl. תלמידי חכמים ''talmid ...
'' who was known throughout
Lithuania and
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
as Reb Nachum'ke of Horodna
or Reb Nahum Grodner.
[
Rabbi Kaplan was well-versed in the ]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 ce ...
and the poskim
In Jewish law, a ''Posek'' ( he, פוסק , pl. ''poskim'', ) is a legal scholar who determines the position of ''halakha'', the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities a ...
as well as in kabbalah
Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "receiver"). The defin ...
and Acharonim
In Jewish law and history, ''Acharonim'' (; he, אחרונים ''Aḥaronim''; sing. , ''Aḥaron''; lit. "last ones") are the leading rabbis and poskim (Jewish legal decisors) living from roughly the 16th century to the present, and more specifi ...
. Yet, he refused to render 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 comman ...
decisions (except for one occasion when it was a matter of life and death
Life and death (死活) is a fundamental concept in the game of Go, where the status of a distinct ''group'' of ''stones'' is determined as either being "alive", where they may remain on the board indefinitely, or "dead", where the group will b ...
) and held the humble position of ''shammash
Utu (dUD "Sun"), also known under the Akkadian name Shamash, ''šmš'', syc, ܫܡܫܐ ''šemša'', he, שֶׁמֶשׁ ''šemeš'', ar, شمس ''šams'', Ashurian Aramaic: 𐣴𐣬𐣴 ''š'meš(ā)'' was the ancient Mesopotamian sun god ...
'' (sexton) in the Synagogue ''Chevra Shas''. His piety, simplicity of life, and dedication to the community earned him recognition among the Russian Jewry.[
]
Biography
Rabbi Nachum was born in Baisogala
Baisogala is a small town in Lithuania. It is situated on the crossroads of Kėdainiai– Šeduva and Raseiniai– Šeduva roads. According to the 2011 census, it had 2,034 residents.
History
Baisogala is first mentioned in written sources in ...
to Uziel Kaplan, a laborer in a whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden ca ...
distillery,[ and his wife, Meida.]
In his youth, he studied under Rabbi Karpl Atlas of Baisogala (grandfather of Rabbi Meir Atlas
Meir Atlas ( he, מאיר אטלס; 1848–1926) was the rabbi of numerous communities in pre-World War II Europe and one of the founders of the Telz Yeshiva. He was an outstanding halachic authority who authored many responsa and was one of the ...
) and his sons, Binyamin Beinush and Meir. Later he studied at Šiauliai
Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County.
Names
Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different la ...
under Rabbi Mordechai Ganker, and afterwards 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 are st ...
of Rabbi Chalavna Lapidus, the ''maggid
A maggid ( he, מַגִּיד), also spelled as magid, is a traditional Jewish religious itinerant preacher, skilled as a narrator of Torah and religious stories. A chaplain of the more scholarly sort is called a '' darshan'' (). The title of '' ...
'' of Luokė
Luokė ( Samogitian: ''Loukė'', pl, Łukniki) is a town in Telšiai County, Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It ...
, after which he studied at Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
. At age 19, he decided to leave Vilnius in order to study at Ashmyany
Ashmyany ( be, Ашмя́ны; Łacinka: ''Ašmiany''; russian: Ошмя́ны; lt, Ašmena; pl, Oszmiana; yi, אָשמענע, ''Oshmene'') is a town in Grodno Region, Belarus, located at 50 km from Vilnius. The town is Ashmyany District' ...
under Rabbi Avraham Kahana of Horodna (known today as Grodno).[ After studying for a while at Ashmyany, he went on to study at the Yeshiva of Mir.
When he was about twenty years old, he married Itta, the daughter of Yosef Eliezer] (a chimney sweep
A chimney sweep is a person who clears soot and creosote from chimneys. The chimney uses the pressure difference caused by a hot column of gas to create a draught and draw air over the hot coals or wood enabling continued combustion. Chimneys ...
by trade) of Nesvizh
Nesvizh, Niasviž ( be, Нясві́ж ; lt, Nesvyžius; pl, Nieśwież; russian: Не́свиж; yi, ניעסוויז; la, Nesvisium) is a city in Belarus. It is the administrative centre of the Nyasvizh District (''rajon'') of Minsk Region ...
, and moved into the latter's home in Nesvizh. Throughout the day, he studied Gemara, halacha
''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 comman ...
, and works of ''hashkafah
''Hashkafa'' ( he, השקפה, lit., "outlook"; plural ''hashkafot'', ''hashkafos'', ''hashkafas'') is the Hebrew term for worldview and guiding philosophy, used almost exclusively within Orthodox Judaism. A ''hashkafa'' is a perspective that O ...
'' such as ''Chovot HaLevavot
''Chovot HaLevavot'', or ''Ḥobot HaLebabot'' (; he, חובות הלבבות; English: ''Duties of the Hearts''), is the primary work of the Jewish rabbi, Bahya ibn Paquda, full name ''Bahya ben Joseph ibn Pakuda''. Rabbi Ibn Paquda is believed ...
'' and '' Menoras HaMaor'' until he committed them to memory.
When he was in his early twenties, he decided to leave Nesvizh and traveled to Valozhyn
Valozhyn, Vałožyn or Volozhin ( be, Вало́жын, , russian: Воло́жин, lt, Valažinas, pl, Wołożyn, yi, וואָלאָזשין ''Volozhin''; also written as Wolozin and Wolozhin) is a town in the Minsk Region of Belarus. The pop ...
, where he studied at the Volozhin Yeshiva
Yeshivas Etz Ḥayyim (), commonly called the Volozhin Yeshiva (), was a prestigious Lithuanian ''yeshiva'' located in the town of Volozhin, Russian Empire (now Valozhyn, Belarus). It was founded around 1803 by Rabbi Ḥayyim Volozhiner, a stude ...
under Rabbi Eliezer Yitzchak Freid. Afterwards, he headed for Kaunas where he studied Gemara and halacha under the '' rav'' of the city, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Rabinowitz. He also studied Midrash
''Midrash'' (;["midrash"]
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...
and Aggadah
Aggadah ( he, ''ʾAggāḏā'' or ''Haggāḏā''; Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: אַגָּדְתָא ''ʾAggāḏəṯāʾ''; "tales, fairytale, lore") is the non-legalistic exegesis which appears in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism ...
under Rabbi Eliyahu Ragoler of Slabodka. During this time, he traveled to Torez
Chystiakove ( uk, Чистякове, ), formerly Torez ( uk, Торез), is a city of regional significance in the Donetsk Oblast in Ukraine. The city is a center of the regional coal industry and much of its economy relies on mining industr ...
where he studied the teachings of the Vilna Gaon under a student of Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin
Chaim of Volozhin (also known as Chaim ben Yitzchok of Volozhin or Chaim Ickovits; January 21, 1749 – June 14, 1821)Jewish Encyclopedia Bibliography: Fuenn, Keneset Yisrael, pp. 347–349; idem, Kiryah Ne'emanah, pp. 156–158; Le ...
.
Afterwards, he returned to Nesvizh and a short while later he moved to Horodna. During the almost fifty years that he lived there, he was offered many prominent positions. Yet, he refused opportunities for leadership in public life,[ choosing instead the position of ''shammash'' in the Synagogue ''Chevra Shas''][ in Horodna,][ a position he retained for the rest of his life.]
In the last years of his life, he suffered from a serious spinal disorder
Disorder may refer to randomness, non-order, or no intelligible pattern.
Disorder may also refer to:
Healthcare
* Disorder (medicine), a functional abnormality or disturbance
* Mental disorder or psychological disorder, a psychological pattern ...
, a severe intestinal ailment
The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and ...
, swelling of the feet, and other discomforts. Yet, on Simchat Torah
Simchat Torah or Simhat Torah (, lit., "Rejoicing with/of the Torah", Ashkenazi: ''Simchas Torah'') is a Jewish holiday that celebrates and marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle. Simch ...
, he led the congregation in spirited singing and dancing, clutching a '' Sefer Torah'' in one arm while his free hand held his stomach to ease the pain.
A Hebrew language
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 ...
biography of Rabbi Nachum was written by Rabbi Yisrael David Miller who knew Rabbi Nachum personally.[ Rabbi Miller was stricken by the cholera pandemic] that struck Horodna in 1872 and firmly believed that Rabbi Nachum's prayers
Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified ...
saved his life.
Rabbi Nachum died at Grodno on October 25, 1879. Twenty thousand people attended his funeral[ which took place the next day.][
His son-in-law was Rabbi Gavriel Zev Margolis.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaplan, Nachum
1811 births
1879 deaths
People from Grodno
Lithuanian Orthodox rabbis
Orthodox rabbis from Russia
20th-century Lithuanian rabbis
Date of birth missing
Mir Yeshiva alumni