Shimshon (Samson) ben Mordechai of Slonim (c. – 13 May 1794), was an 18th-century rabbi, philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. He was one of the leaders of

Haskalah The ''Haskalah'', often termed Jewish Enlightenment ( he, השכלה; literally, "wisdom", "erudition" or "education"), was an intellectual movement among the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe, with a certain influence on those in Western Euro ...

and the

Misnagdim ''Misnagdim'' (, "Opponents"; Sephardi pronunciation: ''Mitnagdim''; singular ''misnaged''/''mitnaged'') was a religious movement among the Jews of Eastern Europe which resisted the rise of Hasidism in the 18th and 19th centuries. The ''Misna ...

, and was influenced by the

Vilna Gaon Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, ( he , ר' אליהו בן שלמה זלמן ''Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman'') known as the Vilna Gaon (Yiddish: דער װילנער גאון ''Der Vilner Gaon'', pl, Gaon z Wilna, lt, Vilniaus Gaonas) or Elijah of ...

. He was the

Av Beit Din The ''av beit din'' ( ''ʾabh bêth dîn'', "chief of the court" or "chief justice"), also spelled ''av beis din'' or ''abh beth din'' and abbreviated ABD (), was the second-highest-ranking member of the Sanhedrin during the Second Temple period, ...

Slonim Slonim ( be, Сло́нім, russian: Сло́ним, lt, Slanimas, lv, Sloņima, pl, Słonim, yi, סלאָנים, ''Slonim'') is a city in Grodno Region, Belarus, capital of the Slonimski rajon. It is located at the junction of the Ščar ...

and

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was named ...

and is thought to have been descended from Shimshon Loew ben Bezalel, the

Maharal of Prague Judah Loew ben Bezalel (; between 1512 and 1526 – 17 September 1609), also known as Rabbi Loew ( Löw, Loewe, Löwe or Levai), the Maharal of Prague (), or simply the Maharal (the Hebrew acronym of "''Moreinu ha-Rav Loew''", 'Our Teacher, Rabbi ...

's brother, through his grandson,

Samson ben Pesah Ostropoli Samson ben Pesah Ostropoli (died July 15, 1648), was a Jews of Poland, Polish rabbi from Ostropol who was martyred at Polonnoye, Volhynia, during the Khmelnytsky Uprising. When the Cossacks laid siege to Polonnoye, Samson, with 300 of his followers, ...

Early life and early adulthood (c. 1734-1765)

Little is known about Shimshon's early life. He was born in Lithuania, sometime between 1734 and 1736. Sometime at an early age he left for

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

to study German,

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, and Greek, as well as the sciences. After returning from Hamburg around 17 or 18 years of age (1751-1753), he was ordained as a rabbi. In the following years, he was rabbi in the small towns of Kolyshki and

Krāslava Krāslava (; ltg, Kruoslova, german: Kreslau, be, Краслаўка, pl, Krasław, russian: Краслава, Креславль) is a town and the administrative centre of Krāslava Municipality, in the Latgale region of Latvia. The town lies ...

. Later in his life, Shimshon would make frequent trips back to Hamburg, so he could buy books for his collection.

Marriage and life in Slonim (1765–1788)

In around 1765, Shimshon was arranged to be married to Basha, the niece of

Aryeh Leib Epstein Aryeh Löb ben Mordecai Ha-Levi Epstein (''Ba'al ha-Pardes'') (1708 – June 26, 1775) was a Polish rabbi born in Grodno. At first he refused to become a rabbi, preferring to devote himself entirely to study, but in 1739 he was forced by poverty ...

. They married on 26 October 1765. In 1769, Shimshon got a seat in

as an

. He held this position until around 1791. Shimshon became greatly influenced by the movement of

. When he became Chief Rabbi, he began to spread the concept of Haskalah throughout the city.

Shimshon's library

Shimshon had a small library in his house of around 250 to 300 books that he had collected on his journeys to Hamburg and other cities. Figures such as the

and

Salomon Maimon Salomon Maimon (; ; lt, Salomonas Maimonas; he, שלמה בן יהושע מימון‎; 1753 – 22 November 1800) was a philosopher born of Lithuanian Jewish parentage in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, present-day Belarus. Some of his work w ...

came to Slonim to borrow books from his library. Among Shimshon's prized possessions was the unpublished work by the rabbi

Joseph Solomon Delmedigo Joseph Solomon Delmedigo (or Del Medigo), also known as Yashar Mi-Qandia ( he, יש"ר מקנדיא) (16 June 1591 – 16 October 1655), was a rabbi, author, physician, mathematician, and music theorist. Born in Candia, Crete, a descendant of ...

, ''Bosmat Bat Shelomoh.''

Salomon Maimon's visit

In the 1770s, a young Salomon Maimon came from

Nyasvizh 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 a ...

to visit the library in search of books on science and medicine. According to Maimon, ''"As soon as I arrived at the place, I went to the chief rabbi, told him my desire, and begged him earnestly for assistance... He promised to lend me some old German books. The most important among these were an old work on Optics, and Sturm's Physics."'' (likely Johann Christoph Sturm). These books inspired Maimon to find "a key to all secrets of nature" and look down upon others who did not know what he knew. This connection was identified by historian

Samuel Joseph Fuenn Samuel Joseph Fuenn (; 15 October 1818 – 11 January 1891), also known as Rashi Fuenn () and Rashif (), was a Lithuanian Hebrew writer, scholar, printer, and editor. He was a leading figure of the eastern European Haskalah, and an early member of ...

in his book ''Safah le-Ne'emanim'' (1881). Solomon maimon

Meeting with Baruch Schick of Shklov

In 1778, upon the recommendation of the

Baruch Schick of Shklov Baruch Schick of Shklov (1744–1808) was a Polish–Lithuanian-born rabbi, author, scholar, talmudist, physicist, and scientist. He is famous for having translated many scientific works into Hebrew upon the request of the Vilna Gaon. He wrote ab ...

(1744-1808) journeyed to Slonim to ask Shimshon to write an

approbation Approbation may refer to: * Approbation (Catholic canon law), an act in the Catholic Church by which a bishop or other legitimate superior grants to an ecclesiastic the actual exercise of his ministry * The process of granting a medical license in ...

to the first ever Hebrew translation of ''

Euclid's Elements The ''Elements'' ( grc, Στοιχεῖα ''Stoikheîa'') is a mathematical treatise consisting of 13 books attributed to the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid in Alexandria, Ptolemaic Egypt 300 BC. It is a collection of definitions, postulat ...

'', Sefer Oklidus. Shimshon agreed and wrote part of the introduction to the book. Several other rabbis such as Saul Loewenstamm and Solomon Shalem from

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

and

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

contributed to the introduction as well. Firstly, he talked about the proper place

Euclid Euclid (; grc-gre, Wikt:Εὐκλείδης, Εὐκλείδης; BC) was an ancient Greek mathematician active as a geometer and logician. Considered the "father of geometry", he is chiefly known for the ''Euclid's Elements, Elements'' trea ...

had in history. Shimshon made the assumption that Euclid lived in Greece right around when

Mordecai Mordecai (; also Mordechai; , IPA: ) is one of the main personalities in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. He is described as being the son of Jair, of the tribe of Benjamin. He was promoted to Vizier after Haman was killed. Biblical acco ...

and

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 ...

were living in

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. Next, he gave a lengthy summary of the contents of the book.. To conclude his writing, Shimshon related it all back to Schick's wish to educate Jews on the sciences. His words followed the same theme that Schick wrote, ''"Blessed is your logic, and it will bear forth more blessing, for in your book you have refuted the claims our enemies level against us, saying ‘where is your wisdom and your learning in the eyes of the nations?’ Jacob will not be ashamed, for the land will be filled with knowledge, as the waters cover the sea."'' Shimshon referred to the Jews being thought of as uneducated and ignorant. His intentions were to bring science and mathematics into the Jewish people's everyday lives, so they could be recognized as more intelligent and civilized people.

Jeremy Bentham's visit

In December, 1787, the English philosopher,

Jeremy Bentham Jeremy Bentham (; 15 February 1748 Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._4_February_1747.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 4 February 1747">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.htm ...

, was going to visit his brother, Samuel in

Krichev Krychaw or Krichev ( be, Кры́чаў, Łacinka: Kryčaŭ, ; russian: Кричев, , pl, Krzyczew) is a city in the eastern Belarusian Mogilev Region. Krychaw is the administrative center of Krychaw District. As of 2009, its population was 27, ...

, when he spent the night in

. As he writes in his journal, all of the inns were full, so he was forced to spend the night with a rabbi who also kept a hardware store. He goes on to describe the rabbi's home and that he had two bookcases with "not fewer than 250 or 300 Vols.". Bentham also talked about how the rabbi possessed a copy of ''

,'' as well as a manuscript on astronomy which contained a diagram that was the rabbi's own work. Historians such as

Israel Bartal Israel Bartal ( he, ישראל ברטל), is Avraham Harman Professor of Jewish History, member of Israel Academy of Sciences (2016), and the former Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at Hebrew University (2006–2010). Since 2006 he is the chair of ...

have logically assumed that this was the same rabbi who lent Solomon Maimon books nine years earlier.

Final years (1788-1794)

Sometime in the late 1780s, after Bentham's visit, a fire started in the thatch roof of Shimshon's house. It eventually consumed everything in his house including all of his books and manuscripts. He became stricken with grief. It is said that after the fire, "Shimshon eulogized his loss in the synagogue and cried bitter tears." In 1791, after the fire, he left town for a spot as an

in the town of Königsberg. By that point, Shimshon was very sick and tired. He only spent time there for several years until his death in May 1794.

Legacy

All of Shimshon's books and his own manuscripts were destroyed in the aforementioned fire. This unfortunately has limited many historians from being able to determine his role in Jewish history. In his family's tradition he was known as "a scholar and Kabbalist, an astronomer and philosopher, accomplished in all seven sciences, the author of many books, on the

exoteric Exoteric refers to knowledge that is outside and independent from a person's experience and can be ascertained by anyone (related to common sense). The word is derived from the comparative form of Greek ἔξω ''eksô'', "from, out of, outside". ...

and the

esoteric Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas a ...

, and the chokhmot." Shimshon was also remembered for bringing

as well as being a Mitnaged. He also encouraged bringing education into every Jew's everyday lives. He is regarded as being one of the most influential rabbis of Slonim, alongside Moses ben Isaac Judah Lima.

Descendants

Shimshon's descendants mostly settled in Kosava. They adopted the surname, Karelitz after the town of

Karelichy Karelichy ( be, Карэлічы, Kareličy; russian: Коре́личи, ; lt, Koreličiai; pl, Korelicze; yi, קארעליץ, ''Korelitz'') is a town in the Grodno Region of Belarus and the administrative centre of Karelichy District. The t ...

. Some of his most famous rabbinical descendants were the Rabbis

Avrohom Yeshaya Karelitz Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz (7 November 1878 – 24 October 1953), also known as the Chazon Ish () after his magnum opus, was a Belarusian-born Orthodox rabbi who later became one of the leaders of Haredi Judaism in Israel, where he spent his f ...

(author of the ''Chazon Ish''),

Nissim Karelitz Shmaryahu Yosef Nissim Karelitz ( he, נסים קרליץ; July 19, 1926 – October 21, 2019) was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and posek who served as the chairman of the '' beis din tzedek'' (rabbinical court) of Bnei Brak. Biography Karelitz ...

, and Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim Kanievsky. Other descendants include politician Frank N. Newman, author

Jean Hanff Korelitz Jean Hanff Korelitz (born May 16, 1961) is an American novelist, playwright, theater producer and essayist. Biography Korelitz was born to Jewish parents and raised in New York City. After graduating from Dartmouth College with a major in Eng ...

, the mathematician

Leonard Carlitz Leonard Carlitz (December 26, 1907 – September 17, 1999) was an American mathematician. Carlitz supervised 44 doctorates at Duke University and published over 770 papers. Chronology * 1907 Born Philadelphia, PA, USA * 1927 BA, University ...

, real estate developer,

Gary Barnett Gary Lee Barnett (born May 23, 1946) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Fort Lewis College (1982–1983), Northwestern University (1992–1998), and the University of Colorado at Boulder (1999–2005), ...

, Dr. Samuel Karelitz,

pediatrician Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

and founding chairman of

Long Island Jewish Medical Center Long Island Jewish Medical Center (LIJMC or LIJ) is a clinical and academic hospital within the Northwell Health system. It is a 807-bed, non-profit tertiary care teaching hospital serving the greater New York metropolitan area. The campus is e ...

(LIJ), Clarence Karelitz, a

Massachusetts State Representative The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 countie ...

, and Jacob Reingold, the vice chairman of the Hebrew Home for the Aged at Riverdale who laid groundwork for the observance of

National Grandparents Day Grandparents' Day or National Grandparents' Day is a secular holiday celebrated in various countries; it is celebrated to show the bond between grandparents and grandchildren. It occurs on various days of the year, either as one holiday or someti ...

in the United States. File:Chazon Ish.jpg, Rabbi

(1878-1953) (The ''Chazon Ish'') File:הרב ניסים קרליץ שליטא.jpg, Rabbi

(1926-2019) File:Chaim Kanievsky.jpg, Rabbi Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim Kanievsky (1928-) File:1945 Clarence Karelitz Massachusetts House of Representatives.png, Clarence Karelitz (

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

State Representative) (1901-1958)

Notable associates

* Shlomo ben Joshua,

Solomon Maimon Salomon Maimon (; ; lt, Salomonas Maimonas; he, שלמה בן יהושע מימון‎; 1753 – 22 November 1800) was a philosopher born of Lithuanian Jewish parentage in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, present-day Belarus. Some of his work ...

(1753–1800) German philosopher * Rabbi Elijah ben Solomon Zalman,

(1720–1797) leader of

Mitnagdim ''Misnagdim'' (, "Opponents"; Sephardi pronunciation: ''Mitnagdim''; singular ''misnaged''/''mitnaged'') was a religious movement among the Jews of Eastern Europe which resisted the rise of Hasidism in the 18th and 19th centuries. The ''Misna ...

and

* Rabbi Baruch ben Jacob Schick, Baruch Schick of Shklov (1744–1808) one of the pioneers of

and author * Rabbi Aryeh Leib ben Mordechai Epstein of

of Königsberg (1708–1775) rabbi and author of ''Or ha-Shanim'' * Rabbi Yitzhak ben Aryeh Leib

Epstein The surname Epstein ( yi, עפּשטײן, Epshteyn) is one of the oldest Ashkenazi Jewish family names. It is probably derived from the German town of Eppstein, in Hesse; the place-name was probably derived from Gaulish ''apa'' ("water", in the sen ...

, Ichile Ginshpriker of Slonim (1730–1807) Basha (Shimshon's wife's) first cousin. Son of Rabbi

of Königsberg

References

External links

* https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/slonim/Ledger.html * http://www.karelitzfamily.com/ Family tree of Shimshon's descendants * https://people.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/Shokel/130607_Euclid.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Shimson ben Mordechai of Slonim 18th-century Jewish theologians 1730s births Year of birth uncertain 1794 deaths People from Slonim 18th-century Lithuanian rabbis People of the Haskalah