Avraham Shmuel Binyamin Sofer (german: link=no, Abraham Samuel Benjamin Schreiber), also known by his main work Ksav Sofer or Ketav Sofer ( trans. ''Writ of the Scribe''), (1815–1871), was one of the leading rabbis of Hungarian Jewry in the second half of the nineteenth century and

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 ...

of the famed Pressburg Yeshiva.

Early years

Shmuel Binyomin Sofer was born in Pressburg (now

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% of ...

) on March 12, 1815. His father, the famed '' Chasam Sofer'', Rabbi of Pressburg, was the leader of Hungarian Jewry and one of the leading Rabbi's of European Jewry. His mother Sara (1790–1832) was the daughter of Rabbi

Akiva Eger Rabbi Akiva Eiger (, also spelled Eger; , yi, עקיבא אייגער), or Akiva Güns (17611837) was an outstanding Talmudic scholar, influential halakhic decisor and foremost leader of European Jewry during the early 19th century. He was also ...

, Rabbi of Posen, one of the greatest

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 center ...

ic scholars of his time. When he was six years old, his family fell ill and among them little ''Shmuel Volf'', as he was called. The doctors had already given up on him. As a segulah they added "Avraham" to his name, but to no avail. They already called the

Chevra Kadisha The term ''Chevra kadisha'' (Modern Hebrew: חֶבְרָה קַדִּישָׁא) gained its modern sense of "burial society" in the nineteenth century. It is an organization of Jewish men and women who see to it that the bodies of deceased Je ...

and lit candles as was the

custom Custom, customary, or consuetudinary may refer to: Traditions, laws, and religion * Convention (norm), a set of agreed, stipulated or generally accepted rules, norms, standards or criteria, often taking the form of a custom * Norm (social), a r ...

of the time and they said the last rites. Then the doctors approached his father the ''Chasam Sofer'' and said "We know that you are a Godly and holy man; if with your prayers you cannot help your son; on our part, all hope is lost". After hearing this; the ''Chasam Sofer'' went to a corner where all his manuscripts were; and said a short prayer. At that time the sick child Avraham Shmuel Binyomin in his great weakness started screaming the

Shema ''Shema Yisrael'' (''Shema Israel'' or ''Sh'ma Yisrael''; he , שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ''Šəmaʿ Yīsrāʾēl'', "Hear, O Israel") is a Jewish prayer (known as the Shema) that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewi ...

, and their prayers were answered; Shmuel Binyomin's condition took a turn for the better. The bewildered doctors said to the ''Chasam Sofer''; now we truly know that you are a Godly man; to which he answered, "I hadn't given up hope, not even for a second." The great pupils of the ''Chasam Sofer'' later testified that the ''Chasam Sofer'' said at the time that "for one

Jubilee A jubilee is a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term is often now used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of y ...

, I begged him out"; as Shmuel Binyomin lived for another fifty years and died at age fifty six. He first studied under Rabbi Mordechai Ephraim Fishel Sofer (not a relation, as far as is known) and then entered his father's famous

Yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish education, Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish p ...

; and became one of its outstanding students. At age eighteen in 1833 he married Chavah Leah Weiss, daughter of Rabbi Yitzchok Weiss of Gorlitz, who was well known for his piety. The latter gave him a large dowry and promised to support him for 15 years. The wedding was held in the town of Kamaren after which the couple settled in Pressburg where Sofer continued his studies and helped his father with the yeshiva.

Death and legacy

On December 31, 1871 the ''Ksav Sofer'' died in Bratislava and the mantle as Rabbi of Pressburg passed to his son, Rabbi

Simcha Bunim Sofer ''Simcha'' ( he, שִׂמְחָה ; , ) is a Hebrew word that means gladness, or joy, and is often used as a given name. Uses The concept of simcha is an important one in Jewish philosophy. A popular teaching by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, a 19th- ...

known as the ''Shevet Sofer''. Another son, Rabbi

Shimon Sofer Shimon Sofer (1820–1883) (german: Simon Schreiber) was a prominent Austrian Orthodox Jewish rabbi in the 19th century. He was Chief Rabbi of Kraków, Poland after serving as Chief Rabbi of Mattersdorf. He was the second son of Rabbi Moshe So ...

was appointed as Rabbi of Erlau (

Eger Eger ( , ; ; also known by other alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights. Eger is best known for its castle, thermal baths, baroque bui ...

). Shimon's grandson Rabbi

Yochanan Sofer Yochanan Sofer (January 1, 1923 – February 22, 2016) was the rebbe of the Erlau dynasty. He was born in Eger, Hungary, where his father and grandfather were also rebbes. After surviving the Holocaust, he founded a yeshiva, first in Hungary and t ...

has established numerous Synagogues in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

and one in the USA, naming them ''Kehila Kdosha ( trans. ''Holy Congregation'') Ksav Sofer''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sofer, Samuel Benjamin 1815 births 1871 deaths 19th-century Hungarian rabbis Hungarian Orthodox rabbis Bible commentators Rabbis from Bratislava