Aryeh Leib HaCohen Heller
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Aryeh Leib HaCohen Heller ( 1745 – 1812) ( he, אריה לייב בן יוסף הכהן הלר) 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 ...
,
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 cente ...
ist, and Halachist in Galicia. He was known as "the ''Ketzos''" based on his magnum opus, '' Ketzot Hachoshen'', .


Biography

Born circa 1745 in the Galician town of KalushMy Tzadik: רבי אריה לייב הכהן הלר בעל קצות החושן
/ref> (presently located in Ukraine), Heller was a fifth-generation descendant of Rabbi
Yom-Tov Lipmann Heller Rabbi Gershon Shaul Yom-Tov Lipmann ben Nathan ha-Levi Heller (c. 157919 August 1654), was a Bohemian rabbi and Talmudist, best known for writing a commentary on the Mishnah called the ''Tosefet Yom-Tov'' (1614–1617). Heller was one of the major ...
. Heller was the youngest of five brothers with Chaim, Mordechai, Daniel, and Yehuda (author of ''Kuntras HaSfeikos''), and one sister (about whom nothing is currently known). In his youth, after being recognized by his father as a
prodigy Prodigy, Prodigies or The Prodigy may refer to: * Child prodigy, a child who produces meaningful output to the level of an adult expert performer ** Chess prodigy, a child who can beat experienced adult players at chess Arts, entertainment, and ...
, Heller was sent to learn Torah from Rabbi Meshulam Igra of Tysmienica, Poland, an outstanding authority. From 1788 to 1812, he was rabbi of
Stryi Stryi ( uk, Стрий, ; pl, Stryj) is a city located on the left bank of the river Stryi in Lviv Oblast (region) of western Ukraine 65 km to the south of Lviv (in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains). It serves as the administrative cen ...
, a position later to be held by his opponent in many halachic debates, Rabbi Yaakov Lorberbaum. He had four children: a daughter, Franziska Freide (1788–1842), who married
Solomon Judah Loeb Rapoport Solomon Judah Löb HaKohen Rapoport ( he, שלמה יהודה כהן רפאפורט; June 1, 1786 – October 15, 1867) was a Galician and Czech rabbi and Jewish scholar. Rapoport was known by an acronym "Shir", שי"ר occasionally שי ...
(Shi'r) in 1810, and three sons: Yosef (1769–1832), David (1771–1830), and Zwi Hirsch (1776–1834). Heller was a staunch misnaged and prominent critic of the
Hasidic 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 contem ...
movement. Rabbi Heller's works became widely disseminated throughout Europe at a time when, due to technical and financial reasons, this kind of recognition was rare.


Works

R. Aryeh Leib Heller wrote three major works: #''Ketzot HaChoshen'' (''Ends of the Breastplate'', published 1785)אריה ליב
/ref> is a halachic work which explains difficult passages in the ''
Shulchan Aruch The ''Shulchan Aruch'' ( he, שֻׁלְחָן עָרוּך , literally: "Set Table"), sometimes dubbed in English as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most widely consulted of the various legal codes in Judaism. It was authored in Safed (today in Is ...
'',
Choshen Mishpat Choshen Mishpat is the Hebrew for "Breastplate of Judgement". The term is associated with one of the four sections of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of halakha (Jewish law), Arba'ah Turim. This section treats aspects of Jewish law pertinent to ...
(which deals mainly with business and financial laws such as contracts, witnesses etc.) with novel ideas proposed by Rabbi Aryeh Leib. This remarkable work is considered a classic. Familiarity with this work is considered mandatory for any Torah scholar and it is a fixture in any Talmudic library. It is customarily studied in conjunction with R. Yaakov Lorberbaum's ''Netivot ha-Mishpat'', which seeks to controvert R. Heller's conclusions on many points. Rabbi Heller in reply wrote a book ''Meshoveiv Nesivos'' "that responds to the words of the author of Netivot", as its introduction, and Rabbi Lorberbaum responded again to his objections in a later edition of "Netivot". Heller's brother Yehuda's book, ''Kuntras Ha'Sfeikos'', is often published in tandem with the "Ketzos". #''Avnei Milluim'' (''Filling Stones'') is a halachic work which explains difficult passages in the ''Shulchan Aruch'',
Even HaEzer ( “The Stone of Help” or “The Rock of the ”) is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of halakha (Jewish law), ''Arba'ah Turim''. This section treats aspects of Jewish law related to marriage, divorce, and sexual conduct. Later, ...
(which deals mainly with marital issues) with novel ideas proposed by him. #''
Shev Shema'tata Shev Shema'tata ( he, שב שמעתתא), most commonly pronounced Shev Shmaytsa or ''Shev Shmaisa'', is a work on Talmudic logic and methodology by R. Aryeh Leib HaCohen Heller. The name of the book is Aramaic, and means "seven passages". It co ...
'' (''7 Passages'') is a work composed of seven sections, each with approximately 25 chapters, which explains intricate halachic topics including the validity of a single witness and the practical ramifications of a doubt. The reasoning process that Heller employs to analyse and resolve these very basic conflicts and contradictions in the Talmud is considered the basis for the analytical method used in modern times in Talmudic study. Testimony to the critical nature of this seminal work is the fact that it was one of the few texts chosen by the
Vaad Hatzalah Vaad Hatzalah (the Rescue Committee or Committee for Rescuing) was an organization to rescue Jews in Europe from the Holocaust, which was founded in November 1939 by the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada (''Agudath Harabba ...
(the post World War II organization which saved Jews and helped them re-integrate into society) to be copied and disseminated. Although an early form of this work was initially presented by him when he was still a young man during his seven days of celebration after his wedding, it was actually one of his later publications and underwent significant editing by the author. His introduction to this celebrated work includes some profound Biblical exegesis.


Family significance

As indicated by the HaCohen in his name, Rabbi Aryeh Leib Heller, Heller was descended from the family of
Aaron According to Abrahamic religions, Aaron ''′aharon'', ar, هارون, Hārūn, Greek (Septuagint): Ἀαρών; often called Aaron the priest ()., group="note" ( or ; ''’Ahărōn'') was a prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of ...
, the original High Priest, and therefore was a member of the priestly class. Many ''
cohanim 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 b ...
'' today claim to be descendants of Leib Heller's family, including the current Toldos Aharon Rebbe, but proof is difficult to establish without proper lineage data. Typically, the claim of lineage to Rabbi Heller is a tradition passed on through the generations for prestige reasons. His brother's descendants include Rabbi
Yehuda Amital Yehuda Amital ( he, יהודה עמיטל, born Yehuda Klein; 31 October 1924 – 9 July 2010) was an Orthodox rabbi, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion, and a member of the Israeli cabinet. The concept of a Hesder Yeshiva is attributed to ...
.Archived a
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and th
Wayback Machine


References


External links




Ketzot HaChoshen – The complete, searchable book in PDF format
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heller-Kahana, Aryeh Leib HaCohen 1740s births 1812 deaths People from Kalush, Ukraine 18th-century rabbis from the Russian Empire 19th-century rabbis from the Russian Empire Orthodox rabbis from Galicia (Eastern Europe) Kohanim writers of Rabbinic literature Authors of books on Jewish law Polish Haredi rabbis