Yehudah ben Betzalel Loewe (Maharal) - Revision history

WikSysop: Yehudah ben Betzalel Loewe moved to Yehudah ben Betzalel Loewe (Maharal)

2006-10-05T09:15:00Z

Yehudah ben Betzalel Loewe moved to Yehudah ben Betzalel Loewe (Maharal)

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2006-10-05T09:13:53Z

WikSysop at 09:10, 5 October 2006

2006-10-05T09:10:24Z

WikSysop: Maharal moved to Yehudah ben Betzalel Loewe

2006-10-01T10:11:26Z

Maharal moved to Yehudah ben Betzalel Loewe

WikSysop at 10:10, 1 October 2006

2006-10-01T10:10:48Z

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==View on Noahides==

:''Main article [[Judaism and Other Religions]]''

Rabbi Yehudah ben Betzalel Loewe (c. 1525-1609) was an eclectic Renaissance Jewish thinker who served as rabbi in Posen and Prague. His system, like many others in the early modern era, Jewish and non-Jewish, worked by creating binary pairs: in this case the redeemed world’s sustaining Jews and their opponents the gentiles. Maharal built his theology more on Midrash with its apocalyptic and typological themes than on Biblical or philosophic universalism. The ancient struggles of Israel with the seven wicked nations and Amalek are ever with us.

:Israel and Edom are inverse and opposite–when one is in ascent then the other is in descent (Sanhedrin 21b)

:At the beginning, Israel is connected to the nations like a shell around a fruit. At the end, the fruit is separated from the shell completely and Israel is separated from them. (Gevurat Hashem 23)

Maharal embraces separation and particularism. Where Yehudah Halevi used the metaphor of the fruit to refer to the branch religions that sprout with Judaism, Maharal gives the metaphor the opposite valence: Israel is the fruit whose connection with the other nations – the shell – only decreases with time. This opposition between Israel and the world – Edom – is real and absolute, a zero-sum game where cooperation is not conceivable.

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 [[Image:Loew tombstone.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Judah Loew ben Bezalel in Prague]]
-'''Judah Loew ben Bezalel''' ("Judah Loew son of Bezalel", also written as '''Yehudah ben Bezalel Levai''' [or '''Loew'''], [[1525]] &ndash; [[September 17]] [[1609]] or [[Elul]] 18, 5369 according to the [[Hebrew calendar]]) {{citation needed}} ([[Talk:Judah Loew ben Bezalel|see discussion]]) was an important [[Talmud]]ic scholar, [[Kabbalah|Jewish mystic]] and philosopher who served as a leading [[rabbi]] in [[Prague]] (now in the [[Czech Republic]]) for most of his life.
+'''Judah Loew ben Bezalel''' ("Judah Loew son of Bezalel", also written as '''Yehudah ben Bezalel Levai''' [or '''Loew'''], 1525 &ndash; September 17 1609 or Elul 18, 5369 according to the Hebrew calendar) was an important Talmudic scholar, [[Kabbalah|Jewish mystic]] and philosopher who served as a leading rabbi in Prague (now in the Czech Republic) for most of his life.
-He is widely known to scholars of [[Judaism]] as the '''Maharal of Prague''', or simply as the '''Maharal''' (מהר"ל - '''MaHaRaL''' is the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] [[acronym]] of '''Moreinu ha-Rav Loew''', "Our Teacher the Rabbi Loew"). His descendants' [[surname]]s include '''Loewy''' and '''Lowy'''.
+He is widely known to scholars of [[Judaism]] as the '''Maharal of Prague''', or simply as the '''Maharal''' (מהר"ל - '''MaHaRaL''' is the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] acronym of '''Moreinu ha-Rav Loew''', "Our Teacher the Rabbi Loew"). His descendants' surnames include '''Loewy''' and '''Lowy'''.
-Within the world of [[Torah]] and Talmudic scholarship, he is known for his works on [[Jewish philosophy]] and [[Jewish mysticism]] and his [[supercommentary]] on [[Rashi]]'s Torah commentary known as ''Gur Aryeh al HaTorah''.
+Within the world of [[Torah]] and Talmudic scholarship, he is known for his works on [[Jewish philosophy]] and [[Jewish mysticism]] and his supercommentary on [[Rashi]]'s Torah commentary known as ''Gur Aryeh al HaTorah''.
 The Maharal is particularly known for the story about the [[golem]], which he supposedly created using mystical magical powers based on the esoteric knowledge of how [[Names of God in Judaism|God]] created [[Adam and Eve|Adam]].
-According to the legend, he did this to defend the [[Jew]]s of the Prague [[Ghetto]] from [[Anti-Semitism|antisemitic]] attacks against them; particularly false [[blood libel]]s emanating from certain prejudiced quarters.
+According to the legend, he did this to defend the Jews of the Prague Ghetto from antisemitic attacks against them; particularly false blood libels emanating from certain prejudiced quarters.
 ==View on Noahides==

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:10, 5 October 2006
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		+	[[Image:Loew tombstone.jpg\|thumb\|Tomb of Judah Loew ben Bezalel in Prague]]
		+	'''Judah Loew ben Bezalel''' ("Judah Loew son of Bezalel", also written as '''Yehudah ben Bezalel Levai''' [or '''Loew'''], [[1525]] – [[September 17]] [[1609]] or [[Elul]] 18, 5369 according to the [[Hebrew calendar]]) {{citation needed}} ([[Talk:Judah Loew ben Bezalel\|see discussion]]) was an important [[Talmud]]ic scholar, [[Kabbalah\|Jewish mystic]] and philosopher who served as a leading [[rabbi]] in [[Prague]] (now in the [[Czech Republic]]) for most of his life.
		+
		+	He is widely known to scholars of [[Judaism]] as the '''Maharal of Prague''', or simply as the '''Maharal''' (מהר"ל - '''MaHaRaL''' is the [[Hebrew language\|Hebrew]] [[acronym]] of '''Moreinu ha-Rav Loew''', "Our Teacher the Rabbi Loew"). His descendants' [[surname]]s include '''Loewy''' and '''Lowy'''.
		+
		+	Within the world of [[Torah]] and Talmudic scholarship, he is known for his works on [[Jewish philosophy]] and [[Jewish mysticism]] and his [[supercommentary]] on [[Rashi]]'s Torah commentary known as ''Gur Aryeh al HaTorah''.
		+
		+	The Maharal is particularly known for the story about the [[golem]], which he supposedly created using mystical magical powers based on the esoteric knowledge of how [[Names of God in Judaism\|God]] created [[Adam and Eve\|Adam]].
		+
		+	According to the legend, he did this to defend the [[Jew]]s of the Prague [[Ghetto]] from [[Anti-Semitism\|antisemitic]] attacks against them; particularly false [[blood libel]]s emanating from certain prejudiced quarters.
		+
	==View on Noahides==		==View on Noahides==

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	Maharal embraces separation and particularism. Where Yehudah Halevi used the metaphor of the fruit to refer to the branch religions that sprout with Judaism, Maharal gives the metaphor the opposite valence: Israel is the fruit whose connection with the other nations – the shell – only decreases with time. This opposition between Israel and the world – Edom – is real and absolute, a zero-sum game where cooperation is not conceivable.		Maharal embraces separation and particularism. Where Yehudah Halevi used the metaphor of the fruit to refer to the branch religions that sprout with Judaism, Maharal gives the metaphor the opposite valence: Israel is the fruit whose connection with the other nations – the shell – only decreases with time. This opposition between Israel and the world – Edom – is real and absolute, a zero-sum game where cooperation is not conceivable.
		+
		+	==Biography==
		+	[[Image:Praha Staronova Synagoga.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|View of the [[synagogue]] of Rabbi Loew, the [[Old New Synagogue, Prague]] from the north-west with [[Jewish Town Hall, Prague\|Jewish Town Hall]] to rear.]]
		+
		+	The Maharal was probably born in [[Poznań]] (now in [[Poland]]) to Rabbi Bezalel (Loew), whose family originated from the [[Germany\|German]] town of [[Worms, Germany\|Worms]]. His uncle Jacob was ''Reichsrabbiner'' ("Rabbi of the ''Reich''") of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], his brother Chaim of Friedberg a famous rabbinical scholar. Traditionally it is believed that the Maharal's family descended from the Babylonian Exilarchs (during the era of the [[geonim]]) and therefore also from the [[Davidic line\|Davidic dynasty]]. He received his formal education in various [[yeshiva]]s (Talmudical schools).
		+
		+	He was independently wealthy, probably as a result of his father's successful business enterprises. He accepted a rabbinical position in [[1553]] as ''Landesrabbiner'' of [[Moravia]] at [[Mikulov]] ([[Nikolsburg]]), directing community affairs but also determining which tractate of the [[Talmud]] was to be studied in the communities in that province. He also revised the community statutes on the election and taxation process. Although he retired from Moravia in [[1588]] at age 60, the communities still considered him an authority long after that.
		+
		+	One of his activities in Moravia was the rallying against slanderous slurs on legitimacy (''Nadler'') that were spread in the community against certain families and could ruin the finding of a marriage partner (known as [[shidduch]]im within [[Orthodox Judaism]]) for the children of those families. This phenomenon even affected his own family. He used one of the two yearly grand sermons (between [[Rosh Hashanah]] and [[Yom Kippur]] [[1583]]) to denounce the phenomenon.
		+
		+	He moved back to Prague in 1588, where he again accepted a rabbinical position, replacing the retired Isaac Hayoth. He immediately reiterated his views on ''Nadler''. On [[23 February]] [[1592]], he had an audience with [[Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor\|Emperor Rudolf II]], which he attended together with his brother Sinai and his son-in-law Isaac Cohen; Prince Bertier was present with the emperor. The conversation seems to have been related to [[Kabbalah]] (Jewish mysticism) a subject which held much fascination for the emperor.
		+
		+	In 1592, the Maharal moved to [[Poznań\|Posen]], where he had been elected as [[Chief Rabbi]] of [[Poland]]. In Posen he composed ''Netivoth Olam'' and part of ''Derech Chaim'' (see below). Towards the end of his life he moved back to Prague, where he died in [[1609]]. He is buried there; his tomb is a famous tourist attraction.
		+
		+	==His name==
		+	His second name (possible also his family's second name - depending on varying sources) of "Löw" or "Loew", derived from the German ''Löwe'', "[[lion]]" (cf. the [[Yiddish]] ''Leib'' of the same origin), which is a ''kinnuy'' or substitute name for the Hebrew [[Judah (Biblical figure)\|Judah]] or ''Yehuda'', as this name - originally of the [[tribe of Judah]] - is traditionally associated with a lion. In the [[Book of Genesis]], the patriarch [[Jacob]] refers to his son Judah as a ''Gur Aryeh'', a "Young Lion" (Genesis 49:9) when blessing him [http://bible.ort.org/books/pentd2.asp?ACTION=displaypage&BOOK=1&CHAPTER=49]. In Jewish naming tradition the Hebrew name and the substitute name are often combined as a pair, as in this case. The ''Maharal's'' classic work on the [[Rashi]] commentary of the [[Pentateuch]] is called the ''Gur Aryeh al HaTorah'', in [[Hebrew language\|Hebrew]]: "Young Lion [commenting] upon the [[Torah]]". The Maharal's tomb in Prague is decorated with a heraldic shield with a lion with two intertwined tails, alluding both to his first name and to [[Bohemia]], the arms of which has a two-tailed lion.
		+
		+	==Influence==
		+	===Disciples===
		+	It is unknown how many Talmudic rabbinical scholars the Maharal taught in Moravia, but the main disciples from the Prague period include Rabbis [[Yom Tov Lipmann Heller]] and [[David Gans\|David Ganz]]. The former promoted his teacher's program of regular [[Mishnah]] study by the masses, and composed his ''Tosefoth Yom Tov'' (a Mishnah commentary incorporated into almost all published editions of the Mishnah over the past few hundred years) with this goal in mind. David Ganz died young, but produced the work ''Tzemach David'', a work of Jewish and general history, as well as writing on [[astronomy]]; both the MaHaRal and Ganz were in contact with [[Tycho Brahe]], the famous astronomer.
		+
		+	===Jewish philosophy===
		+	In the words of a modern writer, the Maharal "prevented the Balkanization of Jewish thought" (Adlerstein 2000, citing Rabbi [[Nachman Bulman]]). His systematic and analytical approach to Jewish philosophy has made his works to Jewish philosophy what the ''[[Shulkhan Arukh]]'' is for [[halakha]] (practical Jewish law).
		+
		+	His works inspired the Polish branch of [[Hasidism]], as well as a more recent wave of [[Torah]] scholars originating from [[Lithuania]], most markedly Rabbi [[Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler]] (1892-1953) as well as Rabbi [[Abraham Isaac Kook]] (1864-1935). A recent authority who had roots in both traditions was Rabbi [[Yitzchok Hutner\|Isaac Hutner]] (1906-1980). Rabbi Hutner succinctly defined the [[ethos]] of the Maharal's teachings as being ''Nistar BeLashon Nigleh'', meaning (in [[Hebrew language\|Hebrew]]): "The [[Kabbalah\|Hidden]] in the [[language]] of the [[Talmud\|Revealed]]". As a mark of his devotion to the ways of the Maharal, Rabbi Hutner bestowed the name of the Maharal's key work the ''Gur Aryeh'' upon a branch of the yeshiva he headed when he established its [[kollel]] (a [[yeshiva]] for post-graduate Talmud scholars) which then became a division of the [[Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin]] in New York during the [[1950s]], known as [[Kollel Gur Aryeh]]. Both of these institutions, and the graduates they produce, continue to emphasize the serious teachings of the Maharal. Rabbi Hutner in turn also maintained that Rabbi [[Samson Raphael Hirsch]] (1808-1888) ([[Germany]], [[19th century]]) must also have been influenced by the Maharal's ideas basing his seemingly [[Rationalism\|rationalistic]] [[World view\|Weltanschauung]] on the more abstract and abstruse teachings of the hard-to-understand Jewish Kabbalah.
		+
		+	Rabbi Judah Loew was not a champion of the open study of [[Kabbalah]] as such, and none of his works are in any way ''openly'' devoted to it. According to him, only the greatest of Torah scholars are able to discern his true original inspirations and the intellectual framework for his ideas in their complex entirety. Nevertheless, Kabbalistic ideas permeate his writings in a rational and philosophic tone. His main Kabbalistic influences appear to have been the [[Zohar]] and [[Sefer Yetzirah]], as [[Isaac Luria\|Lurianic Kabbalah]] had not by that time reached Europe.
		+
		+	Although he could not reconcile himself to the investigations of [[Azariah di Rossi]], he diffused the tension between the [[Aggada]] (narrative, non-legal parts of the Talmud) and rationalism by his allegorical interpretations of difficult passages. He was entirely in favor of scientific research in so far as the latter did not contradict divine revelation, all the while insisting on finding deep meaning in all the contributions of Talmudic teachers.
		+
		+	===Literature===
		+	{{main\|Golem}}
		+	The legend of his creation of a [[golem]] inspired [[Gustav Meyrink]]'s [[1915]] novel ''Der Golem''. Various other books have been inspired by this legend, the authenticity of which has been doubted; although the Golem motif is old, the connection between the Golem on the one hand and the Maharal and Prague on the other is known only from ca. 1840. Maharal is featured in ''[[He, She and It]]'') and the [[Dutch language\|Dutch]] work ''De Procedure'' ("The Procedure", [[Harry Mulisch]], [[1999]]), both retelling the Golem legend. A poem by [[Jorge Luis Borges]], entitled ''[[El Golem]]'' also tells the story of Judah Loew (Judá León) and his giving birth to the Golem. In that poem, Borges quotes the works of German Jewish philosopher [[Gershom Scholem]].
		+	<!--Don't list books here in which there are only golems but no Maharal, please. Those can go in [[Golem]]-->
		+	"The Maharal" by Yaakov Dovid Shulman (in English) questions if the stories ''about'' the golem are true.
		+
		+	==Miscellaneous==
		+	It is claimed in some circles of [[Orthodox Judaism]], and in the book "The Lubavitcher Rebbe's Memoirs" that the Maharal's lineage is from the [[Davidic line]] running all the way back to the original Judah. The Maharal's synagogue in Prague, the [[Altneushul]], is still in use.
		+
		+	==Bibliography==
		+	*''Gur Aryeh'' ("Young Lion", see above), a [[supercommentary]] on [[Rashi]]'s [[Pentateuch]] commentary
		+	*''Netivoth Olam'' ("Pathways of the World"), a work of ethics
		+	*''Tif'ereth Yisrael'' ("The Glory of Israel"), philosophical exposition on the Torah, intended for the holiday of [[Shavuoth]]
		+	*''Gevuroth Hashem'' ("God's Might[y Acts]"), for the holiday of [[Passover]]
		+	*''Netzach Yisrael'' ("The Eternity of Israel"; ''Netzach'' "eternity", has the same root as the word for victory), on [[Tisha B'Av]] (an annual day of mourning about the destruction of the Temple) and the deliverance
		+	*''Ner Mitzvah'' ("The Candle of the Commandment"), on [[Hanukkah]]
		+	*''Or Chadash'' ("A New Light"), on [[Purim]]
		+	*''Derech Chaim'' ("Way of Life"), a commentary on the [[Mishnah]] tractate [[Pirkei Avoth\|Avoth]]
		+	*''Be'er ha-Golah'' ("The Well of the Diaspora"), an apologetic work on the Talmud, mainly responding to interpretations by the [[Italy\|Italian]] scholar Azariah di Rossi (''min ha-Adumim'')
		+	*''Chiddushei Aggadot'' ("Novellae on the [[Aggada]]", the narrative portions of the Talmud), discovered in the [[20th century]]
		+	*''Derashot'' (collected "Sermons")
		+	*''Divrei Negidim'' ("Words of Rectors"), a commentary on the [[Seder]] of [[Pesach]], published by a descendant
		+	*Various other works, such as his [[responsa]] and works on the [[Shabbat\|Jewish Sabbath]] and the holidays of [[Sukkot]], [[Rosh Hashana]] and [[Yom Kippur]], have not been preserved.
		+
		+	His works on the holidays bear titles that were inspired by the Biblical verse in [[Books of Chronicles\|I Chronicles]] 29:11: "Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, and the might, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and on the earth [is Yours]; Yours is the kingdom and [You are He] Who is exalted over everything as the Leader." The book of "greatness" (''gedula'') on the Sabbath was not preserved, but the book of "power" (''gevurah'') is ''Gevurath Hashem'', the book of glory is ''Tif'ereth Yisrael'', and the book of "eternity" or "victory" (''netzach'') is ''Netzach Yisrael''.
		+
		+	==Books==
		+	*Adlerstein Y. ''Be'er Hagolah: The Classic Defense of Rabbinic Judaism Through the Profundity of the Aggadah''. New York, NY: Mesorah Publications, 2000. ISBN 1-57819-463-6.
		+
		+	==See also==
		+	*[[André Neher]]
		+
		+	==External links==
		+	===Articles===
		+	*[http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=111877 Short biography of The Maharal of Prague] chabad.org
		+	*[http://www.ou.org/pardes/bios/maharal.htm Rabbi Judah Loew, The Maharal of Prague] ou.org
		+	*[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Loew.html Yehuda Loew — The Maharal] jewishvirtuallibrary.org
		+	*[http://www.e-wellsprings.org/Article.asp?Article=3&Category=8&pg=All The Maharal, Rabbi Yehuda Loew of Prague], e-wellsprings.org
		+	*[http://www.loebtree.com/maharal.html Family tree]
		+
		+	===Resources===
		+	*[http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/mahshevt/tifeeret/shaar.htm Tiferet Yisrael],Hebrew Full-text
		+	*[http://www.shechem.org/torah/ner/index.html Ner Mitzvah], Hebrew Full-text
		+	*[http://www.zehut.net/netsach11_1.htm Netzach Israel Chapters 11-13], Hebrew Full-text
		+	*Derech Chaim (Discussion): [http://torah.org/learning/maharal/archives.html] and [http://www.rjconline.org/maharalarchives.html]

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