Israel Meir Kagan
Israel Meir Hacohen, or Israel Meir Kagan ( 1838 - 1 933 ) as the Chofetz Chaim (literally "desire for life"), his most famous work, Sefer Chofetz Chaim, which deals with the laws of slander (from Psalm 34:13).
Meir Kagan is considered in the Orthodox Jewish world and beyond as a great sage and one of the greatest rabbis of the nineteenth century and twentieth centuries.
Summary |
Biography
He was born in Zhetel (or Gitel) in Belarus , on 6 February 1838 , in a humble but scholarly, since appealed herself to his education until the age of ten years. He then went further his knowledge at the academy of Vilna until age 17, he was a pupil of Rabbi Jacob barite.
In 1 855 - 1 856 , he moved to Radoune (Belarusian village not far from Vilnius and Grodno , also known as Radin's in Hebrew and Yiddish ), he married at the time.
In 1862 - in 1863 he moved to Minsk and then to Vilnius, where he earned his living as a professor of religious matters.
In 1,868 - 1869 , he led the University of Talmudic Vachilitchoq near Vilnius.
He then returned to Radoune where he lived for decades, he shared his time between keeping the accounts of his wife's store, teaching, writing books and various public responsibility and community.
He refused to be ordained rabbi and collect any salary for his activities, especially when he gave his opinion or advice to those who came to visit.
From that time, his reputation within the Jewish world of Eastern grows. Stories about his wisdom and kindness spread, they were increased even after his death, just like the Hasidic stories on a " Tzadik ". It was his humility and his humanity, in particular vis--vis the Jews Shtetels simple, coupled with the breadth and depth of his work that earned him a place among the greatest rabbis of the people's history Jewish.
He founded a small university in Talmudic Radoune and directed for many years, until its expansion and success requires it to hire a Director ( Rosh Yeshiva ). He taught ethics and work on oneself ( Mussar ).
In 1915 , he was forced to leave Radoune because of the war he settled then Yirout, Russia close, with part of his yeshiva.
In 1917 , he founded a Jewish ultra-Orthodox Unity "to unite all the religious Jewish world in Russia.
In 1921 , he returned to Minsk and then to Radoune which was now part of Poland.
He was a founder of an organization still operating in Israel and around the world: Agudat Israel , Orthodox Jewish movement to oppose secularism, socialism amount in Eastern Europe and its corollary: the Zionism secular.
He opened the first congress of the association by a speech in Vienna (Austria) in 1923. In 1925 , he took charge of the "council of yeshivas," governing body of the Polish yeshivot, so many. He died in 1933 at Radoune where he was buried shortly before the rise of Hitler. The story goes on that he was wont to exclaim abruptly that "millions would die, and we did nothing", indicating he felt the rise of the ambient anti-Semitism even before we do speak the Final Solution.
Works
His written work is plentiful.
- His first book, Hafetz Haim (The desire for life) was published anonymously in 1873 in Vilnius and is the first book entirely devoted to the halakhic issue of lashon hara (slander) and its importance as major prohibited of Judaism. This book will be a huge success and will be simplified and abridged editions popular today.
- He published a supplement "Shemirat HaLashone" (The preservation of the language), language processing more generally virtuous and means to achieve it.
- "Ahavat Hesed (Love of generosity) discusses the importance of charity and acts of kindness.
- It is also known for writing "Mahaneh Israel" (the camps of Israel) to the Jews enlisted in the armies of the Tsar , "Nideh Israel" (the wandering of Israel) for those who decided to emigrate to the many west.
- Finally, the Mishna Berura - written between 1894 and 1907 - a very detailed comments on the Orah Hayyim , part of the Shulchan Aruch (the most important legislative code still making authority in the Orthodox world) which deals with the laws of everyday life). The Mishna Berura is now considered a classic in the study of Halacha.
- The Liqout Hilkhot (legal code) identifies all laws relating to the Temple, the Chofetz Chaim is confident that the coming of the Messiah, and the erection of the Third Temple , is imminent. A story tells that he kept a bag made for himself, for the same reason.
His influence
His popularity remains significant in the Jewish World:
- On the one hand, because of his work which includes many works of Ethics ( Mussar ) and a way of popularizing the Torah (he has written many books for the general public) and a book must discount analysis and identification of Jewish law aimed at rabbis.
- On the other hand, it was considered, in the early 20th century as a "tall Torah" if not the greatest of the generation and certainly the leader of Lithuanian Jewry (more accurately the world of yeshivas of Lithuania).
There exists an oral culture of "stories" related to the life of the Chofetz Chaim and contribute to regard it as an exceptional personality.
An example:
It tells a visitor went a day counts as shown rabbi was extremely hard of hearing, and proposed treatment options. The rabbi was moved, and remarked that in the current state of the question, he did not hear the gossip or gossip, and other trifles, and, cons, those who wanted to say something addressed directly in his ears.
In Israel , a kibbutz named after him.
Notes and References
External Links
- Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan, The Chofetz Chaim (1838-1933)
- Chofetz Chaim Biography
- Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation
- A Lesson A Day: A Daily Learning Program
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