Elijah bar Aaron Judah Baal Shem (about 1520 – 1583) was a Polish rabbi and kabbalist who served as chief rabbi of Chełm.[1][2] One of the most eminent Talmudists of his generation, he is recorded as the first person known by the epithet "Ba'al Shem" having been considered a great saint and believed to have used miraculous powers to create a golem.[3][4][5]
Elijah was born to his father Aaron Judah in 1550.[6] About 1565, he entered the yeshiva of Rabbi Solomon Luria of Lublin, and after receiving his rabbinical ordination, became rabbi of Chełm, a position he held for the rest of his life. In 1564, he gathered with other prominent rabbis, including his teacher, to cosign the halachic rulings, which allowed an agunah to remarry.[1][6]
His great-granddaughter married Rabbi Ephraim ha-Kohen (1616–1678), author of "Sha'ar Efrayim" and grandfather of Rabbi Tzvi Ashkenazi.[7][8]
The Golem of ChełmEdit
According to Jacob Emden, the son of the aforementioned Tzvi Ashkenazi, the Golem is said to have grown so that the rabbi feared that he might destroy the world.[9][10] Finally, the rabbi extracted the Shem from the forehead of his Golem, which returned to dust,[11][8][9][10] but the Golem scratched his master's face in the process.[8][10] An anonymous 1630 manuscript (the earliest known written legend of a contemporary figure creating a golem) recounts that the golem continued to grow that the rabbi had to destroy it by erasing the Hebrew letteraleph, first letter from the word emet (truth)(אמת)[12] thereby rendering it met (dead)(מת).[13]
Although Emden only mentions a scratch on the rabbi's face, a different version of the legend states that while trying to remove the life-giving name of God in an attempt to destroy the raging beast, Rabbi Elijah was crushed to death under the weight of the Golem as it fell to pieces.[14][15]
Elijah's grandsons, Tzvi Ashkenazi and his son Jacob Emden, were both great Halakhists. They discussed the legal status of the golem: could the golem be counted in a minyan, the quorum of ten men required for prayer.[10][16] Human form and modicum of understanding were not enough to make something human.
The tale about Elijah's creation of the Golem was retold in the book Israel der Gotteskampfer der Baalschem von Chełm und sein Golem ("Israel God's fighter of Baalshem of Chełm and his Golem") written by Chayim Block and published in 1920.[17]
The attic of the Old SynagogueEdit
According to the "Jewish Life and Work in Chełm" chapter of the Commemoration Book of Chełm (Poland) (Yisker-bukh Chełm),
"No one was allowed to enter the attic of the Old Synagogue. No one even knew where the key to the attic could be found. One person whispered to another the secret that in the attic there lies the golem of the famous Rabbi Elijah Ba'al Shem.
It was said that Elijah Ba'al Shem created from clay a golem who would stand on market days with an ax in his hand, and as soon as he saw that a peasant was going to beat up a Jew, the golem killed the peasant.
An entire week the golem served the Rabbi, the Rabbi's wife, and he performed the manual labor in the Beit Hamidrash [A Jewish house of study where the study of the Torah is undertaken].[18]
When the local landowner found out about the golem's might, the Ba'al Shem led the golem to the attic, withdrew from him the ineffable name of God, and converted the golem into a heap of clay. The Ba'al Shem locked the door, took with him the key, and since then the attic remained bolted."[19]
German-Jews of Jerusalem and the CrusadesEdit
According to Rabbi Elijah, German Jews lived in Jerusalem during the 11th century. The story is told that a German-speaking Palestinian Jew saved the life of a young German man surnamed Dolberger. So when the knights of the First Crusade came to besiege Jerusalem, one of Dolberger's family members who was among them rescued Jews in Palestine and carried them back to Worms, Germany to repay the favor.[20] Further evidence of German communities in the holy city comes in the form of halakhic questions sent from Germany to Jerusalem during the second half of the eleventh century.[21]
FuneralEdit
According to popular legend, Elijah's greatness was witnessed in dramatic fashion soon after his death. It was said that during his time, the only road to the Jewish cemetery passed by a Russian church. Whenever a Jewish funeral procession passed by, Christians would throw rocks. Elijah knew of this and requested in his will that no one move or run away if the Christians did the same following his death.
Elijah's wishes were carried out after his death. When the procession neared the church, gentiles began their ritual of pelting the coffin and the Jews with rocks, Elijah miraculously sat up and, after looking into the Torah scroll that was in the coffin [to be buried with him], the church sank together with the hooligans. The rabbi then lay back and became rigid as a corpse again. The Jews stared at each other in astonishment and the funeral procession continued. From this time forward, it was said that the hooligans no longer threw rocks during Jewish funerals.
Years later, pupils of the Kheder (Jewish elementary school) of a teacher named Leib Paks claimed that in the cellar, when jumping on the floor boards, the muffled ring of a bell sound could be heard. This led the children to believe that that was the very same spot where the church had sunk.[19]
GraveEdit
Within the Chełm cemetery, there was a grave without a tombstone which was covered in bricks arranged in the shape of the Hebrew letter"Bet". This was believed to be the final burial place of Rabbi Elijah. Legend has it an angel would appear on the anniversary of his death and etch a letter on a certain brick. Because of this, everyone was afraid to touch the bricks.[19]
^ ab One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "Elijah Ba'al Shem of Chelm". The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. Retrieved Feb 6, 2013. Jewish Encyclopedia Bibliography: Friedberg, Luḥot Zikkaron, p. 32, Drohobycz, 1897; Emden, Megillat Sefer, p. 4, Warsaw, 1896; Horodetzky, Kerem Shelomoh, p. 33, Drohobycz, 1896; Ha-Meassef, p. 157, St. Petersburg, 1902.
^Kieval, Hillel J. Languages of Community: The Jewish Experience in the Czech. Lands. University of California Press; 1 edition, 2000 (ISBN0-5202-1410-2)
^Cathy S. Gelbin (2011). "Introduction to The Golem Returns" (PDF). University of Michigan Press. Retrieved Mar 14, 2013.
^Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "Golem of Hohe Rabbi Löw". The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. citing the "ḥakam Ẓebi," Responsa, No. 93, Amsterdam, 1712; Baer Heṭeb to Shulḥan 'Aruk, Oraḥ Ḥayyim, 55.
^Bloch, Chayim. Golem: Legends of the Ghetto of Prague. Kessinger Publishing; Reprint edition, 1997 (ISBN0766101118)
^Epstein, in "Monatsschrift", xlvii. 344; Jerusalem: Under the Arabs
October 15, 2023
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Elijah bar Aaron Judah Baal Shem about 1520 1583 was a Polish rabbi and kabbalist who served as chief rabbi of Chelm 1 2 One of the most eminent Talmudists of his generation he is recorded as the first person known by the epithet Ba al Shem having been considered a great saint and believed to have used miraculous powers to create a golem 3 4 5 Contents 1 Life 2 The Golem of Chelm 2 1 The attic of the Old Synagogue 3 German Jews of Jerusalem and the Crusades 4 Funeral 5 Grave 6 See also 7 ReferencesLife EditElijah was born to his father Aaron Judah in 1550 6 About 1565 he entered the yeshiva of Rabbi Solomon Luria of Lublin and after receiving his rabbinical ordination became rabbi of Chelm a position he held for the rest of his life In 1564 he gathered with other prominent rabbis including his teacher to cosign the halachic rulings which allowed an agunah to remarry 1 6 His great granddaughter married Rabbi Ephraim ha Kohen 1616 1678 author of Sha ar Efrayim and grandfather of Rabbi Tzvi Ashkenazi 7 8 The Golem of Chelm EditAccording to Jacob Emden the son of the aforementioned Tzvi Ashkenazi the Golem is said to have grown so that the rabbi feared that he might destroy the world 9 10 Finally the rabbi extracted the Shem from the forehead of his Golem which returned to dust 11 8 9 10 but the Golem scratched his master s face in the process 8 10 An anonymous 1630 manuscript the earliest known written legend of a contemporary figure creating a golem recounts that the golem continued to grow that the rabbi had to destroy it by erasing the Hebrew letter aleph first letter from the word emet truth אמת 12 thereby rendering it met dead מת 13 Although Emden only mentions a scratch on the rabbi s face a different version of the legend states that while trying to remove the life giving name of God in an attempt to destroy the raging beast Rabbi Elijah was crushed to death under the weight of the Golem as it fell to pieces 14 15 Elijah s grandsons Tzvi Ashkenazi and his son Jacob Emden were both great Halakhists They discussed the legal status of the golem could the golem be counted in a minyan the quorum of ten men required for prayer 10 16 Human form and modicum of understanding were not enough to make something human The tale about Elijah s creation of the Golem was retold in the book Israel der Gotteskampfer der Baalschem von Chelm und sein Golem Israel God s fighter of Baalshem of Chelm and his Golem written by Chayim Block and published in 1920 17 The attic of the Old Synagogue Edit According to the Jewish Life and Work in Chelm chapter of the Commemoration Book of Chelm Poland Yisker bukh Chelm No one was allowed to enter the attic of the Old Synagogue No one even knew where the key to the attic could be found One person whispered to another the secret that in the attic there lies the golem of the famous Rabbi Elijah Ba al Shem It was said that Elijah Ba al Shem created from clay a golem who would stand on market days with an ax in his hand and as soon as he saw that a peasant was going to beat up a Jew the golem killed the peasant An entire week the golem served the Rabbi the Rabbi s wife and he performed the manual labor in the Beit Hamidrash A Jewish house of study where the study of the Torah is undertaken 18 When the local landowner found out about the golem s might the Ba al Shem led the golem to the attic withdrew from him the ineffable name of God and converted the golem into a heap of clay The Ba al Shem locked the door took with him the key and since then the attic remained bolted 19 German Jews of Jerusalem and the Crusades EditAccording to Rabbi Elijah German Jews lived in Jerusalem during the 11th century The story is told that a German speaking Palestinian Jew saved the life of a young German man surnamed Dolberger So when the knights of the First Crusade came to besiege Jerusalem one of Dolberger s family members who was among them rescued Jews in Palestine and carried them back to Worms Germany to repay the favor 20 Further evidence of German communities in the holy city comes in the form of halakhic questions sent from Germany to Jerusalem during the second half of the eleventh century 21 Funeral EditAccording to popular legend Elijah s greatness was witnessed in dramatic fashion soon after his death It was said that during his time the only road to the Jewish cemetery passed by a Russian church Whenever a Jewish funeral procession passed by Christians would throw rocks Elijah knew of this and requested in his will that no one move or run away if the Christians did the same following his death Elijah s wishes were carried out after his death When the procession neared the church gentiles began their ritual of pelting the coffin and the Jews with rocks Elijah miraculously sat up and after looking into the Torah scroll that was in the coffin to be buried with him the church sank together with the hooligans The rabbi then lay back and became rigid as a corpse again The Jews stared at each other in astonishment and the funeral procession continued From this time forward it was said that the hooligans no longer threw rocks during Jewish funerals Years later pupils of the Kheder Jewish elementary school of a teacher named Leib Paks claimed that in the cellar when jumping on the floor boards the muffled ring of a bell sound could be heard This led the children to believe that that was the very same spot where the church had sunk 19 Grave EditWithin the Chelm cemetery there was a grave without a tombstone which was covered in bricks arranged in the shape of the Hebrew letter Bet This was believed to be the final burial place of Rabbi Elijah Legend has it an angel would appear on the anniversary of his death and etch a letter on a certain brick Because of this everyone was afraid to touch the bricks 19 See also EditBaal Shem Elijah LoansReferences Edit a b nbsp One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Singer Isidore et al eds 1901 1906 Elijah Ba al Shem of Chelm The Jewish Encyclopedia New York Funk amp Wagnalls Retrieved Feb 6 2013 Jewish Encyclopedia Bibliography Friedberg Luḥot Zikkaron p 32 Drohobycz 1897 Emden Megillat Sefer p 4 Warsaw 1896 Horodetzky Kerem Shelomoh p 33 Drohobycz 1896 Ha Meassef p 157 St Petersburg 1902 אליהו בעל שם מחלם Wikipedia in Hebrew nbsp Singer Isidore et al eds 1901 1906 Ba al Shem The Jewish Encyclopedia New York Funk amp Wagnalls Retrieved Feb 5 2013 nbsp Singer Isidore et al eds 1901 1906 Golem The Jewish Encyclopedia New York Funk amp Wagnalls Retrieved Feb 6 2013 Tzvi Ashkenazi חכם צבי שאלה צג HebrewBooks org in Hebrew Retrieved Feb 6 2013 a b שו ת ב ח החדשות סי ע ז HebrewBooks org in Hebrew Archived from the original on 2014 10 29 Retrieved Feb 11 2013 nbsp Singer Isidore et al eds 1901 1906 EPHRAIM BEN JACOB HA KOHEN The Jewish Encyclopedia New York Funk amp Wagnalls Retrieved Mar 21 2013 a b c Jacob Emden מגלת ספר HebrewBooks org in Hebrew Retrieved Feb 6 2013 a b nbsp Singer Isidore et al eds 1901 1906 Golem of Hohe Rabbi Low The Jewish Encyclopedia New York Funk amp Wagnalls citing Azulai Shem ha Gedolim i No 163 a b c d Jacob Emden שאילת יעבץ חלק שני שאלה פב HebrewBooks org in Hebrew Archived from the original on 2016 03 05 Retrieved Feb 11 2013 Trachtenberg Joshua 2004 1939 Jewish Magic and Superstition Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania Press p 85 ISBN 9780812218626 Sefer Yetzirah Timeline see English Wikipedia article Taw In Judaism Kieval Hillel J Languages of Community The Jewish Experience in the Czech Lands University of California Press 1 edition 2000 ISBN 0 5202 1410 2 Cathy S Gelbin 2011 Introduction to The Golem Returns PDF University of Michigan Press Retrieved Mar 14 2013 nbsp Singer Isidore et al eds 1901 1906 Golem of Hohe Rabbi Low The Jewish Encyclopedia New York Funk amp Wagnalls citing the ḥakam Ẓebi Responsa No 93 Amsterdam 1712 Baer Heṭeb to Shulḥan Aruk Oraḥ Ḥayyim 55 Bloch Chayim Golem Legends of the Ghetto of Prague Kessinger Publishing Reprint edition 1997 ISBN 0766101118 nbsp Singer Isidore et al eds 1901 1906 BET HA MIDRASH The Jewish Encyclopedia New York Funk amp Wagnalls a b c Winik Akiva Jewish Life and Work in Chelm Heilprin Jehiel 1768 Seder ha Dorot p 252 Retrieved Mar 6 2013 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a work ignored help Epstein in Monatsschrift xlvii 344 Jerusalem Under the Arabs Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Elijah Ba 27al Shem of Chelm amp oldid 1165748274, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
