Illui (Hebrew: עילוי or עלוי also ilui; pronounced [ʔiˈluj] plural: illuim) is a young Talmudicprodigy. The Hebrew term is applied to exceptional Talmudic scholars among Jews.
Illui literally means "upraising" and was used in the sense of "fundraising effort" in Medieval Hebrew. In the early modern period, provincial Ashkenazic villages would raise scholarships for their best students to attend larger institutions, and eventually the term "illui of [place]" (scholarship student from [place]) came to be understood as "prodigy of [place]".
Judaic mystical traditionsedit
There are some Judaic mystical traditions that explain how and why illuim are different. One explanation attributes it to an "Angel's Slap":
An intriguing legend from the Talmud and Midrash describes how a child, while still in its mother's womb, is taught the entire Torah to the glow of a supernatural lamp that allows it to see to the ends of the earth. It is only at the moment of birth that an angel appears and imposes upon it an oath to live a righteous life, and then slaps the youngster on the mouth or the nose, causing it to forget all that it has learned.
The angel's smack in the Talmudic legend produces total amnesia for all, but in the Greek theory of "anamnesis" the souls quaff varying quantities of the oblivion-inducing potion. The clever souls drink no more than they have to, which makes for an easier job of learning and recalling during their coming lives. Only the foolish and short-sighted souls make the mistake of rashly and greedily gulping down excessive doses, dooming them to lives of ignorance and dull-wittedness.
Furthermore, the Jewish world had its share of child prodigies and geniuses who mastered the Talmud at a tender age (such a person is known in Hebrew as an illui). This phenomenon could be ascribed to the soul's evading the angel's slap, whether by accident or design.[1]
The usage of the term is also used with caution in terms of its practical implications for the one who holds it. For example, Jonathan Rosenblum, a notable Haredi commentator has cautioned that:
Talmudic prodigies exist. But there is a certain type of wisdom that only comes with age and life experience, no matter how brilliant a person may be. That is why the leaders of the Torah world are inevitably drawn from the ranks of the ziknei hador ("elders of the generation"). If the first adjective still used to describe a person is ilui, he is probably not yet ready for leadership.[2]
The students in the yeshibah were grouped according to the cities whence they came. Thus one would be known as "Itzel der Kovner" (Isaac of Kovno) and another as "Getzil der Warsawer." Some received the title "'illui" (= "the excellent") or "matmid" (= "diligent student"), such a one being known, for example, as "Der Kovner 'Illui" or "Der Lomzer Matmid," assuming that only one from a town was so designated. The title was given by the general consent of the students. They studied singly or in pair.[3]
Recognition in all denominationsedit
The term illui has widespread usage in all Jewish denominations. Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the Union for Reform Judaism in the United States states that: "... It was the illui – the truly superior student – who would devote his life to study, while others would return to full-time employment. Indeed, even when the great yeshivot of Eastern Europe were at their height, the number of students was relatively modest and smaller than the number of full-time Torah students in Israel today..." (writing for Union for Reform Judaism, 2008.)[4]
Rabbi Louis Jacobs (1920 - 2006), of the Conservative Judaism-Masorti Movement, has been described as being: "...Identified by his teachers as an ilui, a talmudic genius — renowned even then for his prodigious memory and sharp intellect — he went on to study at the Gateshead Kollel, which at that time was considered the Oxford of rabbinical academies..."[5]
Examplesedit
Rabbi Jonathan Eybeschutz (1690–1764):"...An "illui," a child prodigy in his youth, Rabbi Yonasan became one of the great commentators on the Talmud and on the "Shulchan Aruch," the Codes of Jewish Law..." (Orthodox Union biography) [6]
The Vilna Gaon (Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman) (1720–1797): "...Recognized early in life as an illui (child prodigy), at the early age of six, he gave a complicated sermon (drasha) in the Synagogue of Vilna amazing the listeners by answering questions with great depth. This, in a city known worldwide for its scholarship..."[7]
Abraham Mapu (Hebrew writer) (1808–1867): "...His early education in Bible and Talmud was received at the heder, on leaving which, at the age of twelve, he continued the study of the Talmud in private, and was so successful that he soon acquired the name of "'Illui" (Friedberg, "Zikronot," in "Hausfreund," i. 22)..." (Jewish Encyclopedia)[9]
Meir Shapiro (1887–1933), Polish rabbi born in Bukovina, known in his youth as Shotzer Iluy (the ILuy from Suceava)
Regarding Rabbi Menachem Ziemba (1883–1943) and his son: "...In 5684 Reb Menachem lost his son, Moshe Yehudah Aryeh, at the age of 19. The young boy was already known as an illui (genius) in the same mold as his father..."[10]
Rabbi Dovid Lifshitz (1906–1993): "...Born in Minsk, Russia, in 1906, Rabbi Lifshitz was recognized at a very young age as an "illui," a child prodigy in Jewish studies. At the age of 12, he coedited a volume of commentary on the Bible..." (Obituary in The New York Times, 1993)[12]
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902–1994): “He was considered an ilul, or genius, and even his tutors had a hard time keeping up with him. By the time Schneerson was seventeen, he had mastered the entire Talmud, some 5,894 pages, in its Hebrew editions.”[13]
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, the musician, (1925–1994): "...Shlomo was a child prodigy scholar called an illui in Hebrew. He had the Torah (Bible) half memorized by the time he was a scant five years old and had an insatiable love of learning Judaism. He was carefully guarded and received treatment reserved for royalty..."[14]
^"From the Sources by Eliezer Segal: The Angel's Slap, (citing E. E. Urbach, The Sages: Their Concepts and Beliefs, Cambridge (Mass.) and London 1987.)". ucalgary.ca/~elsegal.
^Jonathan Rosenblum (April 15, 2005). "Rosenblum's Columns: Cleaning for their own good". Hamodiah newspaper. jewishmediaresources.com.
^Joseph Jacobs & Judah David Eisenstein. "YESHIBAH". Jewish Encyclopedia. jewishencyclopedia.com.
^Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie. . urj.org. Archived from the original on 2008-03-05. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
^Elliot Cosgrove (July 7, 2006). . forward.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2008. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
^. ou.org. Archived from the original on 2008-01-09. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
^Yossi Aron (May 1, 1998). "Jewish World Review: The Gaon's Zionism". jewishworldreview.com.
^(in Spanish) Jaim Kramer, Guillermo Beilinson. Rabí Natán A Través del Fuego y del AguaBreslov Research Institute Jerusalem/New York 2010
^Herman Rosenthal & A. S. Waldstein. "MAPU, ABRAHAM". Jewish Encyclopedia. jewishencyclopedia.com.
^Moshe Ziemba. "Martyred Rav of the Warsaw Ghetto". tzemachdovid.org. (This article originally appeared in the Jewish Observer and is also available in book form in the ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications Judaiscope Series.)
^. Jewish Agency for Israel. Archived from the original on January 7, 2009.
^Goldman, Ari L. (June 29, 1993). "Rabbi Dovid Lifshitz, 86, Scholar Of Talmud at Yeshiva University". The New York Times. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
^Slater, Elinor (1996). Great Jewish men. Robert Slater. Middle Village, N.Y.: J. David. p. 277. ISBN0-8246-0381-8. OCLC 32201895.
^"Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach of Blessed Memory". relijournal.com. October 20, 2007.
January 01, 1970
illui, hebrew, עילוי, עלוי, also, ilui, pronounced, ʔiˈluj, plural, illuim, young, talmudic, prodigy, hebrew, term, applied, exceptional, talmudic, scholars, among, jews, contents, etymology, judaic, mystical, traditions, technical, usage, yeshiva, world, reco. Illui Hebrew עילוי or עלוי also ilui pronounced ʔiˈluj plural illuim is a young Talmudic prodigy The Hebrew term is applied to exceptional Talmudic scholars among Jews Contents 1 Etymology 2 Judaic mystical traditions 3 Technical usage in the yeshiva world 4 Recognition in all denominations 5 Examples 6 See also 7 ReferencesEtymology editIllui literally means upraising and was used in the sense of fundraising effort in Medieval Hebrew In the early modern period provincial Ashkenazic villages would raise scholarships for their best students to attend larger institutions and eventually the term illui of place scholarship student from place came to be understood as prodigy of place Judaic mystical traditions editThere are some Judaic mystical traditions that explain how and why illuim are different One explanation attributes it to an Angel s Slap An intriguing legend from the Talmud and Midrash describes how a child while still in its mother s womb is taught the entire Torah to the glow of a supernatural lamp that allows it to see to the ends of the earth It is only at the moment of birth that an angel appears and imposes upon it an oath to live a righteous life and then slaps the youngster on the mouth or the nose causing it to forget all that it has learned The angel s smack in the Talmudic legend produces total amnesia for all but in the Greek theory of anamnesis the souls quaff varying quantities of the oblivion inducing potion The clever souls drink no more than they have to which makes for an easier job of learning and recalling during their coming lives Only the foolish and short sighted souls make the mistake of rashly and greedily gulping down excessive doses dooming them to lives of ignorance and dull wittedness Furthermore the Jewish world had its share of child prodigies and geniuses who mastered the Talmud at a tender age such a person is known in Hebrew as an illui This phenomenon could be ascribed to the soul s evading the angel s slap whether by accident or design 1 The usage of the term is also used with caution in terms of its practical implications for the one who holds it For example Jonathan Rosenblum a notable Haredi commentator has cautioned that Talmudic prodigies exist But there is a certain type of wisdom that only comes with age and life experience no matter how brilliant a person may be That is why the leaders of the Torah world are inevitably drawn from the ranks of the ziknei hador elders of the generation If the first adjective still used to describe a person is ilui he is probably not yet ready for leadership 2 Technical usage in the yeshiva world edit nbsp Rabbi Elijah Ben Solomon the Vilna Gaon leader of the Lithuanian Misnagdim The Jewish Encyclopedia explains that in the history of the yeshivas also known as Talmudical or rabbinical schools or academies the term illui had a definite function The students in the yeshibah were grouped according to the cities whence they came Thus one would be known as Itzel der Kovner Isaac of Kovno and another as Getzil der Warsawer Some received the title illui the excellent or matmid diligent student such a one being known for example as Der Kovner Illui or Der Lomzer Matmid assuming that only one from a town was so designated The title was given by the general consent of the students They studied singly or in pair 3 Recognition in all denominations editThe term illui has widespread usage in all Jewish denominations Rabbi Eric Yoffie President of the Union for Reform Judaism in the United States states that It was the illui the truly superior student who would devote his life to study while others would return to full time employment Indeed even when the great yeshivot of Eastern Europe were at their height the number of students was relatively modest and smaller than the number of full time Torah students in Israel today writing for Union for Reform Judaism 2008 4 Rabbi Louis Jacobs 1920 2006 of the Conservative Judaism Masorti Movement has been described as being Identified by his teachers as an ilui a talmudic genius renowned even then for his prodigious memory and sharp intellect he went on to study at the Gateshead Kollel which at that time was considered the Oxford of rabbinical academies 5 Examples editRabbi Jonathan Eybeschutz 1690 1764 An illui a child prodigy in his youth Rabbi Yonasan became one of the great commentators on the Talmud and on the Shulchan Aruch the Codes of Jewish Law Orthodox Union biography 6 The Vilna Gaon Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman 1720 1797 Recognized early in life as an illui child prodigy at the early age of six he gave a complicated sermon drasha in the Synagogue of Vilna amazing the listeners by answering questions with great depth This in a city known worldwide for its scholarship 7 Reb Noson of Breslov Chassidut 1780 1844 He is an illui about Chassidut Kotzker Rebbe 8 Abraham Mapu Hebrew writer 1808 1867 His early education in Bible and Talmud was received at the heder on leaving which at the age of twelve he continued the study of the Talmud in private and was so successful that he soon acquired the name of Illui Friedberg Zikronot in Hausfreund i 22 Jewish Encyclopedia 9 Meir Shapiro 1887 1933 Polish rabbi born in Bukovina known in his youth as Shotzer Iluy the ILuy from Suceava Regarding Rabbi Menachem Ziemba 1883 1943 and his son In 5684 Reb Menachem lost his son Moshe Yehudah Aryeh at the age of 19 The young boy was already known as an illui genius in the same mold as his father 10 Rabbi Isser Yehuda Unterman Chief Rabbi of Israel 1886 1976 From a young age Unterman was known as the Illui luminary of Brisk In 1898 he was invited to become one of the founding students of Etz Chaim Yeshiva branch in Maltsch Maltash Belorussia For some time he also studied at the Mir Yeshiva but later returned to Maltsch 11 Rabbi Dovid Lifshitz 1906 1993 Born in Minsk Russia in 1906 Rabbi Lifshitz was recognized at a very young age as an illui a child prodigy in Jewish studies At the age of 12 he coedited a volume of commentary on the Bible Obituary in The New York Times 1993 12 Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson 1902 1994 He was considered an ilul or genius and even his tutors had a hard time keeping up with him By the time Schneerson was seventeen he had mastered the entire Talmud some 5 894 pages in its Hebrew editions 13 Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach the musician 1925 1994 Shlomo was a child prodigy scholar called an illui in Hebrew He had the Torah Bible half memorized by the time he was a scant five years old and had an insatiable love of learning Judaism He was carefully guarded and received treatment reserved for royalty 14 See also editDa as Torah Gaon Gadol History of responsa Posek Shas PollakReferences edit From the Sources by Eliezer Segal The Angel s Slap citing E E Urbach The Sages Their Concepts and Beliefs Cambridge Mass and London 1987 ucalgary ca elsegal Jonathan Rosenblum April 15 2005 Rosenblum s Columns Cleaning for their own good Hamodiah newspaper jewishmediaresources com Joseph Jacobs amp Judah David Eisenstein YESHIBAH Jewish Encyclopedia jewishencyclopedia com Rabbi Eric H Yoffie Reform Reflections The Honor of Torah Study urj org Archived from the original on 2008 03 05 Retrieved 2008 01 08 Elliot Cosgrove July 7 2006 Greatest British Jew 85 Synthesized Faith and Modernity forward com Archived from the original on March 8 2008 Retrieved January 8 2008 Great Leaders of our People Rabbi Yonasan Eibeschutz ou org Archived from the original on 2008 01 09 Retrieved 2008 01 08 Yossi Aron May 1 1998 Jewish World Review The Gaon s Zionism jewishworldreview com in Spanish Jaim Kramer Guillermo Beilinson Rabi Natan A Traves del Fuego y del Agua Breslov Research Institute Jerusalem New York 2010 Herman Rosenthal amp A S Waldstein MAPU ABRAHAM Jewish Encyclopedia jewishencyclopedia com Moshe Ziemba Martyred Rav of the Warsaw Ghetto tzemachdovid org This article originally appeared in the Jewish Observer and is also available in book form in the ArtScroll Mesorah Publications Judaiscope Series Isser Yehuda Unterman 1886 1976 Jewish Agency for Israel Archived from the original on January 7 2009 Goldman Ari L June 29 1993 Rabbi Dovid Lifshitz 86 Scholar Of Talmud at Yeshiva University The New York Times Retrieved May 5 2010 Slater Elinor 1996 Great Jewish men Robert Slater Middle Village N Y J David p 277 ISBN 0 8246 0381 8 OCLC 32201895 Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach of Blessed Memory relijournal com October 20 2007 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Illui amp oldid 1195659877, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
