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Meir Katzenellenbogen

November 12, 2023

Meir ben Isaac Katzenellenbogen (c. 1482 – 12 January 1565) (also, Meir of Padua, or Maharam Padua, Hebrew: מאיר בן יצחק קצנלנבויגן) was a German rabbi born in Katzenelnbogen.

Rabbi
Meir Katzenellenbogen
Personal
Bornc. 1482
Died12 January 1565
ReligionJudaism
SpouseHannah bat Abraham Minz
ChildrenSamuel Judah
Parent(s)Yitzhak ben Moshe
Julia-Malka Luria

Biography edit

Meïr ben Isaac, who was often called after his native town, was the founder of the Katzenellenbogen family. His mother Julia-Malka Luria was the granddaughter of Aaron Luria, founder of the Luria family and a descendant of Rashi.[citation needed] After studying at Prague under the well-known casuist Jacob Pollak, he went to Padua and entered the yeshiva of Judah Minz, whose granddaughter, Hannah, he afterwards married. He succeeded his father-in-law, Abraham Minz, in the chief rabbinate of Padua, which office he held until his death on 12 January 1565 (epitaph below). He was the father of Samuel Judah Katzenellenbogen.

Meïr was also nominal rabbi of Venice, where he went several times a year,[1] but he had his fixed residence at Padua. Meïr was considered by his contemporaries a great authority on Talmudic and rabbinical matters, and many rabbis consulted him, among them: Moses Alashkar, Obadiah Sforno, and his relative Moses Isserles (who addressed him as "rabbi of Venice"). It may be seen from his responsa (ninety in number, published by himself, with those of Judah Minz, under the title of She'elot u-Teshubot, Venice, 1553), as well as from those of Isserles, that he was disposed to be liberal in his decisions. Another indication of his leaning toward liberalism was his use in his responsa (Nos. 38, 49, 72) of the civil names of the months, a thing not done by other rabbis of his time.

Joseph ben Mordechai Gershon says (She'erit Yosef, pp. 3b) that Meïr, in one of his responsa, told him not to rely at that time on his opinion, because he could not verify his decision by the Talmud, all the copies of which had been burned. This burning is mentioned by David Gans (Ẓemaḥ Dawid, p. 56, Warsaw, 1890) and by Heilprin (Seder haDorot, i.245, ed. Maskileison) as having occurred in 1553 or 1554 under Pope Julius III, at the instigation of certain baptized Jews. Meïr states also (Responsa, No. 78) that in Candia the hafṭarah for Yom Kippur Minḥah was, with the exception of the first three verses, read in Greek (comp. Zunz, G.V. p. 413, note). In Responsum No. 86 he speaks of the plague that raged at Venice, but without indicating the year. Many of his responsa are to be found in the collection of Isserles. Meïr added to the edition of his responsa his father-in-law's Seder Giṭṭin wa-Ḥaliẓah, and a detailed index. He edited also Maimonides' Yad, with some commentaries, to which he added notes of his own (Venice, 1550; see Isserles).

Cecil Roth, History of the Jews in Venice, page 256. In 1549 Katezenellenbogen became embroiled in a dispute over the publication of a printed edition of Maimonides' Mishneh Torah. Since Jews could not own printing presses at that time, presses were owned by Venetian noblemen and operated by Jews under the patronage of the non-Jewish owner. Rabbi Katzenellenbogen edited a printed edition of the Mishneh Torah to be published by the Bragadini press. That work was soon pirated by the rival Giustiniani press. Rabbi Katzenellenbogen appealed to his relative Moses Isserles, who replied that the Giustiniani edition violated the prohibition on Hasogas gevul, interfering with another person's livelihood. The Giustiniani parties denounced the rival publishers to the non-Jewish censors, leading to a massive burning of volumes of the Talmud and other Jewish works in the Venetian Republic.

Katzenellenbogen was the author of ninety responsa published under the title, She'eilot U'teshuvot.[2] Katzenellenbogen's epitaph reads:[2]

The heavens are clothed in darkness
And we don sackcloth
Because of the departure of a saint
The foundation of the world, a prince pure
Who submitted with complete faith
To God and his religion
Better was his name than the choicest oil
Head of the Diaspora, Meir, a righteous man
Who departed on the 10th of Shvat
In the year 1565 this saint departed.

Three centuries after his death, the 10th day of the Jewish month of Shevat became widely recognized as a significant date by Hasidic Judaism. It is the anniversary of the passing of Rabbi Shalom Sharabi (1777), known as "the Rashash" and considered the father of all contemporary Sephardic kabbalists, the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (1950) and the date upon which the seventh Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, formally accepted the leadership of Chabad (1951).[3][4]

His wife Hannah's epitaph reads:[2]

The Lord took Hannah for himself – unto her resting place
Unto her soul was he gracious – which lies to the right of her father
A learned sage was he, mighty – an example unto his generation
Rabbi Abraham her father.
Her husband was Meir, a – Prince of Padua
Who gave light to all the world – who was watched from the heavens above.

Some notable descendants edit

Rabbi Katzenellenbogen had many notable descendants.[2][5][6][7]

  • Judy Franz

    • Bibliography edit

    • Azulai, Shem ha-Gedolim, i
    • Eisenstadt-Wiener, Da'at Ḳedoshim, p. 82
    • Fränkel, in Orient. Lit. vii.609–613
    • Fürst, Bibl. Jud. ii.179
    • Ghirondi, in Kerem. Ḥemed, iii.93 et seq.
    • Rosenstein, Neil. The Unbroken Chain, C.I.S. Publishers, The Computer Center for Jewish Genealogy, Elizabeth, New Jersey, 1990. ISBN 0-9610578-4-X. (Rosenstein is a descendent, too)
    • Steinschneider, Cat. Bodl. col. 1702
    • M. Straschun, in Fuenn's Ḳiryah Ne'emanah, pp. 321 et seq.
    • Zipser, in Orient. Lit. ix.367

    References edit

    1. ^ according to his Responsa (Nos. 43, 48, etc.)
    2. ^ a b c d Rosenstein, Neil (1990). The Unbroken Chain: Biographical Sketches and Genealogy of Illustrious Jewish Families from the 15th–20th Century (Revised ed.). Elizabeth, New Jersey: CIS. ISBN 0-9610578-4-X.
    3. ^ 10 Shevat: A Day of Two Rebbes, chabad.org
    4. ^ Tzadikim who celebrate their Hilulah during the month of Shevat, yeshshem.com
    5. ^ a b c d e f Shenker, Israel (March 20, 1977). "Now, Jewish Roots (review of Rosenstein's The Unbroken Chain)". The New York Times Magazine. Archived from the original on 25 December 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
    6. ^ Gladstone, Bill (October 25, 2011). "Unbroken Chain Links Diverse Rabbis, Celebrities". Best of Bill Gladstone. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
    7. ^ Rottenberg, Dan (May 2, 1977). "Finding our Fathers". New York.
    8. ^ Who Do You Think You Are?, series 6, episode 1, 9 July 2014

    External links edit

    November 12, 2023
    meir, katzenellenbogen, meir, isaac, katzenellenbogen, 1482, january, 1565, also, meir, padua, maharam, padua, hebrew, מאיר, בן, יצחק, קצנלנבויגן, german, rabbi, born, katzenelnbogen, rabbipersonalbornc, 1482died12, january, 1565religionjudaismspousehannah, ab. Meir ben Isaac Katzenellenbogen c 1482 12 January 1565 also Meir of Padua or Maharam Padua Hebrew מאיר בן יצחק קצנלנבויגן was a German rabbi born in Katzenelnbogen RabbiMeir KatzenellenbogenPersonalBornc 1482Died12 January 1565ReligionJudaismSpouseHannah bat Abraham MinzChildrenSamuel JudahParent s Yitzhak ben MosheJulia Malka Luria Contents 1 Biography 2 Some notable descendants 3 Bibliography 4 References 5 External linksBiography editMeir ben Isaac who was often called after his native town was the founder of the Katzenellenbogen family His mother Julia Malka Luria was the granddaughter of Aaron Luria founder of the Luria family and a descendant of Rashi citation needed After studying at Prague under the well known casuist Jacob Pollak he went to Padua and entered the yeshiva of Judah Minz whose granddaughter Hannah he afterwards married He succeeded his father in law Abraham Minz in the chief rabbinate of Padua which office he held until his death on 12 January 1565 epitaph below He was the father of Samuel Judah Katzenellenbogen Meir was also nominal rabbi of Venice where he went several times a year 1 but he had his fixed residence at Padua Meir was considered by his contemporaries a great authority on Talmudic and rabbinical matters and many rabbis consulted him among them Moses Alashkar Obadiah Sforno and his relative Moses Isserles who addressed him as rabbi of Venice It may be seen from his responsa ninety in number published by himself with those of Judah Minz under the title of She elot u Teshubot Venice 1553 as well as from those of Isserles that he was disposed to be liberal in his decisions Another indication of his leaning toward liberalism was his use in his responsa Nos 38 49 72 of the civil names of the months a thing not done by other rabbis of his time Joseph ben Mordechai Gershon says She erit Yosef pp 3b that Meir in one of his responsa told him not to rely at that time on his opinion because he could not verify his decision by the Talmud all the copies of which had been burned This burning is mentioned by David Gans Ẓemaḥ Dawid p 56 Warsaw 1890 and by Heilprin Seder haDorot i 245 ed Maskileison as having occurred in 1553 or 1554 under Pope Julius III at the instigation of certain baptized Jews Meir states also Responsa No 78 that in Candia the hafṭarah for Yom Kippur Minḥah was with the exception of the first three verses read in Greek comp Zunz G V p 413 note In Responsum No 86 he speaks of the plague that raged at Venice but without indicating the year Many of his responsa are to be found in the collection of Isserles Meir added to the edition of his responsa his father in law s Seder Giṭṭin wa Ḥaliẓah and a detailed index He edited also Maimonides Yad with some commentaries to which he added notes of his own Venice 1550 see Isserles Cecil Roth History of the Jews in Venice page 256 In 1549 Katezenellenbogen became embroiled in a dispute over the publication of a printed edition of Maimonides Mishneh Torah Since Jews could not own printing presses at that time presses were owned by Venetian noblemen and operated by Jews under the patronage of the non Jewish owner Rabbi Katzenellenbogen edited a printed edition of the Mishneh Torah to be published by the Bragadini press That work was soon pirated by the rival Giustiniani press Rabbi Katzenellenbogen appealed to his relative Moses Isserles who replied that the Giustiniani edition violated the prohibition on Hasogas gevul interfering with another person s livelihood The Giustiniani parties denounced the rival publishers to the non Jewish censors leading to a massive burning of volumes of the Talmud and other Jewish works in the Venetian Republic Katzenellenbogen was the author of ninety responsa published under the title She eilot U teshuvot 2 Katzenellenbogen s epitaph reads 2 The heavens are clothed in darkness And we don sackcloth Because of the departure of a saint The foundation of the world a prince pure Who submitted with complete faith To God and his religion Better was his name than the choicest oil Head of the Diaspora Meir a righteous man Who departed on the 10th of Shvat In the year 1565 this saint departed Three centuries after his death the 10th day of the Jewish month of Shevat became widely recognized as a significant date by Hasidic Judaism It is the anniversary of the passing of Rabbi Shalom Sharabi 1777 known as the Rashash and considered the father of all contemporary Sephardic kabbalists the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn 1950 and the date upon which the seventh Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson formally accepted the leadership of Chabad 1951 3 4 His wife Hannah s epitaph reads 2 The Lord took Hannah for himself unto her resting place Unto her soul was he gracious which lies to the right of her father A learned sage was he mighty an example unto his generation Rabbi Abraham her father Her husband was Meir a Prince of Padua Who gave light to all the world who was watched from the heavens above Some notable descendants editThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed April 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Rabbi Katzenellenbogen had many notable descendants 2 5 6 7 Herbert L Anderson Meir Bar Ilan Max Beloff Baron Beloff Martin Buber 5 Baron Henry DeWorms Felix Gilbert David Halberstam 5 Abraham Joshua Heschel Eyran Katsenelenbogen John Katzenellenbogen Julius Klein Jean Longuet Karl Marx 5 Benjamin Mazar Felix Mendelssohn 5 Baron Guy de Rothschild Helena Rubinstein 5 Howard F Sachs Max Schur Ephraim Avigdor Speiser DeWitt Stetten Jr Otto Warburg Baron George Weidenfeld Basil Wigoder Andrew Denton 8 Chanoch Dov Padwa Catherine Yronwode Franz Reizenstein Chaim Halberstam Judy FranzBibliography editAzulai Shem ha Gedolim i Eisenstadt Wiener Da at Ḳedoshim p 82 Frankel in Orient Lit vii 609 613 Furst Bibl Jud ii 179 Ghirondi in Kerem Ḥemed iii 93 et seq Rosenstein Neil The Unbroken Chain C I S Publishers The Computer Center for Jewish Genealogy Elizabeth New Jersey 1990 ISBN 0 9610578 4 X Rosenstein is a descendent too Steinschneider Cat Bodl col 1702 M Straschun in Fuenn s Ḳiryah Ne emanah pp 321 et seq Zipser in Orient Lit ix 367References edit according to his Responsa Nos 43 48 etc a b c d Rosenstein Neil 1990 The Unbroken Chain Biographical Sketches and Genealogy of Illustrious Jewish Families from the 15th 20th Century Revised ed Elizabeth New Jersey CIS ISBN 0 9610578 4 X 10 Shevat A Day of Two Rebbes chabad org Tzadikim who celebrate their Hilulah during the month of Shevat yeshshem com a b c d e f Shenker Israel March 20 1977 Now Jewish Roots review of Rosenstein s The Unbroken Chain The New York Times Magazine Archived from the original on 25 December 2016 Retrieved 19 February 2020 Gladstone Bill October 25 2011 Unbroken Chain Links Diverse Rabbis Celebrities Best of Bill Gladstone Retrieved December 1 2012 Rottenberg Dan May 2 1977 Finding our Fathers New York Who Do You Think You Are series 6 episode 1 9 July 2014External links edit nbsp Singer Isidore et al eds 1901 1906 Meir ben Isaac Katzenellenbogen Meir of Padua The Jewish Encyclopedia New York Funk amp Wagnalls Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Meir Katzenellenbogen amp oldid 1182169470, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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