Hillel Lichtenstein
Encyclopedia
Rabbi Hillel Lichtenstein was a Hungarian rabbi
; born at Veča 1814; died at Kolomyia
, Galicia (now Ukraine
), May 18, 1891. After studying at the Yeshiva
of the Chassam Sofer
, he married in 1837 the daughter of a well-to-do resident of Galanta
, where he remained until 1850, when he was elected rabbi of Margarethen (Szent Margit). In 1854 he was elected rabbi of Klausenburg
, but the opposition of the district rabbi, Avrohom Friedman, made it impossible for him to enter upon the duties of the office; finally he was expelled from Klausenburg by the authorities. Having lived for some time at Nagyvárad
, he was recalled to Margarethen, where he remained until about 1865, when he was called to Szikszó
. Thence he went, in 1867, to Kolomyia, where he remained until his death. Rabbi Lichtenstein was the outspoken leader of the Haredim in Hungary: he not only resisted the slightest deviation from the traditional ritual, as the removal of the Almemar from the center of the synagogue
, but even vigorously denounced the adoption of non-Jewish social manners and dress and the acquisition of secular education. He bitterly opposed the Hungarian Jewish congress of 1868-69 and the establishment of the Reform rabbinical seminary in Budapest
. In 1865 he called a rabbinical convention at Michalovce
, which protested against the founding of the Reform seminary and sent a committee to the emperor to induce the government to prohibit its establishment. In his religious practise he surpassed the rigorism of the most Orthodox Hungarian rabbis, even going so far as to keep a she ass in order to be able to fulfil the law of the redemption of the first-born of the ass (see Ex. xiii. 13). He kept a sheep also in order to be able to give the first fleece to a kohen
(Deut. xviii. 4), from whom subsequently he bought it back to make tzitzit
from it. Rabbi Lichtenstein was an ardent admirer of the Hasidim
and made pilgrimages to famous Rebbe
of Sanz
, the Divrei Chaim
. He offered his own intercession through prayer to people in distress, but declined any gifts.
Rabbi Lichtenstein was a powerful preacher and a popular writer, and the resistance to modern tendencies among the Jews of northern Hungary is largely due to his influence. He inveighed against the use of other than traditional Jewish names; he denounced not only secular education, but even the playing of musical instruments and innocent social games, like chess and checkers; and he condemned those who relied on reason, for the ideal Jew should live up to the principle of Psalm 73:22, "I was as a beast before thee" ("'Et la-'Asot," p. 118a, Lemberg, 1881). He was a decided opponent also of all agitation for the political emancipation of the Jews, saying that it is the duty of the Jews to suffer the tribulations of the Exile until God finds them ripe for Messianic redemption.
Of the numerous works which Lichtenstein wrote, some of them being in Hebrew
and others in Judæo-German, the most important are Maskil el Dal (Lemberg, 1867), Eis La'asos (ib. 1881), and Avkath Roichel (ib. 1883), all of which have been repeatedly reedited. They are all devoted to the denunciation of liberal Judaism
. In Hebrew Rabbi Hillel Lichtenstein used to sign his name "Lash", which is an abbreviation for "Lichtenstein".
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
; born at Veča 1814; died at Kolomyia
Kolomyia
Kolomyia or Kolomyya, formerly known as Kolomea , is a city located on the Prut River in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast , in western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative centre of the Kolomyia Raion , the city is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...
, Galicia (now Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
), May 18, 1891. After studying at the Yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
of the Chassam Sofer
Moses Sofer
Moses Schreiber, known to his own community and Jewish posterity as Moshe Sofer, also known by his main work Chasam Sofer, , , was one of the leading Orthodox rabbis of European Jewry in the first half of the nineteenth century...
, he married in 1837 the daughter of a well-to-do resident of Galanta
Galanta
Galanta is a small town in Slovakia. It is situated 50 km due east from the Slovak capital Bratislava.-Geography:Galanta lies in the Danubian Lowland , the warm southern part of Slovakia...
, where he remained until 1850, when he was elected rabbi of Margarethen (Szent Margit). In 1854 he was elected rabbi of Klausenburg
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
, but the opposition of the district rabbi, Avrohom Friedman, made it impossible for him to enter upon the duties of the office; finally he was expelled from Klausenburg by the authorities. Having lived for some time at Nagyvárad
Oradea
Oradea is the capital city of Bihor County, in the Crișana region of north-western Romania. The city has a population of 204,477, according to the 2009 estimates. The wider Oradea metropolitan area has a total population of 245,832.-Geography:...
, he was recalled to Margarethen, where he remained until about 1865, when he was called to Szikszó
Szikszó
Szikszó is a small town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northern Hungary, 15 kilometers from county capital Miskolc.-History:Szikszó was first mentioned in documents in 1280. It belonged to the estate of the Aba clan. After 1370 Aba Estates in the area became the property of King Sigismund and then...
. Thence he went, in 1867, to Kolomyia, where he remained until his death. Rabbi Lichtenstein was the outspoken leader of the Haredim in Hungary: he not only resisted the slightest deviation from the traditional ritual, as the removal of the Almemar from the center of the synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
, but even vigorously denounced the adoption of non-Jewish social manners and dress and the acquisition of secular education. He bitterly opposed the Hungarian Jewish congress of 1868-69 and the establishment of the Reform rabbinical seminary in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. In 1865 he called a rabbinical convention at Michalovce
Michalovce
Michalovce is a town on the Laborec river in eastern Slovakia, with a population around 40,000. It is the biggest town of the Michalovce District in the Košice Region.-Geography:...
, which protested against the founding of the Reform seminary and sent a committee to the emperor to induce the government to prohibit its establishment. In his religious practise he surpassed the rigorism of the most Orthodox Hungarian rabbis, even going so far as to keep a she ass in order to be able to fulfil the law of the redemption of the first-born of the ass (see Ex. xiii. 13). He kept a sheep also in order to be able to give the first fleece to a kohen
Kohen
A Kohen is the Hebrew word for priest. Jewish Kohens are traditionally believed and halachically required to be of direct patrilineal descent from the Biblical Aaron....
(Deut. xviii. 4), from whom subsequently he bought it back to make tzitzit
Tzitzit
The Hebrew noun tzitzit is the name for specially knotted ritual fringes worn by observant Jews. Tzitzit are attached to the four corners of the tallit and tallit katan.-Etymology:The word may derive from the semitic root N-TZ-H...
from it. Rabbi Lichtenstein was an ardent admirer of the Hasidim
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
and made pilgrimages to famous Rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...
of Sanz
Sanz (Hasidic dynasty)
The Sanz Hasidic dynasty was founded by Rabbi Chaim Halberstam Rabbi of Nowy Sącz , author of Divrei Chaim and a son-in-law of Rabbi Boruch Frankel Thumim , Rabbi of Lipník nad Bečvou , author of Boruch Taam.-Founder of dynasty:The Divrei Chaim was a disciple of Rabbi Naftali of Ropshitz, who was...
, the Divrei Chaim
Chaim Halberstam
Chaim Halberstam of Sanz , known as the Divrei Chaim after his magnum opus on halakha, was a famous Hasidic Rebbe and the founder of the Sanz Hasidic dynasty....
. He offered his own intercession through prayer to people in distress, but declined any gifts.
Rabbi Lichtenstein was a powerful preacher and a popular writer, and the resistance to modern tendencies among the Jews of northern Hungary is largely due to his influence. He inveighed against the use of other than traditional Jewish names; he denounced not only secular education, but even the playing of musical instruments and innocent social games, like chess and checkers; and he condemned those who relied on reason, for the ideal Jew should live up to the principle of Psalm 73:22, "I was as a beast before thee" ("'Et la-'Asot," p. 118a, Lemberg, 1881). He was a decided opponent also of all agitation for the political emancipation of the Jews, saying that it is the duty of the Jews to suffer the tribulations of the Exile until God finds them ripe for Messianic redemption.
Of the numerous works which Lichtenstein wrote, some of them being in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
and others in Judæo-German, the most important are Maskil el Dal (Lemberg, 1867), Eis La'asos (ib. 1881), and Avkath Roichel (ib. 1883), all of which have been repeatedly reedited. They are all devoted to the denunciation of liberal Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
. In Hebrew Rabbi Hillel Lichtenstein used to sign his name "Lash", which is an abbreviation for "Lichtenstein".