Joseph Chayyim ben Isaac Selig Caro
Encyclopedia
Joseph Chayyim ben Isaac Selig Caro (1800—April 21, 1895, Włocławek, Russian Empire
, now Poland
) was a German-Russian rabbi. He was educated as an Orthodox
Talmud
ist, and married the daughter of Rabbi Tzebi Hirsch Amsterdam of Konin
, government of Kalisz
in Russian Poland, whose pupil he became. He afterward established himself as a merchant in Gnesen
(Gniezno), near Posen
(Poznań), whence, at about the age of forty, he was called to the rabbinate of Pinne
(Pniewy), in the province of Posen. Later he became rabbi of Fordon
, in the same province, and twenty years after his first call he became rabbi of the progressive and Germanized community of Wloclawek, where he remained until his death. He was one of the first truly Orthodox rabbis in Russia to acquire a correct knowledge of German and to deliver sermons in that language.
Caro was famous not only for his extensive rabbinical knowledge, but also as a preacher. His works remained popular among old-style maggid
im (preachers) and darshanim (exegetes). His first work, Minchat Shabbat, is a German translation (in Hebrew characters) of Pirqe Abot, with a short commentary in German and a longer one in Hebrew (Krotoschin, 1847). In the third edition of that work (Wilna, 1894) the German commentary is omitted and that of Maimonides
is substituted for it. Caro's Teba we-Haken, containing rules of shechita
(ritual slaughter) and bedikah (clean-up) in the form of a dialogue, was published by his sons Isaac and Jacob (Leipzig, 1859; 2d ed., Wilna, 1894). His chief work, Qol Omer Qera, is a collection of sermons in four volumes (Warsaw, 1860-80; 2d ed., Wilna, 1895), arranged after the order of the Pentateuch in the weekly sections, which furnished the texts.
The last of his published works, Yoreh u-Malqosh (Wilna, 1894), is also a collection of sermons, mostly funeral orations, some of which were originally delivered in German. Here and there in his works are to be found poetical compositions and other traces of the influence of modern ideas not common among the rabbis of Russian Poland. His inclination toward the Haskalah
and its Neo-Hebrew literature is shown by the article which he contributed, at a very advanced age, to the year-book Ha-Asif (iv. 132-137, Warsaw, 1887), entitled "Birkat ha-Tzeduqim." Caro was also a pioneer Zionist
and defended the colonization of Palestine
against the opponents of that plan. Two of his letters on the subject are printed in Shibat Tzion. He attended to his rabbinical duties until past the age of ninety, and retired from active work only a few years before his death.
One of Caro's sons became a professor at the University of Breslau, and two others were the rabbis, respectively, of Lemberg
(Lviv) and Thorn
(Toruń).
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Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, now Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) was a German-Russian rabbi. He was educated as an Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
ist, and married the daughter of Rabbi Tzebi Hirsch Amsterdam of Konin
Konin
Konin is a city in central Poland.Konin may also refer to:*Emperor Kōnin , emperor of Japan who reigned 770–781**Kōnin , a Japanese era name for the years 810–824...
, government of Kalisz
Kalisz
Kalisz is a city in central Poland with 106,857 inhabitants , the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, the city forms a conurbation with the nearby towns of Ostrów Wielkopolski and Nowe Skalmierzyce...
in Russian Poland, whose pupil he became. He afterward established himself as a merchant in Gnesen
Gniezno
Gniezno is a city in central-western Poland, some 50 km east of Poznań, inhabited by about 70,000 people. One of the Piasts' chief cities, it was mentioned by 10th century A.D. sources as the capital of Piast Poland however the first capital of Piast realm was most likely Giecz built around...
(Gniezno), near Posen
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
(Poznań), whence, at about the age of forty, he was called to the rabbinate of Pinne
Pniewy
Pniewy is a town in Szamotuły County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with 7,477 inhabitants .Pniewy had once been flooded to make way for a reservoir.- People :...
(Pniewy), in the province of Posen. Later he became rabbi of Fordon
Fordon
Fordon may refer to:*Fordon, East Riding of Yorkshire, England*Fordon, Bydgoszcz, district in Bydgoszcz, Poland...
, in the same province, and twenty years after his first call he became rabbi of the progressive and Germanized community of Wloclawek, where he remained until his death. He was one of the first truly Orthodox rabbis in Russia to acquire a correct knowledge of German and to deliver sermons in that language.
Caro was famous not only for his extensive rabbinical knowledge, but also as a preacher. His works remained popular among old-style maggid
Maggid
Maggid , sometimes spelled as magid, is a traditional Eastern European Jewish religious itinerant preacher, skilled as a narrator of Torah and religious stories. A preacher of the more scholarly sort was called a "darshan", and usually occupied the official position of rabbi...
im (preachers) and darshanim (exegetes). His first work, Minchat Shabbat, is a German translation (in Hebrew characters) of Pirqe Abot, with a short commentary in German and a longer one in Hebrew (Krotoschin, 1847). In the third edition of that work (Wilna, 1894) the German commentary is omitted and that of Maimonides
Maimonides
Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
is substituted for it. Caro's Teba we-Haken, containing rules of shechita
Shechita
Shechita is the ritual slaughter of mammals and birds according to Jewish dietary laws...
(ritual slaughter) and bedikah (clean-up) in the form of a dialogue, was published by his sons Isaac and Jacob (Leipzig, 1859; 2d ed., Wilna, 1894). His chief work, Qol Omer Qera, is a collection of sermons in four volumes (Warsaw, 1860-80; 2d ed., Wilna, 1895), arranged after the order of the Pentateuch in the weekly sections, which furnished the texts.
The last of his published works, Yoreh u-Malqosh (Wilna, 1894), is also a collection of sermons, mostly funeral orations, some of which were originally delivered in German. Here and there in his works are to be found poetical compositions and other traces of the influence of modern ideas not common among the rabbis of Russian Poland. His inclination toward the Haskalah
Haskalah
Haskalah , the Jewish Enlightenment, was a movement among European Jews in the 18th–19th centuries that advocated adopting enlightenment values, pressing for better integration into European society, and increasing education in secular studies, Hebrew language, and Jewish history...
and its Neo-Hebrew literature is shown by the article which he contributed, at a very advanced age, to the year-book Ha-Asif (iv. 132-137, Warsaw, 1887), entitled "Birkat ha-Tzeduqim." Caro was also a pioneer Zionist
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
and defended the colonization of Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
against the opponents of that plan. Two of his letters on the subject are printed in Shibat Tzion. He attended to his rabbinical duties until past the age of ninety, and retired from active work only a few years before his death.
One of Caro's sons became a professor at the University of Breslau, and two others were the rabbis, respectively, of Lemberg
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
(Lviv) and Thorn
Torun
Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
(Toruń).
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