Joseph Saul Nathanson
Encyclopedia
Joseph Saul Nathanson (Hebrew: יוסף שאול בן אריה הלוי) was a Polish
rabbi
and posek
, and a leading rabbinical authority of his day.
(Berzan), Galicia (Central Europe) (today's western Ukraine
); he was the son of Aryeh Lebush Nathanson, rabbi at Berzan and author of "Bet El." He studied
Talmud
at Lviv
(Lemberg) together with his brother-in-law Mordecai Zeeb Ettinger. In the 1830s in Lemberg - then under the rule of the Austrian Empire
- he founded an informal study-group under his tutelage; this “yeshiva
” attracted some of the most brilliant students in Galicia. In 1857 Nathanson was elected rabbi of Lemberg, where he officiated for eighteen years. He was widely recognized as a rabbinical authority, and was asked to rule on various contemporary issues; his rulings are still widely cited (for instance he was one of the first to permit the use of machinery in baking Matzah http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Passover/TO_Pesach_History/Modern_176/Machine_552.htm). Rabbi Nathanson was very wealthy, and was known for his activity as a philanthropist
. He died at Lemberg March 4, 1875.
He also wrote glosses to many other works, and innumerable approbations to the books of others.
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...
rabbi
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...
and posek
Posek
Posek is the term in Jewish law for "decider"—a legal scholar who decides the Halakha in cases of law where previous authorities are inconclusive or in those situations where no halakhic precedent exists....
, and a leading rabbinical authority of his day.
Biography
Rabbi Nathanson was born at BerezhanyBerezhany
Berezhany is a city located in the Ternopil Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Berezhanskyi Raion , and rests about 100 km from Lviv and 50 km from the oblast capital, Ternopil. The city has a population of about 20,000, and is about 400 m above sea level...
(Berzan), Galicia (Central Europe) (today's western 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...
); he was the son of Aryeh Lebush Nathanson, rabbi at Berzan and author of "Bet El." He studied
Torah study
Torah study is the study by Jewish people of the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Talmud, responsa, rabbinic literature and similar works, all of which are Judaism's religious texts...
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....
at Lviv
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...
(Lemberg) together with his brother-in-law Mordecai Zeeb Ettinger. In the 1830s in Lemberg - then under the rule of the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
- he founded an informal study-group under his tutelage; this “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...
” attracted some of the most brilliant students in Galicia. In 1857 Nathanson was elected rabbi of Lemberg, where he officiated for eighteen years. He was widely recognized as a rabbinical authority, and was asked to rule on various contemporary issues; his rulings are still widely cited (for instance he was one of the first to permit the use of machinery in baking Matzah http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Passover/TO_Pesach_History/Modern_176/Machine_552.htm). Rabbi Nathanson was very wealthy, and was known for his activity as a philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. He died at Lemberg March 4, 1875.
Works
Rabbi Nathanson was a voluminous writer, the author of many works, including:- "Mefareshe ha-Yam" (Lemberg, 1828), in cooperation with his brother-in-law Mordecai Zeeb Ettinger: notes by Joshua Heschel on the "Yam ha-Talmud," to which they appended their own respona - HebrewBooks.org
- "Me'irat 'Enayim" (Wilna, 1839), also together with Ettinger, on the ritual examination of the lungsKashrutKashrut is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér , meaning "fit" Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus) is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha (Jewish law) is termed...
- HebrewBooks.org - "Magen Gibborim" (Lemberg, part i., 1832; part ii., 1837), also together with Ettinger, on Shulkhan Arukh, Orach ChayimOrach ChayimOrach Chayim "manner of life" is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of Halakha , Arba'ah Turim. This section treats all aspects of Jewish law primarily pertinent to the Hebrew calendar...
- at HebrewBooks.org: I, II
- "Yad Yosef" and "Yad Sha'ul," on the Shulkhan Arukh, Yoreh De'ahYoreh De'ahYoreh De'ah is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of halakha , Arba'ah Turim around 1300. This section treats all aspects of Jewish law not pertinent to the Hebrew calendar, finance, torts, marriage, divorce, or sexual conduct....
(Lemberg, 1851) - "Ner Ma'arabi", on the Jerusalem TalmudJerusalem TalmudThe Jerusalem Talmud, talmud meaning "instruction", "learning", , is a collection of Rabbinic notes on the 2nd-century Mishnah which was compiled in the Land of Israel during the 4th-5th century. The voluminous text is also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmud de-Eretz Yisrael...
- "Haggahot ha-Shass", critical notes on the Talmud
- "Ma'ase Alfas", commentary on Isaac AlfasiIsaac Alfasifor other Al-Fasi's see Al-Fasi disambiguationIsaac ben Jacob Alfasi ha-Cohen - also known as the Alfasi or by his Hebrew acronym Rif , was a Talmudist and posek...
- "Sho'el u-Meshiv", responsaResponsaResponsa comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them.-In the Roman Empire:Roman law recognised responsa prudentium, i.e...
(his Magnum opusMagnum opusMagnum opus , from the Latin meaning "great work", refers to the largest, and perhaps the best, greatest, most popular, or most renowned achievement of a writer, artist, or composer.-Related terms:Sometimes the term magnum opus is used to refer to simply "a great work" rather than "the...
) (Lemberg, 1865-79) - at HebrewBooks.org: Kama, Tinyana, Telisa'ah, Revia'ah, Hamisha'ah, Shesisa'ah - "Dibre Sha'ul ve-Yosif Da'at", responsa (ib. 1879) - at HebrewBooks.org: Vol. I, Vol. II, Vols. I & II
- "Dibre Sha'ul", commentary on the Haggadah of PesachHaggadah of PesachThe Haggadah is a Jewish text that sets forth the order of the Passover Seder. Reading the Haggadah at the Seder table is a fulfillment of the Scriptural commandment to each Jew to "tell your son" of the Jewish liberation from slavery in Egypt as described in the Book of Exodus in the Torah...
- HebrewBooks.org - "Dibre Sha'ul", on the Pentateuch and the Five Scrolls - HebrewBooks.org
- "Dibre Sha'ul", on AggadahAggadahAggadah refers to the homiletic and non-legalistic exegetical texts in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly as recorded in the Talmud and Midrash...
- HebrewBooks.org - "Bitul Moda'ah", in defense of machine Mazot - HebrewBooks.org
- "Yados Nedarim", on the laws of Nedarim - at HebrewBooks.org: link, link
- "Dibre Sha'ul / Edus Be'Yosef" - HebrewBooks.org
He also wrote glosses to many other works, and innumerable approbations to the books of others.
External links and references
- His entry in the Jewish Encyclopedia
- The “yeshiva world” of Eastern Europe, Berel WeinBerel WeinBerel Wein is an American-born Orthodox rabbi, scholar, lecturer, and writer. He is regarded as an expert on Jewish history and has popularized the subject through more than 1,000 audio tapes, a four-volume book series, newspaper articles and international lectures...
- Memorial page to the bygone world of Berezhany Jews
- Shillem Warhaftig's Encyclopedia Judaica entry on Nathanson, at the Jewish Virtual Library