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[[File:הרב מאיר אויערבאך אמרי בינה.JPG|thumb|Rabbi Meir Auerbach Amri Bina.JPG]]
'''Meir Auerbach''' (1815–1878) was president of the [[beit din|Jewish court]] at [[Koło]], and author of ''Imrei Bina'' (Words of Wisdom). After his immigration to [[Ottoman Palestine]] in 1859, he headed the Poland Kollel and became the first [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] [[Chief Rabbi]] of [[Jerusalem]].<ref name="hebrewbooks.org">[https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=28275&hilite=020cae5b-124a-4e1f-a86c-f14693e811f4&st=%D7%9B%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%9C+%D7%A4%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9F ירחון בית יעקב No 100 Page 80]</ref>
'''Rabbi Meir Auerbach''' (1815–1878) was president of the [[beit din|Jewish court]] at [[Koło]], and author of ''Imrei Bina'' (Words of Wisdom). After his immigration to [[Ottoman Palestine]] in 1859, he headed the Poland Kollel and became the first [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] [[Chief Rabbi]] of [[Jerusalem]].<ref name="hebrewbooks.org">[https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=28275&hilite=020cae5b-124a-4e1f-a86c-f14693e811f4&st=%D7%9B%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%9C+%D7%A4%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9F ירחון בית יעקב No 100 Page 80]</ref>


==Biography==
==Biography==
Meir Auerbach was born in [[Koło]] in the [[Duchy of Warsaw]]. He was a member of the rabbinic [[Auerbach (Jewish family)|Auerbach]] family. His father was Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Auerbach, rabbi of [[Płock]] and [[Łęczyca|Luntshitz]], author of ''Divrei Chaim.''<ref>[http://www.rabbimeirbaalhaneis.com/Rabbi%20Meir%20Auerbach.asp Biography of Rabbi Meir Auerbach]</ref> Auerbach married Hindel of Kalisch. After the death of her husband, Hindel visited his grave on the [[Mount of Olives]] together with a group of women. At some point during this outing she disappeared and was never found again. According to rumors, she was seen at a convent.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=8JEPsiBVMOkC&pg=PA24&lpg=PA24 Princess or Prisoner: Jewish Women in Jerusalem 1849-1914, Margalit Shilo]</ref>
Meir Auerbach was born in [[Koło]] in the [[Duchy of Warsaw]]. He was a member of the rabbinic [[Auerbach (Jewish family)|Auerbach]] family. His father was Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Auerbach, rabbi of [[Płock]] and [[Łęczyca|Luntshitz]], author of ''Divrei Chaim.''<ref>[http://www.rabbimeirbaalhaneis.com/Rabbi%20Meir%20Auerbach.asp Biography of Rabbi Meir Auerbach]</ref> Auerbach married Hindel of Kalisch. After the death of her husband, Hindel visited his grave on the [[Mount of Olives]] together with a group of women. At some point during this outing she disappeared and was never found again. According to rumors, she was seen at a convent.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=8JEPsiBVMOkC&pg=PA24&lpg=PA24 Princess or Prisoner: Jewish Women in Jerusalem 1849-1914, Margalit Shilo]</ref>


==Rabbinic career==
==Rabbinic career==
Auerbach became rabbi of his hometown at the age of 25.
Auerbach became rabbi of his hometown at the age of 25.


In 1846, Auerbach was appointed president of the Jewish [[beth din|beit din]] in [[Koło]], where he served for nine years. Later he moved to [[Kalisz]], where he served as a rabbi and engaged in commerce. In his sermons, he encouraged members of his congregation to [[aliyah|immigrate]] to [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], to "start the process of redemption."
In 1846, Auerbach was appointed president of the Jewish [[beth din|beit din]] in [[Koło]], where he served for nine years. Later he moved to [[Kalisz]], where he served as a rabbi and engaged in commerce. In his sermons, he encouraged members of his congregation to [[aliyah|immigrate]] to [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], to "start the process of redemption."


Auerbach left Europe for the [[Holy Land]] circa 1860, settling in [[Jerusalem]].<ref name="Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 3, p.848">Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 3, p.848, Meir Ben Isaac Auerbach</ref> His position in Poland was filled by Rabbi [[Chaim Elozor Wax]].<ref name="hebrewbooks.org" /> He founded a synagogue in the [[Jewish Quarter (Jerusalem)|Jewish Quarter]] of the Old City at the southern end of the Street of the Jews.<ref>{{cite book |title=Jerusalem in the 19th Century: The Old City |first=Yehoshua |last=Ben-Arieh |page=370 |isbn=0-312-44187-8 |year=1984 }}</ref>
Auerbach left Europe for the [[Holy Land]] circa 1860, settling in [[Jerusalem]].<ref name="Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 3, p.848">Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 3, p.848, Meir Ben Isaac Auerbach</ref> His position in Poland was filled by Rabbi [[Chaim Elozor Wax]].<ref name="hebrewbooks.org" /> He founded a synagogue in the [[Jewish Quarter (Jerusalem)|Jewish Quarter]] of the Old City at the southern end of the Street of the Jews.<ref>{{cite book |title=Jerusalem in the 19th Century: The Old City |first=Yehoshua |last=Ben-Arieh |page=370 |isbn=0-312-44187-8 |year=1984 }}</ref>


Together with Rabbi [[Shmuel Salant]] he served in the Jerusalem Chief Rabbinate and took over while Salant went abroad to collect funds.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=zhdp9btWGWQC&pg=PA233 When Heaven touches Earth, David Rossoff]</ref>
Together with Rabbi [[Shmuel Salant]] he served in the Jerusalem Chief Rabbinate and took over while Salant went abroad to collect funds.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=zhdp9btWGWQC&pg=PA233 When Heaven touches Earth, David Rossoff]</ref>


In Jerusalem, there were many [[kollel]]s, each working for the benefit of their own communities. There was no umbrella organization to handle general Jewish affairs, such as paying the salaries of rabbis, paying Turkish military taxes, and dealing with Turkish officials. In 1866, Auerbach and Salant organized the first centralized committee to represent the interests of all the Ashkenazim, while the [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardim]] managed their affairs under the leadership of the [[Hakham Bashi]] of Jerusalem.
In Jerusalem, there were many [[kollel]]s, each working for the benefit of their own communities. There was no umbrella organization to handle general Jewish affairs, such as paying the salaries of rabbis, paying Turkish military taxes, and dealing with Turkish officials. In 1866, Auerbach and Salant organized the first centralized committee to represent the interests of all the Ashkenazim, while the [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardim]] managed their affairs under the leadership of the [[Hakham Bashi]] of Jerusalem.
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==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}



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{{DEFAULTSORT:Auerbach, Meir}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Auerbach, Meir}}
[[Category:1815 births]]
[[Category:1815 births]]
[[Category:1877 deaths]]
[[Category:1878 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century rabbis]]
[[Category:19th-century rabbis in Jerusalem]]
[[Category:Polish Orthodox rabbis]]
[[Category:19th-century Polish rabbis]]
[[Category:Ashkenazi rabbis in Ottoman Palestine]]
[[Category:Chief rabbis of Jerusalem]]
[[Category:Chief rabbis of Jerusalem]]
[[Category:Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives]]
[[Category:Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives]]
[[Category:Congress Poland emigrants to the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Emigrants from Congress Poland to the Ottoman Empire]]

Latest revision as of 09:04, 10 July 2024

Rabbi Meir Auerbach Amri Bina.JPG

Rabbi Meir Auerbach (1815–1878) was president of the Jewish court at Koło, and author of Imrei Bina (Words of Wisdom). After his immigration to Ottoman Palestine in 1859, he headed the Poland Kollel and became the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem.[1]

Biography

[edit]

Meir Auerbach was born in Koło in the Duchy of Warsaw. He was a member of the rabbinic Auerbach family. His father was Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Auerbach, rabbi of Płock and Luntshitz, author of Divrei Chaim.[2] Auerbach married Hindel of Kalisch. After the death of her husband, Hindel visited his grave on the Mount of Olives together with a group of women. At some point during this outing she disappeared and was never found again. According to rumors, she was seen at a convent.[3]

Rabbinic career

[edit]

Auerbach became rabbi of his hometown at the age of 25.

In 1846, Auerbach was appointed president of the Jewish beit din in Koło, where he served for nine years. Later he moved to Kalisz, where he served as a rabbi and engaged in commerce. In his sermons, he encouraged members of his congregation to immigrate to Palestine, to "start the process of redemption."

Auerbach left Europe for the Holy Land circa 1860, settling in Jerusalem.[4] His position in Poland was filled by Rabbi Chaim Elozor Wax.[1] He founded a synagogue in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City at the southern end of the Street of the Jews.[5]

Together with Rabbi Shmuel Salant he served in the Jerusalem Chief Rabbinate and took over while Salant went abroad to collect funds.[6]

In Jerusalem, there were many kollels, each working for the benefit of their own communities. There was no umbrella organization to handle general Jewish affairs, such as paying the salaries of rabbis, paying Turkish military taxes, and dealing with Turkish officials. In 1866, Auerbach and Salant organized the first centralized committee to represent the interests of all the Ashkenazim, while the Sephardim managed their affairs under the leadership of the Hakham Bashi of Jerusalem.

Auerbach, who had been a successful merchant in Europe, lived off his personal wealth and refused to accept a salary. He aided many charitable institutions in Jerusalem and was a supporter of Jewish agricultural settlement around the country. He headed a society which attempted to purchase land for settlement in Jericho, a project that was eventually abandoned. Auerbach was one of the founders of Jerusalem's Mea She'arim neighborhood.[4]

Religious rulings

[edit]

Minhag Yerushalayim

[edit]

In his sefer, Imrei Binah, Auerbach promulgated the wedding custom known as Minhag Yerushalayim, which does not permit musical instruments to be played at a wedding in Jerusalem proper in deference to the Holy Temple which lies in ruins in that city. According to this custom, only percussion instruments are allowed. Auerbach's decision was accepted by Rabbi Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld, Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin, and later Rabbanim of Jerusalem.[7]

Kosher etrogs

[edit]

Auerbach and Salant considered the Balady citron, cultivated in the Arab village of Umm el-Fahm, as the most kosher species of etrog.[8][9]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b ירחון בית יעקב No 100 Page 80
  2. ^ Biography of Rabbi Meir Auerbach
  3. ^ Princess or Prisoner: Jewish Women in Jerusalem 1849-1914, Margalit Shilo
  4. ^ a b Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 3, p.848, Meir Ben Isaac Auerbach
  5. ^ Ben-Arieh, Yehoshua (1984). Jerusalem in the 19th Century: The Old City. p. 370. ISBN 0-312-44187-8.
  6. ^ When Heaven touches Earth, David Rossoff
  7. ^ Cohen, Moshe. "A Chasene In Yerushalayim". mostlymusic.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-03. Retrieved 2010-03-14.
  8. ^ HaLevanon 13 no 42 Archived 2007-07-21 at the Wayback Machine Letter by Rabbi Meir Auerbach
  9. ^ Rabbi Shmuel Salant
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