Elijah Spira
Elijah Spira | |
|---|---|
אליהו שפירא | |
Eliyahu Rabbah, by Elijah Spira. | |
| Born | 1660 Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia |
| Died | April 14, 1712 (aged 51–52) Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia |
| Resting place | Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague |
| Known for | |
| Notable work |
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Elijah Spira (alternatively, Shapira or Shapiro, Hebrew: אליהו שפירא; 1660–1712) was a Jewish legal and religious scholar, rabbi and author, born in Prague. He was rabbi at Tiktin (then in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth), and afterward maggid (preacher) and director of a large yeshiva (Talmudic academy) in his hometown of Prague. He died at Prague on April 14, 1712.[1]
Spira came from a family of rabbis and scholars. He was the son of Benjamin Wolf Spira (1640–1715), later the chief rabbi of Bohemia, whom he pre-deceased.[1] He was a brother-in-law of the prominent rabbis Yaakov Reischer, and David Oppenheim, and a student of Rabbi Avraham Gombiner.[2][3]
His works include Eliyahu Zutta, a commentary on that part of Mordecai Yoffe's Levush relating to the Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim (Prague, 1689, 1701). His best-known work was Eliyahu Rabbah (Sulzbach, 1757), containing discussions on Orach Chaim. It was posthumously published by his son, whose name is not given. Originally intended as a commentary on the Levush (like Eliyahu Zutta), it was printed as commentary on the Shulchan Aruch and became known as such. Shishah Shittot, containing novellæ on six Talmudic tractates, was published by his grandson Elijah ben Wolf Spira (Fürth, 1768).[1]
His manuscript works, including commentaries on the Bible and Talmud, as well as sermons, responsa, etc., were destroyed by fire in 1754.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d Kayserling (1905).
- ^ "Nissan". Famous Rabbis Yarzheits. Archived from the original on 12 May 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ "Rabbi Jacob Back Reischer (The Shevus Yaakov)". Jewish Virtual Library. AICE.
Works cited
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Kayserling, Meyer (1905). "SPIRA (SPIRO)": §7."Benjamin Wolf Spira"; §8."Elijah Spira". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 522.
Further reading
- The bibliography listed for the §8. "Elijah Spira" entry in the Jewish Encyclopedia:
- Spira, Elijah (1757). "Preface". Eliyahu Rabbah (in Hebrew) – via Hebrew Books.org.
- Fürst, Bibl. Jud. i. 239. 1768. (According to the Jewish Encyclopedia this "contains many incorrect statements")
- Zunz, Leopold (1872). Die Monatstage Des Kalenderjahres: Ein Andenken An Hingeschiedene. (in German) [The Months of the Calendar Year: A Remembrance of the Deceased] – a memorial calendar of great Jewish leaders and martyrs. p. 19.