Shlomo Ephraim ben Aaron Luntschitz (1550 – 21 April, 1619) was a

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

and Torah commentator, best known for his Torah commentary ''Keli Yekar''.Although most write this as ''Keli Yakar'', "the second word should be ''Yekar''" (יְקָר), as the vowelization appears in (Marc Shapiro, Seforim Blog
The Pew Report and the Orthodox Community (and Other Assorted Comments), part 1
endnote 4
Jewish Encyclopedia
. He served as the Rabbi of Prague from 1604 to 1619.

Biography

He was born in Łęczyca (also known as Luntschitz) and studied under

Solomon Luria Solomon Luria (1510 – November 7, 1573) ( he, שלמה לוריא) was one of the great Ashkenazic ''poskim'' (decisors of Jewish law) and teachers of his time. He is known for his work of Halakha, ''Yam Shel Shlomo'', and his Talmudic comm ...

Lublin Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of ...

, and subsequently served as ''

rosh yeshiva Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...

'' (dean) of the ''

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy a ...

'' in

Lvov Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukrain ...

(Lemberg). In 1604 he was appointed rabbi of

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

, a position he filled until his death. In the introduction of his ''Keli Yekar'' he relates that the name Shlomo was added to his name during life-threatening illness, a common practice in Judaism.

Works

Luntschitz is best remembered for his homiletical work, most prominently ''Keli Yekar'' ("precious vessel", an allusion to

Proverbs A proverb (from la, proverbium) is a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic language. A proverbial phrase or a proverbia ...

20:15) on the

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...

which first appeared in Lublin in 1602, is still printed in many editions of the Pentateuch and continues to be highly popular. He composed two penitential prayers in commemoration of the 1611 pogroms that hit Prague on the 2nd of Adar on the Jewish calendar. In addition he wrote: * ''Ir Gibborim'' ("city of strong men", cf. Proverbs 21:22), comprising ''Petichot u-Shearim'' ("openings and gates") and two works of Torah homilies. It was first published in

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (B ...

in 1580. * ''Olelot Ephraim'' ("grapes of Ephraim", a reference to

Judges A judge is an official who presides over a court. Judge or Judges may also refer to: Roles *Judge, an alternative name for an adjudicator in a competition in theatre, music, sport, etc. *Judge, an alternative name/aviator call sign for a membe ...

8:2), four volumes of sermons published in Lublin 1590. * ''Ammudei Shesh'' ("pillars of marble",

Esther Esther is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther. In the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti, is deposed for disobeying him. Hadassah, a Jewess who goes by the name of Esther, is chosen ...

1:6), sermons (Prague, 1617). Known for its criticism of

pilpul ''Pilpul'' ( he, פלפול, loosely meaning 'sharp analysis'; ) is a method of studying the Talmud through intense textual analysis in attempts to either explain conceptual differences between various halakhic rulings or to reconcile any appare ...

. * ''Siftei Da'at'' ("words of wisdom", also Proverbs 20:15), a continuation of ''Keli Yekar'' in style and reach, Prague 1610. * ''Orach le-Chayyim'' ("a path for life", Proberbs 10:17), sermons for ''Shabbat Shuvah'' and ''Shabbat ha-Gadol'', Lublin 1595. * ''Rivevot Efraim'' ("myriads of Ephraim",

Deuteronomy Deuteronomy ( grc, Δευτερονόμιον, Deuteronómion, second law) is the fifth and last book of the Torah (in Judaism), where it is called (Hebrew: hbo, , Dəḇārīm, hewords Moses.html"_;"title="f_Moses">f_Moseslabel=none)_and_th ...

33:17), not extant but mentioned in the introduction of ''Orach le-Chayyim''.

References

Literature

* Leonard S. Levin: ''Seeing with Both Eyes: Ephraim Luntshitz and the Polish-Jewish Renaissance''. Brill, Leiden/Boston 2008, .

External links

Jewish Encyclopedia biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Luntschitz, Shlomo Ephraim 1550 births 1619 deaths 16th-century Polish rabbis 17th-century Bohemian rabbis Bible commentators Rabbis from Prague