Ephraim Zalman Margulies (sometimes transcribed as Margolis) (19 December 1762 – 24 August 1828) () was a Galician rabbi born in

Brody Brody (, ; ; ; ) is a city in Zolochiv Raion, Lviv Oblast, Zolochiv Raion, Lviv Oblast, western Ukraine. It is located in the valley of the upper Styr, Styr River, approximately northeast of the oblast capital, Lviv. Brody hosts the administrati ...

, brother of Chaim Mordechai Margulies.

Biography

He received his

Talmudic The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the centerpiece of Jewi ...

education at different

yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; 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 are studied in parallel. The stu ...

s, in which he distinguished himself for the acuteness of his intellect and for his astonishing memory. His correspondence with

Ezekiel Landau Yechezkel ben Yehuda HaLevi Landau (8 October 1713 – 29 April 1793) was an influential authority in halakha (Jewish law). He is best known for the work ''Noda Biyhudah'' (נודע ביהודה), by which title he is also known. Biography Land ...

and other leading Talmudists soon gained for him a high reputation. He established a banking-house which proved so successful that within a short time he became quite wealthy. In 1785 he published his

responsa ''Responsa'' (plural of Latin , 'answer') comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them. In the modern era, the term is used to describe decisions and rulings made by scholars i ...

entitled ''Bet Hadash ha-Hadashot'', and in the following year the rabbis of Brody elected him one of their number. Being of independent means, he opened in his house a

yeshivah A yeshiva (; ; 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 are studied in parallel. The studyin ...

of which he was the head; several of his pupils became eminent rabbis.

Works

Margolis was considered a high rabbinical authority. He published the following works: * ''Bet Efrayim'' (2 vols., Lemberg, 1809–10), commentary on parts of the ''

Shulchan Arukh The ''Shulhan Arukh'' ( ),, often called "the Code of Jewish Law", is the most widely consulted of the various legal codes in Rabbinic Judaism. It was authored in the city of Safed in what is now Israel by Joseph Karo in 1563 and published in Ven ...

'', ''Yoreh De'ah'' * Oration at the funeral of Rabbi Meir Kristianopoler (ib. 1815) * ''Bet Efrayim'' (4 parts, ib. 1818), responsa on the four parts of the ''Shulchan 'Arukh'' * ''Yad Efrayim'' (Dubno, 1820), commentaries on ''Shulchan Arukh'', ''

Orach Chayim ''Orach Chayim'' ("manner/way of life") is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of Halakha (Jewish law), '' Arba'ah Turim''. This section addresses aspects of Jewish law pertinent to the Hebrew calendar (be it the daily, weekly, mo ...

'' * ''Sha'are Efrayim'' (ib. 1820), on the rules pertaining to the reading of the Law * ''Yad Efrayim'' (Zolkiev, 1823), extensive commentaries on the names of men and of women to be employed in letters of divorce * ''Shem Efrayim'' (Berdychev, 1826), commentary on the

Torah The Torah ( , "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. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

* ''Matteh Efrayim'' (Zolkiev, 1834), on the ritual laws to be observed from the beginning of the month of

Elul Elul (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Hebrew language#Modern Hebrew, Standard , Tiberian vocalization, Tiberian ) is the twelfth month of the civil year and the sixth month of the Jewish religious year, religious year in the Hebrew calendar. It is a m ...

until after the

Feast of Tabernacles Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths, is a Torah-commanded Jewish holiday celebrated for seven days, beginning on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. It is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals on which Israel ...

, as well as on the regulations regarding the

Kaddish The Kaddish (, 'holy' or 'sanctification'), also transliterated as Qaddish, is a hymn praising God that is recited during Jewish prayer services. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the lit ...

of orphans * ''Zera' Efrayim'' (Lemberg, 1853), commentary on the ''

Pesikta Rabbati ''Pesikta Rabbati'' (Aramaic: פסיקתא רבתי ''P'siqta Rabbati'', "The Larger P'siqta") is a collection of aggadic midrash (homilies) on the Pentateuchal and prophetic readings, the special Sabbaths, and so on. It was composed around 8 ...

''
Safah Ne’emanah
(Budapest, 1929Even though the year 5689 includes 1928, o
page 7
the introduction is dated as being written in Tammuz 5689. Therefore, it could not have been printed in 1928.), responsum on whether it is permitted to pray in the vernacular Many other works by him are still in manuscript (as of 1906).

References

* 1762 births 1828 deaths People from Brody Ukrainian Orthodox rabbis 19th-century rabbis from the Russian Empire Orthodox rabbis from Galicia (Eastern Europe) 18th-century rabbis from the Russian Empire Authors of books on Jewish law Rosh yeshivas {{Judaism-bio-stub