Rabbi Moshe Nehemiah Kahanov (; 1817 – 1883) 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 of t ...

and Jerusalem Talmudist from the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

inside of what is now

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

. Toward the end of his life he migrated to

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

where he became

Rosh Yeshiva Rosh yeshiva or Rosh Hayeshiva (, plural, pl. , '; 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, primarily the Talmud and th ...

of Etz Chaim Yeshiva.

Biography

Kahanov was born in the Belarusian territory of the

in 1817. He married at the age of 15 before moving to Petrovice, where after three years he became an assistant to the local rabbi. Several years later he became the rabbi of Khaslavich.

Immigration to Jerusalem

In 1864 Kahanov traveled to

, where he was made

Rosh yeshiva Rosh yeshiva or Rosh Hayeshiva (, plural, pl. , '; 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, primarily the Talmud and th ...

of Etz Chaim Yeshiva. While serving in this role he tried to expand the curriculum of the yeshiva to include

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

on the recommendation of his associate Sir Moses Montefiore. Although he was forced to concede that the course should be dropped, because of pressures from traditionalists, Kahanov still pushed for the expansion of the Old Yishuv community, encouraging others to build homes outside of the Old City, like his which was located in Nahalat Shiv'a, and promoting the growth of industrial enterprise. His apparent alignment with progressive thinkers resulted in some people accusing him of secretly being a supporter of the Haskalah movement. Kahanov died in 1883 while still serving as Rosh yeshiva.

Works Written

Kahanov's writings included ''Netivot ha-shalom: ḥeleḳ sheni kolel siman 17 me-Even ha-ʻezer'', a commentary on the

Shulhan 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 V ...

, along with other commentaries on various laws.

Personal life and family

He married Hana Ania Kahanov, from whom he had children: His eldest son born to him in Vilna, Rabbi Avraham Yaakov Kahanov. His second son, Rabbi Yosef Eliyahu Kahanov. His daughter, Bethia Rebecca Mendelsohn. His son-in-law, Rabbi Michal Liv HaCohen Katz, who was a revered hero among the old settlement, and the builder of the settlement Petah Tikva, and helped in the redemption of the lands of the Beit Tel Aviv estate and lands of settlements and neighborhoods throughout the country. His grandson, son of his son, Rabbi Avraham Yaakov Kahanov, is Fayvel Kahanov, founder of neighborhoods in Tel Aviv, Neveh Tzedek neighborhood.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kahanov, Moshe Nehemiah 1817 births 1883 deaths Belarusian rabbis 19th-century rabbis from the Russian Empire Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the Ottoman Empire Israeli rosh yeshivas Old Yishuv Talmudists People of the Haskalah Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives 19th-century rabbis in Jerusalem