Abraham ben Samuel Cohen of Lask
Encyclopedia
Abraham ben Yechiel-Michel Catz Ha Cohen of Lask (Yechiel-Michel was the grandson of the martyr Yechiel-Michel Ha Cohen of Nemirov). Abraham was a Jewish ascetic who flourished at the end of the 18th century. He went to live at Jerusalem in 1785, but afterward traveled through Europe as an agent for the collection of donations for the Polish Jews in the Land of Israel
, making Amsterdam
his center; he died as Hakam at Safed
, during a riot against the Jews, who had protested against excessive taxation. Another version says he was punished by the Turks, in Jerusalem, (see below) and died in Safed, in 1799, there he was buried. He did not have children.
Abraham (brother of Samuel Catz of Lask) was an ascetic of a remarkable type; he fasted six days of the week, from Sabbath
night to Sabbath eve, but feasted quite luxuriously on the Sabbath. Often he devoted entire days and nights to the study of the Torah, standing upright during that time. He took his daily ablutions in the river before offering his prayers in the morning, often breaking through the ice in winter for this purpose. Yet in spite of all this austerity he was a man of uncommon vigor.
Once in the Holy Land
, together with a number of Jewish scholars, Abraham was dragged to prison by some Turkish officials, and subjected to the bastinado, for no other reason than that it was the usual method pursued by the Turkish government for extorting money from the Jews. Abraham and another rabbi alone survived. At every stroke received Abraham uttered the rabbinic phrase, גם זו לטובה ("This, too, is for the best"). He was held in reverence by the best men of the time as "the holy man of God."
He published several kabalistic homilies, one under the title of Weshab ha-Kohen (The Priest Shall Return), Leghorn, 1788; another, Wechishab lo ha-Kohen (The Priest Shall Reckon), Fürth, 1784; a third, Bet Ya'akob (Jacob's House), Leghorn, 1792; and a fourth, Ayin Panim ba-Torah (Seventy Meanings of the Law), Warsaw, 1797. The last work gives seventy reasons for the order of the sections in the Pentateuch, as well as seventy reasons why the Law begins, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. i.1). All are filled with fantastic numerical and alphabetical combinations.
Land of Israel
The Land of Israel is the Biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the area encompassed by the Southern Levant, also known as Canaan and Palestine, Promised Land and Holy Land. The belief that the area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the...
, making Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
his center; he died as Hakam at Safed
Safed
Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...
, during a riot against the Jews, who had protested against excessive taxation. Another version says he was punished by the Turks, in Jerusalem, (see below) and died in Safed, in 1799, there he was buried. He did not have children.
Abraham (brother of Samuel Catz of Lask) was an ascetic of a remarkable type; he fasted six days of the week, from Sabbath
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
night to Sabbath eve, but feasted quite luxuriously on the Sabbath. Often he devoted entire days and nights to the study of the Torah, standing upright during that time. He took his daily ablutions in the river before offering his prayers in the morning, often breaking through the ice in winter for this purpose. Yet in spite of all this austerity he was a man of uncommon vigor.
Once in the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
, together with a number of Jewish scholars, Abraham was dragged to prison by some Turkish officials, and subjected to the bastinado, for no other reason than that it was the usual method pursued by the Turkish government for extorting money from the Jews. Abraham and another rabbi alone survived. At every stroke received Abraham uttered the rabbinic phrase, גם זו לטובה ("This, too, is for the best"). He was held in reverence by the best men of the time as "the holy man of God."
He published several kabalistic homilies, one under the title of Weshab ha-Kohen (The Priest Shall Return), Leghorn, 1788; another, Wechishab lo ha-Kohen (The Priest Shall Reckon), Fürth, 1784; a third, Bet Ya'akob (Jacob's House), Leghorn, 1792; and a fourth, Ayin Panim ba-Torah (Seventy Meanings of the Law), Warsaw, 1797. The last work gives seventy reasons for the order of the sections in the Pentateuch, as well as seventy reasons why the Law begins, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. i.1). All are filled with fantastic numerical and alphabetical combinations.
Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography
- Münz, Rabbi Eleazar Shemen Rokeach, pp. 29–31;
- Joseph ZednerJoseph ZednerJoseph Zedner was a German Jewish bibliographer and librarian.After completing his education, he acted as teacher in the Jewish school in Strelitz , where the lexicographer Daniel Sanders was his pupil. In 1832 he became a tutor in the family of the book-seller A...
, Cat. Hebr. Books Brit. Mus. s.v.; - Julius FürstJulius FürstJulius Fürst , was a Jewish German orientalist.Fürst was a distinguished scholar of Semitic languages and literature...
, Bibl. Jud. ii.223.
External links
- Jewish Encyclopedia article on Abraham ben Samuel Cohen of Lask, by Kaufmann KohlerKaufmann KohlerKaufmann Kohler was a German-born U.S. reform rabbi and theologian.-Life and work:Kaufmann Kohler was born into a family of rabbis...
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