Aryeh Leib ben Saul
Encyclopedia
Aryeh Leib ben Saul Lowenstam (ca. 1690, Cracow – April 2, 1755, Amsterdam
) was a Polish rabbi
.
he married Miriam, the oldest daughter of Tzvi Ashkenazi
, then rabbi in Altona
, and continued his studies under his father-in-law, with whom he went to Amsterdam, and thence to Poland
.
His first known rabbinical position was in Dubno
. He was elected rabbi of Dukla
in 1717. Through the influence of his relatives he then obtained the rabbinical position in Tarnopol in 1720, (or 1718 ) the former incumbent having been ousted by the officials of the government to make room for him. This interference on the part of the civic authorities naturally aroused great opposition to him in the congregation, and Aryeh Loeb was deposed in 1724. Subsequently he was elected Rabbi of Rzeszów
from 1724-1728. In 1728 he was appointed as Rabbi of both the towns of Glogau and Lviv
, a position held until 1740. In 1740 he was appointed Rabbi of Amsterdam (a position that was offered to his father Saul years earlier,) a position he held until his death in 1755. A call was extended to him from Prague
in 1751, but he did not accept it. While the Jewish Encyclopedia is doubtful of whether he was rabbi in Lviv, as stated by Buber
(Anshe Shem, p. 38), Dembitzer
in the Klilat Yofi and Reuven Margaliot provide proof of his position in Lviv/Lemberg, with Dembitzer stating that he held both positions simultaneously, while Margaliot is of the opinion that he changed positions a number of times in those years between the rabbinate of Glogau and Lviv.
, No. 76; in those of Mordecai of Düsseldorf (Maamar Mordecai, Nos. 62, 63, Brünn, 1790), and in the works of his son Saul, Binyan Ariel (Amsterdam, 1778)—and shows no originality. He took an active part in the controversy between Jacob Emden
and Jonathan Eybeschütz
, and sided with the former, who was his wife's brother. His letters on that controversy are full of invectives against Eybeschütz (see Emden's Sefat Emet, p. 16, Lemberg, 1877). According to the testimony of his brother-in-law, Jacob Emden (see the latter's autobiography, Megillat Sefer, pp. 21, 68, Warsaw, 1896), he was a man of mediocre abilities, whose scientific attainments were not above the practical requirements for the rabbinical office.
(1717 - 20 June 1790), was his successor, while the other, who called himself Hart Lyon, was Chief rabbi in London and Berlin. The son of the latter was Chief rabbi Solomon Herschell, first Chief Rabbi of the British Empire. His daughter Sarah Leah was the wife of Yitzhak HaLevi
, the rabbi of Kraków from 1776 till his death in 1799. Yitzhak HaLevi's son Tzvi Hirsch David Ha-Levi was Acting Rabbi of Kraków from 1799 and formally appointed Rabbi of Kraków in 1816 till his death in 1831.
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...
) was a Polish rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
.
Life
Aryeh Leib came of a famous family of rabbis. His father Saul had been rabbi of Cracow from 1700 to 1704, his grandfather was Rabbi Hoeschl of Cracow. In 1707 in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
he married Miriam, the oldest daughter of Tzvi Ashkenazi
Tzvi Ashkenazi
Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch ben Yaakov Ashkenazi , known as the Chacham Tzvi , for some time rabbi of Amsterdam, was a resolute opponent of the followers of the false messiah, Sabbatai Zevi. He had a chequered career, owing to his independence of character...
, then rabbi in Altona
Altona, Hamburg
Altona is the westernmost urban borough of the German city state of Hamburg, on the right bank of the Elbe river. From 1640 to 1864 Altona was under the administration of the Danish monarchy. Altona was an independent city until 1937...
, and continued his studies under his father-in-law, with whom he went to Amsterdam, and thence to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
His first known rabbinical position was in Dubno
Dubno
Dubno is a city located on the Ikva River in the Rivne Oblast of western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of Dubno Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...
. He was elected rabbi of Dukla
Dukla
Dukla ; , Duklya] is a town and an eponymous municipality in southeastern Poland, in the Subcarpathian Voivodship. The town is populated by 2,127 people . while the total population of the commune containing the town and the villages surrounding it is 16,640...
in 1717. Through the influence of his relatives he then obtained the rabbinical position in Tarnopol in 1720, (or 1718 ) the former incumbent having been ousted by the officials of the government to make room for him. This interference on the part of the civic authorities naturally aroused great opposition to him in the congregation, and Aryeh Loeb was deposed in 1724. Subsequently he was elected Rabbi of Rzeszów
Rzeszów
Rzeszów is a city in southeastern Poland with a population of 179,455 in 2010. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River, in the heartland of the Sandomierska Valley...
from 1724-1728. In 1728 he was appointed as Rabbi of both the towns of Glogau and Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
, a position held until 1740. In 1740 he was appointed Rabbi of Amsterdam (a position that was offered to his father Saul years earlier,) a position he held until his death in 1755. A call was extended to him from Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
in 1751, but he did not accept it. While the Jewish Encyclopedia is doubtful of whether he was rabbi in Lviv, as stated by Buber
Buber
Buber is a surname. It may refer to:* Martin Buber, Austrian-born Israeli Jewish scholar, socialist, Zionist, and prominent advocate of a joint Jewish-Arab state of Israel...
(Anshe Shem, p. 38), Dembitzer
Haim Nathan Dembitzer
Haim Nathan Dembitzer was a Polish Galician rabbi and historian.-Biography:His father, Jekuthiel Solomon, a scholarly merchant who claimed he was a descendant of R. Moses Isserles, died in 1833, aged forty-four. On Jun 11, 1841 he married Doba Deutscher...
in the Klilat Yofi and Reuven Margaliot provide proof of his position in Lviv/Lemberg, with Dembitzer stating that he held both positions simultaneously, while Margaliot is of the opinion that he changed positions a number of times in those years between the rabbinate of Glogau and Lviv.
Works
Aryeh did not publish any books, and what there is of his exists in the works of others—as in the responsa of Tzvi AshkenaziTzvi Ashkenazi
Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch ben Yaakov Ashkenazi , known as the Chacham Tzvi , for some time rabbi of Amsterdam, was a resolute opponent of the followers of the false messiah, Sabbatai Zevi. He had a chequered career, owing to his independence of character...
, No. 76; in those of Mordecai of Düsseldorf (Maamar Mordecai, Nos. 62, 63, Brünn, 1790), and in the works of his son Saul, Binyan Ariel (Amsterdam, 1778)—and shows no originality. He took an active part in the controversy between Jacob Emden
Jacob Emden
Jacob Emden also known as Ya'avetz, , was a leading German rabbi and talmudist who championed Orthodox Judaism in the face of the growing influence of the Sabbatean movement...
and Jonathan Eybeschütz
Jonathan Eybeschutz
Jonathan Eybeschutz , was a Talmudist, Halachist, Kabbalist, holding positions as Dayan of Prague, and later as Rabbi of the "Three Communities": Altona, Hamburg and Wandsbek. With Jacob Emden, he is well known as a protagonist in the Emden-Eybeschütz Controversy.-Biography:Eybeschütz's father was...
, and sided with the former, who was his wife's brother. His letters on that controversy are full of invectives against Eybeschütz (see Emden's Sefat Emet, p. 16, Lemberg, 1877). According to the testimony of his brother-in-law, Jacob Emden (see the latter's autobiography, Megillat Sefer, pp. 21, 68, Warsaw, 1896), he was a man of mediocre abilities, whose scientific attainments were not above the practical requirements for the rabbinical office.
Descendants
Of his sons, one, SaulSaul Lowenstam
Saul Lowenstam was a renown Dutch rabbi and talmudist.Saul Lowenstam was born in 1717 in Rzeszów to his parents Aryeh Leib ben Saul and Miriam the daughter of the Chacham Tzvi. He married Hendele the daughter Abraham Kahana, who was rabbi of Grodno, Ukraine...
(1717 - 20 June 1790), was his successor, while the other, who called himself Hart Lyon, was Chief rabbi in London and Berlin. The son of the latter was Chief rabbi Solomon Herschell, first Chief Rabbi of the British Empire. His daughter Sarah Leah was the wife of Yitzhak HaLevi
Yitzhak HaLevi ben Mordechai Raitzes
Yitzhak HaLevi ben Mordechai Raitzes was a Polish rabbi.-Biographical information:Yitzhak HaLevi was born circa 1730 in Lviv to Mordechai Halevi Raitzes the Rosh Mesivta in Lviv, who was the son of Yehoshua Raitzes who was martyred in Lviv on 13 May 1728...
, the rabbi of Kraków from 1776 till his death in 1799. Yitzhak HaLevi's son Tzvi Hirsch David Ha-Levi was Acting Rabbi of Kraków from 1799 and formally appointed Rabbi of Kraków in 1816 till his death in 1831.