Avigdor Aptowitzer
Encyclopedia
Avigdor Aptowitzer (March 16, 1871 - December 5, 1942) was a rabbi
nic and talmud
ic scholar.
(Galicia) on March 16, 1871 to his parents Moshe Aaron and Tziril Kasner. His father, who suffered from poor health, was the head of a small yeshiva and barely eked out a living. Avigdor helped out from the age of seven by tutoring students. The family was aligned with the Chortikov hassidic dynasty; they also occasionally traveled to see the Rebbe (holy rabbi) of Husiaten.
While staying in Husiaten Avigdor came under the influence of a local maskil
. He began learning science and gradually ceased to pay visits to the Rebbe of Husiaten. As a result the Rebbe's disciples asked that he be drafted in the Army, and he indeed served in the Army. In 1896 Aptowitzer traveled to Chernowitz where he studied for his matriculation exam, which he passed. He made a living by teaching mathematics. In 1899 he received rabbinical ordination and became engaged to Malka Durnboim.
After his engagement Aptowitzer traveled to Vienna, in order to study at the University
as well as at the Hebrew Teachers College. He was employed as the personal secretary to Abraham Epstein. In 1909, with the recommendation of David Zvi Miller, Aptowitzer was appointed as a lecturer at the Hebrew Teachers College to replace Meir Ish Shalom who had died. Solomon Schechter
invited him to the United States in 1918 but Aptowitzer turned down the proposal. The scholar Hirsch Perez Chajes appointed him as a teacher in the Israelitisch-Theologischen Lehrenstalt (Jewish Theological Seminary) he founded. Aptowitzer served as a professor of Talmud
, Bible
, Midrash
and Jewish Philosophy
.
In 1924 Aptowitzer was invited to an academic position in Jerusalem but he turned down the offer because of his wife's illness. In 1938, after his wife died, Aptowitzer emigrated to Palestine, but by this time there was no position available for him. In Israel he was engaged primarily in editing his papers for publication. Aptowitzer died December 5, 1942 and was buried in Jerusalem's Mount of Olives
cemetery. In his last will and testament he asked that his tombstone only state that he edited the works of Ra'avyah; he also asked that his unpublished writings be burned. Throughout his life he suffered from a number of diseases and shortness of vision and in his later years he was blind.
Aptowitzer was an observant Jew, scrupulously observing Jewish ritual law. He belonged to the Mizrachi
Zionist
movement and he lectured in Vienna
in Hebrew.
, Bible
, halachic literature – especially the period of the Geonim
and Rishonim
– the literature of the aggadah
, Jewish law and Jewish history
.
His most important contribution is his edition of the work of Ra'avyah (Eliezer ben Yoel HaLevi) which includes a comprehensive scholarly introduction and copious notes. The first volumes were published by the Meḳiẓe Nirdamim society in Berlin in 1912 and in Jerusalem in 1935. He published a volume of corrections published in 1936 and the introduction in 1938. Under the sponsorship of the Yad Harav Herzog Institute and the Harry Fischel Institute for Talmudic Research, the work was reprinted (3 volumes, not includingt the Introduction) and supplemented by a fourth volume (dealing with laws of persons) edited by Rabbis Eliyahu Friesman and She'ar Yashuv Cohen. Aptowitzer also published a comprehensive work in German on the readings of Holy Scripture in rabbinic literature entitled Das Schriftwort in Der Rabbinischen Literatur as well as:
In addition Aptowitzer published more than 350 articles in a number of languages; his articles appeared in almost every compilation of Jewish Studies that were published during his lifetime.
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...
nic and talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
ic scholar.
Life
Aptowitzer was born in TernopilTernopil
Ternopil , is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical region of Galicia...
(Galicia) on March 16, 1871 to his parents Moshe Aaron and Tziril Kasner. His father, who suffered from poor health, was the head of a small yeshiva and barely eked out a living. Avigdor helped out from the age of seven by tutoring students. The family was aligned with the Chortikov hassidic dynasty; they also occasionally traveled to see the Rebbe (holy rabbi) of Husiaten.
While staying in Husiaten Avigdor came under the influence of a local maskil
Maskil
Maskil :* A Hebrew literary musical term occurring in the heading of some psalms.* Title of honor, meaning "scholar" or "enlightened man," used by Isaac Israeli ben Joseph in the 14th century to refer to his Italian Jewish colleagues....
. He began learning science and gradually ceased to pay visits to the Rebbe of Husiaten. As a result the Rebbe's disciples asked that he be drafted in the Army, and he indeed served in the Army. In 1896 Aptowitzer traveled to Chernowitz where he studied for his matriculation exam, which he passed. He made a living by teaching mathematics. In 1899 he received rabbinical ordination and became engaged to Malka Durnboim.
After his engagement Aptowitzer traveled to Vienna, in order to study at the University
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
as well as at the Hebrew Teachers College. He was employed as the personal secretary to Abraham Epstein. In 1909, with the recommendation of David Zvi Miller, Aptowitzer was appointed as a lecturer at the Hebrew Teachers College to replace Meir Ish Shalom who had died. Solomon Schechter
Solomon Schechter
Solomon Schechter was a Moldavian-born Romanian and English rabbi, academic scholar, and educator, most famous for his roles as founder and President of the United Synagogue of America, President of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and architect of the American Conservative Jewish...
invited him to the United States in 1918 but Aptowitzer turned down the proposal. The scholar Hirsch Perez Chajes appointed him as a teacher in the Israelitisch-Theologischen Lehrenstalt (Jewish Theological Seminary) he founded. Aptowitzer served as a professor of Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
, Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, Midrash
Midrash
The Hebrew term Midrash is a homiletic method of biblical exegesis. The term also refers to the whole compilation of homiletic teachings on the Bible....
and Jewish Philosophy
Jewish philosophy
Jewish philosophy , includes all philosophy carried out by Jews, or, in relation to the religion of Judaism. Jewish philosophy, until modern Enlightenment and Emancipation, was pre-occupied with attempts to reconcile coherent new ideas into the tradition of Rabbinic Judaism; thus organizing...
.
In 1924 Aptowitzer was invited to an academic position in Jerusalem but he turned down the offer because of his wife's illness. In 1938, after his wife died, Aptowitzer emigrated to Palestine, but by this time there was no position available for him. In Israel he was engaged primarily in editing his papers for publication. Aptowitzer died December 5, 1942 and was buried in Jerusalem's Mount of Olives
Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem with three peaks running from north to south. The highest, at-Tur, rises to 818 meters . It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes...
cemetery. In his last will and testament he asked that his tombstone only state that he edited the works of Ra'avyah; he also asked that his unpublished writings be burned. Throughout his life he suffered from a number of diseases and shortness of vision and in his later years he was blind.
Aptowitzer was an observant Jew, scrupulously observing Jewish ritual law. He belonged to the Mizrachi
Mizrachi (Religious Zionism)
The Mizrachi is the name of the religious Zionist organization founded in 1902 in Vilnius at a world conference of religious Zionists called by Rabbi Yitzchak Yaacov Reines. Bnei Akiva, which was founded in 1929, is the youth movement associated with Mizrachi...
Zionist
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
movement and he lectured in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in Hebrew.
Works
Aptowitzer was a renaissance man – his expertise covered wide areas of Judaic studies, including TalmudTalmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
, Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, halachic literature – especially the period of the Geonim
Geonim
Geonim were the presidents of the two great Babylonian, Talmudic Academies of Sura and Pumbedita, in the Abbasid Caliphate, and were the generally accepted spiritual leaders of the Jewish community world wide in the early medieval era, in contrast to the Resh Galuta who wielded secular authority...
and Rishonim
Rishonim
"Rishon" redirects here. For the preon model in particle physics, see Harari Rishon Model. For the Israeli town, see Rishon LeZion.Rishonim were the leading Rabbis and Poskim who lived approximately during the 11th to 15th centuries, in the era before the writing of the Shulkhan Arukh and...
– the literature of the aggadah
Aggadah
Aggadah refers to the homiletic and non-legalistic exegetical texts in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly as recorded in the Talmud and Midrash...
, Jewish law and Jewish history
Jewish history
Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their religion and culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Since Jewish history is over 4000 years long and includes hundreds of different populations, any treatment can only be provided in broad strokes...
.
His most important contribution is his edition of the work of Ra'avyah (Eliezer ben Yoel HaLevi) which includes a comprehensive scholarly introduction and copious notes. The first volumes were published by the Meḳiẓe Nirdamim society in Berlin in 1912 and in Jerusalem in 1935. He published a volume of corrections published in 1936 and the introduction in 1938. Under the sponsorship of the Yad Harav Herzog Institute and the Harry Fischel Institute for Talmudic Research, the work was reprinted (3 volumes, not includingt the Introduction) and supplemented by a fourth volume (dealing with laws of persons) edited by Rabbis Eliyahu Friesman and She'ar Yashuv Cohen. Aptowitzer also published a comprehensive work in German on the readings of Holy Scripture in rabbinic literature entitled Das Schriftwort in Der Rabbinischen Literatur as well as:
- Abhandlungen Zur Erinnerung an Hirsch Perez Chajes
- Mehkarim be-sifrut ha-Geonim (Research in the Literature of the Gaonim), Jerusalem, 1941
- BEITRÄGE ZUR MOSAISCHEN REZEPTION IM ARMENISCHEN RECHT. In Kommission bei A. Hölder, Wien 1907
- The rewarding and punishing of animals and inanimate objects: On the Aggadic view of the world (1923)
- Observations on the criminal law of the Jews (1924)
- Kain und Abel in der Agada(Cain and Abel in the Aggada) (1922)
- Parteipolitik der Hasmonäerzeit im rabbinischen und pseudoepighaphischen Schrifttum. Wien, 1927
- The Celestial Temple as Viewed in the Aggadah
In addition Aptowitzer published more than 350 articles in a number of languages; his articles appeared in almost every compilation of Jewish Studies that were published during his lifetime.
Students
- Hanoch AlbeckHanoch AlbeckHanoch Albeck was a professor of Talmud at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel. He was one of the foremost scholars of the Mishna in his time and he was one of the founders of the scientific approach to the study of the Mishna.Hanoch's father Shalom Albeck, known as the Talmudic scholar,...
- Shalom Speigel
- Shimon Federbush
- Yehoshua Horowitz
- Salo Baron
- Moshe Zucker