Acharonim1690–1764Prague; Metz; Altona; Hamburg
Rabbi Yonatan Eybeschutz
Halakha, Kabbalah and preaching
- Kereti U’Peleti
- Urim VeTumim
- Ya’arot Devash
- The Emden–Eybeschutz controversy
- Amulets
- Sabbateanism
- Luchot Edut
- Pilpul
- Prague
- Metz
Halakha, Kabbalah and preaching
A clever pilpul that accompanies both halakha and moral exhortation: combining ideas that differ from one another lets him resolve difficulties and deal with contradictions. As a halakhic authority he is strict, his devotion to the Shulchan Arukh is great, and he proposes ignoring opinions it does not mention.
Head of a yeshiva and preacher in Prague, later rabbi of Metz and rabbi of the communities of Altona, Hamburg and Wandsbek, and one of the great halakhic authorities of Ashkenazi Jewry in his time. He wrote Kereti U’Peleti on Yoreh De’ah, Urim VeTumim on Choshen Mishpat and the book of sermons Ya’arot Devash. His involvement in Kabbalah and amulets aroused a controversy against him, opened by Rabbi Yaakov Emden, who found Sabbatean hints in his writings; most of the rabbis of his generation supported him and the controversy died down.
The writings of Jonathan Eybeschutz can be read on Sefaria, a free library of Jewish texts. A title opens the text itself.
Content from Sefaria (sefaria.org) and Wikimedia projects, non-profit projects.
includes 3 inspiration linksThe generations follow the Rambam’s introduction to the Mishneh Torah. A dashed line is inspiration, not direct transmission.