Rabbi Avraham Danzig (1748-1820) is best known as the author of the works of Jewish law Chayei Adam and Chochmat Adam.

Biography

Danzig was born in Gdańsk, Poland (then known to Polish Jews as Danzig, hence his name), and studied in Prague under Ezekiel Landau. He was offered a position as Rabbi in Vilna, but declined, earning his livelihood as a merchant. He served as a dayan (judge in a rabbinic court) there.

Works

Chayei Adam (חיי אדם "The Life of Man") deals with the laws discussed in the Orach Chaim section of the Shulchan Aruch - daily conduct, prayer, Sabbath, and holidays. Danzig collected and critically sifted the Acharonic material in the field of the Halakha written in the more than two and a half centuries since the appearance of the Shulchan Aruch. Chayei Adam was intended primarily "for the cultured layman", as opposed to rabbinic scholars, and the work is thus presented in a readily accesible form. The parallel work Nishmat Adam, published together with Chayei Adam, discusses the halachic issues in greater depth. The two are usually printed together. In many cities, societies were formed for the purpose of studying Chayei Adam. The decisions of the Chayei Adam are often cited in later works, especially the Mishnah Berurah.

Chochmat Adam (חכמת אדם "The Wisdom of Man"), similarly, discusses the laws in the Yoreh De'ah section of the Shulchan Aruch, as well as laws from the Even ha-Ezer and Choshen Mishpat sections pertinent to everyday life. Binat Adam on this work corresponds to the Nishmat Adam on Chayei Adam.

Danzig also recorded the prayer Tefillah Zakah, a penitential prayer recited by many Jews on the eve of Yom Kippur.

References

• Rabbi Avraham Danzig (http://members.aol.com/lazera/danzig.html), Great Jewish Leaders by Eliezer C. Abrahamson
• Danzig, Abraham Ben Jehiel (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=56&letter=D), jewishencyclopedia.com