Rabbi Moses ben Samuel Sofer or Schreiber, also known by his main work Hatam Sofer or the Chasam Soifer ("שו"ת חתם סופר" - "Responsa the Seal of the Scribe"), was one of the leading rabbis of European Jewry in the first half of the nineteenth century. His German name was Moses Schreiber. For the town in Italy, see Rabbi, Italy Rabbi (Sephardic Hebrew רִבִּי ribbÄ«; Ashkenazi Hebrew רֶבִּי rebbÄ« or rebbÉ™; and modern Israeli רַבִּי rabbÄ«) in Judaism, means teacher, or more literally great one. The word Rabbi is derived from the Hebrew root-word RaV, which in biblical Hebrew means great or distinguished (in...

Rabbi Moses Sofer (1762-1839)

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Early years

Rabbi Moshe Sofer was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany in September, 1762 (7 Tishrei 5523 on the Hebrew calendar) and died in Pressburg (now Bratislava) on 3 October 1839 (25 Tishrei 5600). Main Station Frankfurt Frankfurt International Airport For other uses, see Frankfurt (disambiguation). ... 1762 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Hebrew calendar (Hebrew: ) or Jewish calendar is the annual calendar used in Judaism. ... Bratislava (see below for name alternatives), is the capital of Slovakia and the countrys largest city, with a population of some 450,000. ... October 3 is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1839 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

His father's name was Shmuel (Samuel) (d. 1779, 15 Sivan 5539) and his mother's name was Reisil (d. 1822, 17 Adar 5582). Shmuel's mother was a daughter of the Gaon of Frankfurt Rabbi Shmuel Schotten, known as the Marsheishoch (died 1719, 14 Tamuz 5479), his namesake. Geonim (also Gaonim) (גאונים) (Singular: Gaon [גאון] meaning Genius in Hebrew) were the rabbis who were the Jewish Talmudic sages who were the generally accepted leaders of the Jewish community in the early medieval era. ... Main Station Frankfurt Frankfurt International Airport For other uses, see Frankfurt (disambiguation). ... Rabbi Shmuel Scotten Born in Schotten in 1644, he moved to Frankfurt am Main in 1682. ...

At the age of nine Moshe entered the yeshiva of Rabbi Nathan Adler (1742-1800, d. 27 Elul 5560) at Frankfurt, and when only thirteen years old he delivered public lectures. He was so extraordinary that Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz of Frankfurt asked him to become his pupil. He agreed, but remained under Rabbi Horowitz for only one year, and then left in 1776 for the yeshiva of Rabbi Tebele Scheuer (1712-1782, d. Shmini Atzeres 5542) in the neighboring city of Mainz, which gladly welcomed him. In Mainz, he continued his studies of Torah and Talmud, and he studied there for two years. Many prominent residents there took an interest in his welfare and facilitated the progress of his studies. Yeshiva or yeshivah (IPA: ) (Hebrew: ישיבה pl. ... Pinchas Horowitz was a Rabbi and Talmudic author; born in Poland in 1731; died in Frankfurt am Main on July 1, 1805. ... Main Station Frankfurt Frankfurt International Airport For other uses, see Frankfurt (disambiguation). ... Yeshiva or yeshivah (IPA: ) (Hebrew: ישיבה pl. ... Mainz is a city in Germany and the capital of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. ... Torah () is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, instruction, or law. It is the central and most important document of Judaism revered by Jews through the ages. ... The first page of the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Berachot, folio 2a The Talmud (Hebrew: תלמוד) is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history. ...

Education

Rabbi Sofer's teacher gave him semicha—rabbinical ordination—authorizing him to render decisions on questions of Jewish law. He also was proficient in astronomy, geometry, and history. Yielding to the entreaties of his former teachers in Frankfurt, Rabbi Sofer returned to his native city. Semicha (סמיכה -- meaning leaning [of the hands] or סמיכה לרבנות -- rabbinical ordination) is a Hebrew word referring to what may be roughly translated as the ordination (in Hebrew: semichut סמיכות) of a rabbi within Judaism. ... Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה; also transliterated as Halakhah, Halacha, Halakhot and Halachah) is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions. ... A giant Hubble mosaic of the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant. ... Table of Geometry, from the 1728 Cyclopaedia. ... HIStory: Past, Present and Future – Book I is a two-disc album by Michael Jackson released in 1995 by the Epic Records division of Sony BMG. The first disc (HIStory Begins) is a fifteen-track greatest hits (later released as Greatest Hits - HIStory Volume I), while the second disc (HIStory...

Boskowitz, Prossnitz, Dresnitz, and Mattersdorf

In 1782 Rabbi Nathan Adler was called to the rabbinate of Boskowitz (Boskovice), Moravia and Rabbi Sofer followed him. He went, at Rabbi Adler's advice, to Prossnitz (Prostejov), where he married Sarah (d. 1812), the daughter of Rabbi Moses Jerwitz (d. 1785), rabbi of Prostejov. Rabbi Sofer eventually became head of the yeshiva at Prostejov. Boskovice (-Czech, German: Boskowitz) is a town in the Czech Republic. ... Flag of Moravia Moravia (Czech and Slovak: Morava; German: ; Hungarian: ; Polish: ) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic. ... . Prostějov (Prossnitz in German) is town in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. ...

In 1794, Rabbi Sofer accepted his first official position, becoming Rabbi of Dresnitz, after he had procured the sanction of the government to settle in that town. In 1797 he was appointed Rabbi of Mattersdorf (currently Mattersburg, Austria); one of the seven communities (known as the Sheva kehillot) of Burgenland. There he established a yeshiva, and pupils flocked to him. His prime pupil in Mattersdorf, was the future Gaon Rabbi Meir Ash (Maharam Ash) (1780-1854), Rabbi of Ungvar. Mattersburg (former Mattersdorf, Hungarian: Nagymarton) is a town in Burgenland, Austria in the rural vineyard region of the country. ... Burgenland (Hungarian Várvidék, Őrvidék or FelsÅ‘Å‘rvidék, Croatian Gradišće, Slovenian Gradiščansko) is the easternmost state or Land of Austria. ... Yeshiva or yeshivah (IPA: ) (Hebrew: ישיבה pl. ... Uzhhorod (Ukrainian: and Russian: Ужгород, Hungarian: Ungvár, Slovak and Czech: Užhorod, German: Ungwar, Yiddish: Ungvir, Ingver, Yngvyr) is a city in Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia. ...

Pressburg (Bratislava)

He declined many offers for the rabbinate, but in 1806 accepted a call to Pressburg. In Pressburg, he established a yeshiva which was attended by as many as 500 pupils. Hundreds of these pupils became the rabbis of Hungarian Jewry. Among them were: Rabbi Avrohom Schag (1801-1876); Rabbi Moshe Schick (Maharam Schick) (1807-1879); Rabbi Chaim Zvi Manheimer (1814-1886); Rabbi Hillel Lichtenstein (Kolomea) (1815-1891); Rabbi Avraham Yehuda Hacohen Schwartz (Kol Aryeh) (1824-1875); Rabbi Meir Perles (1811-1893); Rabbi Chaim Sofer (Machne Chaim) (1822-1886); Rabbi Menachem Mendel Panet (Maglei Tzedek) (1818-1884); Rabbi Menachem Katz (1795-1891); Rabbi Aharon Singer (c. 1806-1868); Rabbi Yisroel Yitzchok Aharon Landesberg (1804-1879); Rabbi Aharon Fried (1813-1891); Rabbi Aharon Duvid Deutch (Goren Duvid) (1813-1878); Rabbi Yehuda Modrin (Trumas Hacri) (1820-1893); Rabbi Yoel Unger (1800-1886); Rabbi Naftali Sofer (1819-1899); his sons, Rabbi Avrohom Shmuel Binyamin Sofer (Ktav Sofer) (1815-1872) and Rabbi Shimon Sofer (1821-1883); his son-in-law Rabbi Dovid Zvi Eherenfeld (d. 1861), father of Rabbi Shmuel Eherenfeld (1835-1883) (Chasan Sofer) and many others. Bratislava (see below for name alternatives), is the capital of Slovakia and the countrys largest city, with a population of some 450,000. ... Rabbi Hillel Lichtenstein was a Hungarian rabbi; born at Vecs 1815; died at Kolomea, Galicia, May 18, 1891. ... Kolomyia (Ukrainian: , Polish: Kołomyja, Russian: ) is a town and a raion centre in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast in Ukraine, at the Prut River. ... Rabbi Abraham Samuel Benjamin Sofer, also known by his main work Ktav Sofer or Ksav Soifer (the Writ of the Scribe) was one of the leading rabbis of Hungarian Jewry in the second half of the nineteenth century. ...

Rabbi Sofer's first wife died childless. Afterwards, he married Sarel (Sarah) (1790-1832, d. 18 Adar II 5592), the widowed daughter of Rabbi Akiba Eger, (1761-1837) Rabbi of Posen, in 1812 (23 Cheshven 5573). She was the widow of Rabbi Avraham Moshe Kalischer (1788-1812), Rabbi of Piła, the son of Rabbi Yehuda Kalischer, author of Hayod Hachazoka. Rabbi Akiva Eiger or Eger (1761-1837) was a Jewish scholar and influential halakhic decisor (posek). ... PoznaÅ„ ( ; full official name: The Capital City of PoznaÅ„, Latin: , German: , Yiddish: פּױזן Poyzn) is a city in west-central Poland with over 578,900 inhabitants (2002). ... PiÅ‚a (German Schneidemühl) is a town in northwestern Poland. ...

Fight against changes in Judaism

From the late 18th century onwards, movements which eventually developed into Reform Judaism began to progress. Synagogues subscribing to these new views began to appear in centres such as Berlin and Hamburg. Rabbi Sofer was profoundly opposed to the reformers and attacked them in his speeches and writings. For example in a responsum of 1816 he forbade the congregation in Vienna to allow a performance in the synagogue of a cantata they had commissioned from the composer Ignaz Moscheles because it would involve a mixed choir. In the same spirit he also contested the founders of the Reformschule (Reform synagogue) in Pressburg, which was established in the year 1827. Reform Judaism can refer to (1) the largest stream of Judaism in America and its sibling movements in other countries, (2) a branch of Judaism in the United Kingdom, and (3) the historical predecessor of the American movement that originated in 19th-century Germany. ... Berlin is the capital city and one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... Hamburgs motto: May the posterity endeavour with dignity to conserve the freedom, which the forefathers acquired. ... Note: This is based on an entry from the 1906 public domain Jewish Encyclopedia Responsa is the Latin plural of responsum, meaning, literally, answers. The responsa literature, known in Hebrew as Sheelot U-teshuvot (questions and answers), is the body of written decisions and rulings given by rabbis to questions... Inhabitants according to official census figures: 1800 to 2005 Vienna in 1858 Vienna (German: Wien ) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... Cantata (Italian for a song or story set to music), a vocal composition accompanied by instruments and generally containing more than one movement. ... Ignaz Moscheles, from a portrait by his son Felix. ... Bratislava (see below for name alternatives), is the capital of Slovakia and the countrys largest city, with a population of some 450,000. ...

In response to those who stated that Judaism could change or evolve, Rabbi Sofer applied the motto Hadash asur min ha-Torah (חדש אסור מן התורה), "Anything new is forbidden by the Torah,". For Rabbi Sofer, Judaism as previously practiced was the only form of Judaism acceptable. In his view the rules and tenets of Judaism never changed — and cannot ever change. This became the defining idea for the opponents to Reform, and in some form, it has continued to influence Orthodox response to innovation in Jewish doctrine and practice. Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ... Torah () is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, instruction, or law. It is the central and most important document of Judaism revered by Jews through the ages. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ...

Influence

He is one of the most important figures in the development of Haredi Judaism, where his influence is still felt today. He is also the patriarch of the Sofer family of rabbis. His son Rabbi Avrohom Shmuel Binyamin Sofer (1815-1872) (the Ktav Sofer) succeeded him as rabbi of Pressburg, and his son Rabbi Shimon Sofer (1821-1883) became rabbi of Kraków. Haredi or Charedi Judaism, often referred to as Ultra-Orthodox Judaism, is the most theologically conservative form of Orthodox Judaism. ... Wawel Hill. ...

In Orthodox Jewry, he is an often-quoted authority. Many of his responsa are required reading for semicha (rabbinic ordination), his novellæ on the Torah sparked a new style in Torah commentary, and some tractates of the Talmud contain his emendations and additions. Note: This is based on an entry from the 1906 public domain Jewish Encyclopedia The responsa literature, known in Hebrew as Sheelot U-teshuvot (questions and answers), is the body of written decisions and rulings given by rabbis to questions addressed to them. ... Semicha (סמיכה -- meaning leaning [of the hands] or סמיכה לרבנות -- rabbinical ordination) is a Hebrew word referring to what may be roughly translated as the ordination (in Hebrew: semichut סמיכות) of a rabbi within Judaism. ... Torah () is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, instruction, or law. It is the central and most important document of Judaism revered by Jews through the ages. ... Meforshim is a Hebrew word meaning commentators (or roughly meaning exegetes), and is used as a substitute for the correct word perushim which means commentaries. In Judaism this term refers to commentaries by the commentators on the Torah (five books of Moses), Hebrew Bible, the Mishnah, the Talmud, responsa, even... The first page of the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Berachot, folio 2a The Talmud (Hebrew: תלמוד) is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history. ...

Grave

Interior of the memorial, (the grave of Moses Sofer at the left)

A modern Jewish memorial, containing Moses Sofer's grave and those of many of his associates and family, is in Bratislava (underground, below Bratislava Castle at the Danube), and the nearby tram station is named after him. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1026x856, 999 KB) Interior of mausoleum of Moses Sofer. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1026x856, 999 KB) Interior of mausoleum of Moses Sofer. ... The Castle viewed from the south-west The Bratislava Castle (Slovak: Bratislavský hrad, Hungarian: Pozsonyi vár) is the main castle of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. ... The Danube (ancient Danuvius, ancient Greek Istros) is the longest river of the European Union and Europes second-longest[3] (after the Volga). ... A CLRV Streetcar in the City of Toronto. ...

The preservation of these graves has a curious history. The Jewish cemetery in Bratislava was confiscated during the regime of Josef Tiso in 1943 to build a roadway. Negotiations with the regime enabled the community to preserve the section of the cemetery including Chatam Sofer's grave, enclosed in concrete, below the surface of the new road. The regime complied either (according to one story) as a consequence of a large bribe, foreign pressure (according to another) or (according to yet another) for fear of a curse if the graves were destroyed. After the independence of Slovakia in 1992, new negotiations were undertaken to restore public access to the preserved graves. In the mid-1990s the International Committee for Preservation of Gravesites of Geonai Pressburg was formed to support and oversee relocation of tram tracks and building of a mausoleum. In 1999 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the then mayor of Bratislava Jozef Moravcik, Chairman of the Committee Romi Cohn and Chairman of the Bratislava Jewish Religious Community Peter Salner. Construction of the mausoleum was completed after overcoming numerous technical and religious issues and opened on July 8, 2002. Access to the mausoleum can be arranged through the local Jewish community organisation. Adolf Hitler and Tiso meet in 1942 Monsignor Jozef Tiso (October 13, 1887–April 18, 1947) was a Roman Catholic priest who became a deputy of the Czechoslovak parliament, a member of the Czechoslovak government, and finally the President of the Nazi-controlled puppet government of Slovakia. ...

External sources

Rabbi Hatam Sofer & Jewish Bratislava