The Goldschmidt Family

Rabbi Judah Loew, The Maharal of Prague (1525-1609)
Rabbi of Prague
The Maharal
Creator of the GOLEM

The Maharal (b. around 1525, d. 1609 Prague, buried next to his wifePerl) was chief Rabbi of Prague (from 1597), talmudist, moralist,theologian, mathematician, and mystic. (See p. 374, vol. X ofEncyclopedia Judaica.) Maharal is an acronym for Moraynu HaReav JudahLoew ben B'zalel (Our teacher Judah Loew son of B'zalel).

He is supposed to come from Worms. As a poor student, Judah becameengaged to a wealthy woman Perla Shmelkes and intended to continue hisstudies with her family's support. When they became impoverished,however, the marriage was delayed, and his fiancee had to run a foodshop. One Day a knight passed by a snatched a loaf of bread from the shopon his spear. He explained that he had not eater for 3 Days and left hiscloak with its lining containing Gold coins as payment. The marriagecould thus go ahead, and Judah spent the rest of his life in relativeaffluence.

He came to Prague when he was past 50 years old. He was LandesRabbiner ofMoravia in Mikulov (Vikolsburg) from 1553 to 1573. He then founded theDie Klaus yeshiva in Prague. He left in 1584 to serve as Rabbi in Moravia(or Alternatively Posen) returning in 1588.

On 23 February 1592, Emperor Rudolf II invited him to an audience to theHradshin. According to legend, the Emperor wanted to be introduced tomysticism by the Maharal who could perform cabbalistic wonders.

On 16 February 1594, his colLeague astronomer Tycho Brahe arranged forhim to speak with the Emperor Rudolph II, possibly on the subject ofalchemy. The Maharal then was named Chief Rabbi of Posen.

On According to legend he created the Golem at the Altneuschul Synagoguein Prague to serve the Jewish community. From out of dust and brought tolife by the insertion of God's name under its tongue, it obeyed Judah'scommands, helping Jews survive anti-Jewish measures and blood libelaccusations and serving as a shabbos goi. Eventually it had be destroyedand returned to dust because it ran amok on a FriDay afternoon duringkabbalat shabbat when Judah forgot to remove the divine name. The Remainsof the golem where sealed up in the attic of the Altneu Synagogue inPrague. (This legend had been associated with Rabbi Elijah of Pragueuntil the late 18th century. See Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. VII, p. 755.)

His statue Graces the entrance of the City Hall of Prague (since 1917).The Maharal's first work Tikun Ho'alom was published this year (1995) inEnglish translation.

The Maharal was one of the most seminal thinkers in the Post-mediEvalperiod. he developed an entirely new approach to the aggada of the Talmudand it is likely that no previous author devoted so much space to theinterpretation of the non-halachic thought of the Rabbis of the Talmud.

He was held in Great esteem by his contemporAries and has had a profoundimpact on all streams of Judaism. Rabbi Kook stated that the "Maharal wasthe father of the approach of the Gaon of Vilna on the one hand, and ofthe father of Chasidut, on the other hand." He has been described as aKabbalist who wrote in philosophic garb.

The Maharal castigated the educational methods of his Day where boys weretaught at a very young age and insisted that children must be taught inaccordance with their intellectual maturity. Thus, Talmud and certainlynot tosafot should be introduced only when the child is developmentallycapable of fully comprehending what is being taught. He recommended thatthe system proposed in Pirkei Avot be followed.

One of his Leading disciples was R. Yom Tov Heller, author of the classicmishnaic commentary, Tosafot Yom Tov, who, in his introduction informs usthat the Maharal Greatly encouraged group study of the Mishna. Maharalmay have been the founder of Chevra Mishnayot.

The Maharal was one of the staunch defenders of the tradition and of theundisputed wisdom of Chazal and wrote a critique of Azriah de'Rossi'sMe'or Einayim. At the same time, he was fully conversant with thescientific knowledge of his time as well as friendly with some of thecontemporary eminent scientists. His disciple, David Ganz, worked in theobservatory of Tycho Brahe, the distinguished astronomer.

His works include a major commentary on Rashi's commentary on thePentateuch, volumes on Passover in all its facets, on exile Andredemption, on Torah, on Pirkei Avot, on Drashot Chazal and ondevelopment of character.

The Maharal was esteemed by Jew and non-Jew alike and was summoned for aninterview with Emperor Rudolph II, though the subject of the interview isstill the subject of speculation.

At one time it seemed that the Maharal was best known for a fictitiouscreation, that of a Golem. However, with the passage of time it seemsthat his true enduring creations have become an integral part of theintellectual and spiritual heRitage of the Jewish people.