Avraham Danzig
Encyclopedia
Rabbi
Avraham Danzig (ben Yehiel Michael, אברהם דנציג ;1748-1820) was a Posek
("decisor") and codifier, best known as the author of the works of Jewish law
Chayei Adam and Chochmas Adam; he is sometimes referred to as "the Chayei Adam".
(hence his name), in 1747 or 1748 into a prominent Rabbinic family. When he was fourteen his father sent him to study at the Prague
yeshivah, after exacting a promise from him "that he would not mingle with the Moderns
" who were then gradually coming into prominence through the influence of Moses Mendelssohn
.
He studied in Prague for four years under Rabbi Yechezkel Landau
and Joseph Liebermann. He was then offered a position as Rabbi in Vilna
, but declined, earning his livelihood as a merchant (frequenting the fairs
of Leipzig
and Königsberg
- which are referenced in his writings). Only in his later years, and after having lost almost his entire fortune through the explosion of a powder-magazine
, could he be induced to accept the position of dayan in Vilna, where he served until 1812. He died there on September 12, 1820.
Rabbi Danzig is one of three authorities on whom Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried
based his rulings in the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch.
covering the laws of the Shulkhan Arukh dealing with everyday life
.
Chayei Adam
( "The Life of Man") deals with the laws discussed in the Orach Chayim
section of the Shulchan Aruch
. It is divided into 224 sections - 69 dealing with daily conduct and prayer, and 155 with Shabbat
, and holidays. In this work, Rabbi Danzig collected and critically sifted the Acharonic
material, in the field of 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 rabbi
nic scholars, and the work is thus presented in a readily accessible form. The parallel work Nishmat Adam, published together with Chayei Adam, discusses the halachic issues in greater depth. The two are usually printed together. The scholarship of the work is evidenced by the fact that Rabbi Chaim Volozhin
, known for his opposition to "digests of halacha", granted the work his approbation (on condition that each section be cross-reference
d to the Shulchan Aruch to allow for further study). In many cities, societies were formed for the purpose of studying Chayei Adam. The rulings of the Chayei Adam are often cited in later works, especially the Mishnah Berurah
.
Chochmat Adam ( "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. Chochmat Adam was written in consultation with two of the greatest Torah scholars of the time - Chaim Volozhin
and Yaakov of Lisa
. Reportedly, the Chatam Sofer instructed his son that when unable to refer to the Shulkhan Arukh, he could reference the Chochmat Adam in making a halachic decision
http://www.judaicapress.com/product_info.php?cPath=23_46&products_id=244. Similarly, the Chofetz Chaim
states in Ahavat Chesed, that when one is unable to consult the Shulchan Aruch
as regards the Laws of Interest
, one may alternatively rely on Chochmat Adam.
Other works by Rabbi Danzig include:
Rabbi Danzig also wrote Tefillah Zakah, a penitential prayer recited by many on the eve of Yom Kippur
.
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...
Avraham Danzig (ben Yehiel Michael, אברהם דנציג ;1748-1820) was a Posek
Posek
Posek is the term in Jewish law for "decider"—a legal scholar who decides the Halakha in cases of law where previous authorities are inconclusive or in those situations where no halakhic precedent exists....
("decisor") and codifier, best known as the author of the works of Jewish law
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
Chayei Adam and Chochmas Adam; he is sometimes referred to as "the Chayei Adam".
Biography
Rabbi Danzig was born in Danzig (modern Gdańsk), PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
(hence his name), in 1747 or 1748 into a prominent Rabbinic family. When he was fourteen his father sent him to study at the Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
yeshivah, after exacting a promise from him "that he would not mingle with the Moderns
Haskalah
Haskalah , the Jewish Enlightenment, was a movement among European Jews in the 18th–19th centuries that advocated adopting enlightenment values, pressing for better integration into European society, and increasing education in secular studies, Hebrew language, and Jewish history...
" who were then gradually coming into prominence through the influence of Moses Mendelssohn
Moses Mendelssohn
Moses Mendelssohn was a German Jewish philosopher to whose ideas the renaissance of European Jews, Haskalah is indebted...
.
He studied in Prague for four years under Rabbi Yechezkel Landau
Yechezkel Landau
Yechezkel ben Yehuda Landau was an influential authority in halakha . He is best known for the work Noda Biyhudah , by which title he is also known.-Biography:...
and Joseph Liebermann. He was then offered a position as Rabbi in Vilna
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, but declined, earning his livelihood as a merchant (frequenting the fairs
Leipzig Trade Fair
The Leipzig Trade Fair was a major fair for trade across Central Europe for nearly a millennium. After the Second World War, its location happened to lie within the borders of East Germany, whereupon it became one of the most important trade fairs of Comecon and was traditionally a meeting place...
of Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
and Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
- which are referenced in his writings). Only in his later years, and after having lost almost his entire fortune through the explosion of a powder-magazine
Ammunition dump
An ammunition dump, ammunition compound, ammunition depot, bomb dump, ammunition supply point or ammo dump, is a military storage facility for live ammunition and explosives....
, could he be induced to accept the position of dayan in Vilna, where he served until 1812. He died there on September 12, 1820.
Rabbi Danzig is one of three authorities on whom Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried
Shlomo Ganzfried
Shlomo Ganzfried was an Orthodox rabbi and posek best known as author of the work of Halakha , the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch , by which title he is also known.- Biography :Ganzfried was born in the year 1804 in Uzhhorod in the Carpathian region of the...
based his rulings in the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch.
Works
Rabbi Danzig authored several important works, but he is especially known for Chayei Adam and Chochmat Adam, his works of halakhaHalakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
covering the laws of the Shulkhan Arukh dealing with everyday life
Everyday Life
Everyday Life is the first solo album made by Life MC of the British Hip Hop group Phi Life Cypher....
.
Chayei Adam
Chayei Adam
Chayei Adam is a work of Jewish law by Rabbi Avraham Danzig , dealing with the laws discussed in the Orach Chayim section of the Shulchan Aruch...
( "The Life of Man") deals with the laws discussed in the Orach Chayim
Orach Chayim
Orach Chayim "manner of life" is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of Halakha , Arba'ah Turim. This section treats all aspects of Jewish law primarily pertinent to the Hebrew calendar...
section of the Shulchan Aruch
Shulchan Aruch
The Shulchan Aruch also known as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most authoritative legal code of Judaism. It was authored in Safed, Israel, by Yosef Karo in 1563 and published in Venice two years later...
. It is divided into 224 sections - 69 dealing with daily conduct and prayer, and 155 with Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
, and holidays. In this work, Rabbi Danzig collected and critically sifted the Acharonic
Acharonim
Acharonim is a term used in Jewish law and history, to signify the leading rabbis and poskim living from roughly the 16th century to the present....
material, in the field of 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 rabbi
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 scholars, and the work is thus presented in a readily accessible form. The parallel work Nishmat Adam, published together with Chayei Adam, discusses the halachic issues in greater depth. The two are usually printed together. The scholarship of the work is evidenced by the fact that Rabbi Chaim Volozhin
Chaim Volozhin
Chaim Volozhin was an Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist, and ethicist. Popularly known as "Reb Chaim Volozhiner" or simply as "Reb Chaim", he was born in Volozhin when it was a part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth...
, known for his opposition to "digests of halacha", granted the work his approbation (on condition that each section be cross-reference
Cross-reference
A cross-reference is an instance within a document which refers to related or synonymous information elsewhere, usually within the same work. To cross-reference or to cross-refer is to make such connections. The term "cross-reference" is often abbreviated as x-ref, xref, or, in computer science,...
d to the Shulchan Aruch to allow for further study). In many cities, societies were formed for the purpose of studying Chayei Adam. The rulings of the Chayei Adam are often cited in later works, especially the Mishnah Berurah
Mishnah Berurah
The Mishnah Berurah is a work of halakha by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan , also colloquially known by the name of another of his books, Chofetz Chaim "Desirer of Life."...
.
Chochmat Adam ( "The Wisdom of Man"), similarly, discusses the laws in the Yoreh De'ah
Yoreh De'ah
Yoreh De'ah is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of halakha , Arba'ah Turim around 1300. This section treats all aspects of Jewish law not pertinent to the Hebrew calendar, finance, torts, marriage, divorce, or sexual conduct....
section of the Shulchan Aruch, as well as laws from the Even Ha'ezer
Even Ha'ezer
Even Ha'ezer is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of halakha , Arba'ah Turim. This section treats aspects of Jewish law related to marriage, divorce, and sexual conduct. Later, Rabbi Yosef Karo modeled the framework of his own compilation of practical Jewish law, the Shulchan Aruch,...
and Choshen Mishpat
Choshen Mishpat
Choshen Mishpat is the Hebrew for "Breastplate of Judgement". The term is associated with one of the four sections of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of halakha , Arba'ah Turim. This section treats aspects of Jewish law pertinent to finance, torts, legal procedure and loans and interest in...
sections pertinent to everyday life. Binat Adam on this work corresponds to the Nishmat Adam on Chayei Adam. Chochmat Adam was written in consultation with two of the greatest Torah scholars of the time - Chaim Volozhin
Chaim Volozhin
Chaim Volozhin was an Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist, and ethicist. Popularly known as "Reb Chaim Volozhiner" or simply as "Reb Chaim", he was born in Volozhin when it was a part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth...
and Yaakov of Lisa
Yaakov Lorberbaum
Yaakov ben Moshe Lorberbaum of Lissa was a Rabbi and Posek...
. Reportedly, the Chatam Sofer instructed his son that when unable to refer to the Shulkhan Arukh, he could reference the Chochmat Adam in making a halachic decision
Posek
Posek is the term in Jewish law for "decider"—a legal scholar who decides the Halakha in cases of law where previous authorities are inconclusive or in those situations where no halakhic precedent exists....
http://www.judaicapress.com/product_info.php?cPath=23_46&products_id=244. Similarly, the Chofetz Chaim
Chofetz Chaim
"The Chofetz Chaim" is a book on the Jewish laws of speech written by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan....
states in Ahavat Chesed, that when one is unable to consult the Shulchan Aruch
Shulchan Aruch
The Shulchan Aruch also known as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most authoritative legal code of Judaism. It was authored in Safed, Israel, by Yosef Karo in 1563 and published in Venice two years later...
as regards the Laws of Interest
Loans and interest in Judaism
The combination of loans and interest, in Judaism, is a complicated and detailed subject. The biblical Hebrew terms for interest are neshekh , literally meaning a bite, and marbit/tarbit , which specifically refers to the gain by the creditor; neshekh referred to interest that was charged by...
, one may alternatively rely on Chochmat Adam.
Other works by Rabbi Danzig include:
- Zichru Toras Moshe - an introduction to the laws of ShabbatShabbatShabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
.
- Kitzur Sefer Chareidim - an abridgement of the classic Sefer Chareidim by Rabbi Elazar Ezkari.
- Toldos Adam - a commentary on the PassoverPassoverPassover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
Haggadah.
Rabbi Danzig also wrote Tefillah Zakah, a penitential prayer recited by many on the eve of Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
.
Resources
- Chayei Adam fulltext (HebrewHebrew languageHebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
), daat.ac.il - Chochmat Adam fulltext (HebrewHebrew languageHebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
), daat.ac.il