Chaim Elozor Wax
Encyclopedia
Chaim Elozor Wax
was a famous posek
, a Hasidic rabbi
, and a leader in Jewish Poland
. He was a philanthropist and accomplished student of the Talmud
.
He is especially known from his responsa
work Nefesh Haya, and as the head of the Kolel of the Warsaw
region, Kollel Polen
n-ruled Polish Galicia. His father, Rabbi Avraham Yehuda Leibish, was also known for his scholarship. According to the introduction of his book "Nefesh Haya", his mother was a devout and supportive woman who, when Wax fell seriously ill as a child, prayed to God to take her life instead of her son's, or failing that (since it would leave the child motherless) to transfer the illness to her and let him recover. The young Wax quickly recovered, apparently answering his mother's prayer: she died, fulling her pledge, after Wax had become established in the community.
At age 18 Wax became the rabbi of Tarnogrod, a post he held for around 20 years.
, Meir Auerbach, left for Israel
and Wax was appointed his successor. His arrival inaugurated a new period of religious observance in the town, during which even shoemakers dedicated hours during the day to torah studies. A new synagogue was also built in Kalisz during his rabbinate.
Wax's first wife, Blime, daughter of Rabbi Moshe Yosef (a brother of Rabbi Chaim Halbershtam of Sanz), died in 1866 while he was rabbi of Kalisz. In 1868 he married Shifra Mirl Trunk, the daughter of the scholar and posek Rabbi Yisroel Yehoshua Trunk of Kutno
.
At the Kalisz yeshiva he cultivated promising young Torah scholars to form the next generation of Jewish leaders. On one occasion a delegation from Oshikov visited, asking him to help them appoint a qualified scholar as their rabbi. Wax sent a proxy to summon the student Eliyah Singer, and in front of the delegation Wax instructed Singer to sit on his rabbinical chair and handed him a rabbinical hat. Wax then faced the delegation, calling out "Mazel Tov! Here is your rabbi!"
, and supported the idea of colonization and settlement of the holy land, but advocated most for the rights of the Yishuv haYashan, the original settlers who went to Israel to learn the Torah
and devote themselves to God. His statements about Zionism
are complex: at one time he quoted Rabbi Eliyahu's view that restoring Israel would hasten the arrival of Moshiach (a messianic future Jewish King of the Davidic line). On the other hand, in a letter to Hovevei Zion
activist Yehiel Pins, Wax accused Theodor Herzl
and his fellow agitators for Jewish statehood of being the destroyers, rather than champions, of Zion. He accused them of willingness to destroy the lives of those living already in Israel by diverting resources to nationalist campaigns and by aggravating the ruling Turkish
government.
Wax advocated an initial strategy of supporting and strengthening Jewish communities in the holy land, with later provisions for new settlers. As president of the Warsaw-Kolel he worked to raise funds for the semi-annual Haluka and developed ideas for a long-term sustainable Israeli economy. With financial support from Sir Moshe Montefiori he advocated for the establishment of etrog
agriculture in Israel, at a time when the etrog was an important symbol in Jewish culture. He traveled to Israel in 1886, with his father-in-law Rabbi Trunk, to supervise etrog plantations and establish housing and jobs for members of the Warsaw-Kolel who had come to Israel.
was a famous 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....
, a Hasidic 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...
, and a leader in Jewish Poland
Poland
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...
. He was a philanthropist and accomplished student of the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
.
He is especially known from his responsa
Responsa
Responsa comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them.-In the Roman Empire:Roman law recognised responsa prudentium, i.e...
work Nefesh Haya, and as the head of the Kolel of the Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
region, Kollel Polen
Tarnogrod
Wax was born in 1822 in the city of Tarnogrod, near the border of AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n-ruled Polish Galicia. His father, Rabbi Avraham Yehuda Leibish, was also known for his scholarship. According to the introduction of his book "Nefesh Haya", his mother was a devout and supportive woman who, when Wax fell seriously ill as a child, prayed to God to take her life instead of her son's, or failing that (since it would leave the child motherless) to transfer the illness to her and let him recover. The young Wax quickly recovered, apparently answering his mother's prayer: she died, fulling her pledge, after Wax had become established in the community.
At age 18 Wax became the rabbi of Tarnogrod, a post he held for around 20 years.
Kalisz
In 1860 or 1861 the rabbi of KaliszKalisz
Kalisz is a city in central Poland with 106,857 inhabitants , the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, the city forms a conurbation with the nearby towns of Ostrów Wielkopolski and Nowe Skalmierzyce...
, Meir Auerbach, left for Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and Wax was appointed his successor. His arrival inaugurated a new period of religious observance in the town, during which even shoemakers dedicated hours during the day to torah studies. A new synagogue was also built in Kalisz during his rabbinate.
Wax's first wife, Blime, daughter of Rabbi Moshe Yosef (a brother of Rabbi Chaim Halbershtam of Sanz), died in 1866 while he was rabbi of Kalisz. In 1868 he married Shifra Mirl Trunk, the daughter of the scholar and posek Rabbi Yisroel Yehoshua Trunk of Kutno
Kutno
Kutno is a town in central Poland with 48,000 inhabitants and an area of 33,6 km2. Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship , previously in Płock Voivodeship . It is the capital of Kutno County....
.
At the Kalisz yeshiva he cultivated promising young Torah scholars to form the next generation of Jewish leaders. On one occasion a delegation from Oshikov visited, asking him to help them appoint a qualified scholar as their rabbi. Wax sent a proxy to summon the student Eliyah Singer, and in front of the delegation Wax instructed Singer to sit on his rabbinical chair and handed him a rabbinical hat. Wax then faced the delegation, calling out "Mazel Tov! Here is your rabbi!"
Pietrokov
Wax lost his position as rabbi of Kalisz in a dispute over a wedding, when the influential father of the bride insisted on including elements forbidden in Jewish custom and law. The father refused the rabbi's request to conform to custom, and had his friend the governor command Wax to perform the ceremony. When the rabbi refused the governor dismissed him from his post. Though the wedding eventually proceeded according to the rabbi's demands, Wax's tenure as rabbi of Kalisz was at an end. Instead he became rabbi of Pietrokov.Zion and Zionism
Rabbi Wax was a committed follower of Rabbi Eliyahu Gutmacher of GrodziskGrodzisk Wielkopolski
Grodzisk Wielkopolski is a town in western Poland, in Greater Poland Voivodeship , with a population of 13,703 . It is south-west of Poznań, the voivodeship capital. It is the seat of Grodzisk Wielkopolski County, and also of the smaller administrative district called Gmina Grodzisk Wielkopolski...
, and supported the idea of colonization and settlement of the holy land, but advocated most for the rights of the Yishuv haYashan, the original settlers who went to Israel to learn the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
and devote themselves to God. His statements about Zionism
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
are complex: at one time he quoted Rabbi Eliyahu's view that restoring Israel would hasten the arrival of Moshiach (a messianic future Jewish King of the Davidic line). On the other hand, in a letter to Hovevei Zion
Hovevei Zion
Hovevei Zion , also known as Hibbat Zion , refers to organizations that are now considered the forerunners and foundation-builders of modern Zionism....
activist Yehiel Pins, Wax accused Theodor Herzl
Theodor Herzl
Theodor Herzl , born Benjamin Ze’ev Herzl was an Ashkenazi Jew Austro-Hungarian journalist and the father of modern political Zionism and in effect the State of Israel.-Early life:...
and his fellow agitators for Jewish statehood of being the destroyers, rather than champions, of Zion. He accused them of willingness to destroy the lives of those living already in Israel by diverting resources to nationalist campaigns and by aggravating the ruling Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
government.
Wax advocated an initial strategy of supporting and strengthening Jewish communities in the holy land, with later provisions for new settlers. As president of the Warsaw-Kolel he worked to raise funds for the semi-annual Haluka and developed ideas for a long-term sustainable Israeli economy. With financial support from Sir Moshe Montefiori he advocated for the establishment of etrog
Etrog
Etrog refers to the yellow citron or Citrus medica used by Jews on the week-long holiday of Sukkot.While in modern Hebrew this is the name for any variety of citron, its English usage applies to those varieties and specimens used as one of the Four Species...
agriculture in Israel, at a time when the etrog was an important symbol in Jewish culture. He traveled to Israel in 1886, with his father-in-law Rabbi Trunk, to supervise etrog plantations and establish housing and jobs for members of the Warsaw-Kolel who had come to Israel.