Rav Yehuda Lowy
The Maharal of Prague, Rav of Mehren and Prague and mentor of the Tosafos Yom Tov, whose seforim of Torah thought shaped Chassidus and Mussar.
Biography
Early years
Rav Yehuda Lowy zt"l, the Maharal of Prague, was born in Posen, Poland, into a distinguished family of talmidei chachamim that came from Worms. It is told that he was born on the night of the Pesach Seder. He was the youngest of four brothers. His father was Rav Betzalel of Worms, the son of Rav Chaim, who was the son of another Rav Betzalel. The family descended from Rav Yehuda Levai HaZakein, the elder of Prague, and its line went back to Bustenai ben Chaninai of Bavel and to Dovid HaMelech.
The Megillas Yuchsin tells how the four brothers came to be born. Rav Betzalel’s two brothers, Rav Yaakov and Rav Tzvi Helman, had been sent to learn in the yeshiva of the Maharshal, Rav Shlomo Luria (1510–1573). Rav Betzalel asked his father, Rav Chaim, why he alone had not been sent. His father answered that because of the devoted care Rav Betzalel had given him, he would be blessed with four luminaries.
These were the Maharal of Prague; Rav Chaim, Av Beis Din of Friedberg and author of Sefer HaChaim and Iggeres HaTiyul; Rav Sinai, Av Beis Din of Nikolsburg and chief rabbi of Mehren; and Rav Shimshon, Av Beis Din of Kremnitz.
The Maharal married at the late age of thirty-two. His wife, Pearl, bore him six daughters and one son, Betzalel, who was named for the Maharal’s father.
Torah and leadership
In 1553 the Maharal was chosen as Rav of Nikolsburg and of the province of Moravia, and he served there as Av Beis Din for about twenty years. In 1573 he moved to Prague, where he opened a yeshiva together with his famed kloiz, and where he guided many outstanding talmidim. In 1592 he returned to Posen to take up the post of Av Beis Din and Rosh Yeshiva, on 4 Iyar 5352. In 1598 he came back to Prague, now as its chief rabbi, and he remained there for the rest of his life. His derashos show where he was at different times: he gave the Derush L’Shabbos Shuvah in Prague in 5344, and the derashah Al HaTorah V’Hamitzvos in Posen in Sivan 5352.
The Maharal fought hard to restore the way of learning that had existed in the time of Chazal. He especially pressed for the study of Mishnah and for chazarah, the constant reviewing of what one has learned. He grieved again and again over the neglect of both in his generation. It is told that he asked the people to take up Mishnah in groups, studying a chapter a day and reviewing it over and over. His influence was so great that other kehillos far from Prague adopted the practice.
His talmid Rav Yom Tov Lipman Heller wrote that the Maharal’s demand was like a revelation from Heaven, and that he himself joined one of these study groups. The difficulties he met in the study of Mishnah moved him to write his Tosafos Yom Tov. Rav Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz (1550–1619) wrote that the Maharal founded the daily study of a chapter of Mishnah with chavrusos after davening in all the shuls and batei knesses of Prague.
During his years as Rav in Moravia he waged a strong battle against yayin nesech, the drinking of wine forbidden because it was handled by non-Jews. He warned against it again and again in Gevuros Hashem and in his derashos. Among his enactments, he established the Mi Sheberach for those who refrain from such wine, a Mi Sheberach for those who guard their mouths and do not speak in shul, and a Yehi Ratzon against informers.
A tradition connects this to the Tosafos Yom Tov. During the terrible pogroms of Ta”ch V’Ta”t (5408 and 5409, 1648–1649), he fasted and begged to be shown from Above why such disasters had come. It was revealed to him that idle talk in shul during davening was causing a blemish in the letter vav, so that dibur, speech, was turned into dever, plague. He then composed a special prayer to increase awareness of the harm of talking in shul, and it is printed in many siddurim next to the Mi Sheberach said on Shabbos after krias haTorah. Others say the Maharal composed the prayer and that the Tosafos Yom Tov instituted its recitation in his kehillos.
The Maharal met with Emperor Rudolph II, a meeting that is well known though its subject remains a mystery. Some think the Emperor was fascinated by Kabbalah and that they spoke of Jewish mysticism and philosophy. The Megillas Yuchsin says that the meeting took place on Sunday, 3 Adar, that he was well received, and that they discussed hidden matters. The Chida recorded in Shem HaGedolim a tradition that the Maharal acted on what was revealed to him from Heaven, that he spoke privately with the Emperor for about half an hour, and that the Emperor showed him great respect.
The Maharal also criticized the way boys were taught from a very young age. He insisted that a child be taught according to his intellectual maturity, and that Gemara, and certainly Tosafos, be introduced only when a child is ready to understand it. He recommended following the program laid out in Pirkei Avos.
Teachings and seforim
The Maharal wrote a great deal, and he was perhaps the first in the Ashkenazi world to publish a super-commentary on Rashi on the Torah. This was Gur Aryeh, which appeared in eight volumes and broke new ground. It was followed by his major works of Torah thought: Gevuros Hashem on Pesach, Tiferes Yisrael on Matan Torah and Shavuos, and Netzach Yisrael on Tisha B’Av and the exile and redemption of Klal Yisroel.
In the introduction to Gevuros Hashem he mentioned plans for three more volumes: HaGedulah on Creation, Hod on Sukkos, and Shamayim V’Aretz on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It is not known whether he finished them, changed his mind, never published the manuscripts, or whether they were lost.
He also published Ohr Chadash on Purim, Ner Mitzvah on Chanukah, a series of derashos, and chiddushim on the aggados of Shas in four volumes. His Derech Chaim on Pirkei Avos fills five volumes, and Nesivos Olam, arranged according to Mishlei, treats mussar and machshavah in the words of Chazal. He left responsa and chiddushim on Shas as well. His Be’er HaGolah defends the words of Chazal, and in its sixth chapter he sharply criticizes the approach of Azariah dei Rossi in Me’or Einayim. He wrote that, in his view, the sefer should not be read, and that he wrote only to defend the honor of the Torah.
His works show a deep thinker who looks into the mysteries of creation, giving kabbalistic ideas a philosophic form. His unique approach shaped the thinking of both Chassidus and Mussar.
Later years and passing
The Maharal returned to Prague, where he passed away at a ripe old age on Chai Elul 5369 (1609). He was laid to rest in the old Jewish cemetery in Prague next to his wife, Pearl, and the two share one matzeivah.
He left one son, Betzalel, a famed son-in-law, Rav Yitzchok Katz, and many talmidim. Among them were Rav Yom Tov Lipman Heller, whose yahrzeit is 6 Elul, and Rav Dovid Ganz, author of Tzemach Dovid, whose yahrzeit is 8 Elul.
Legacy
Perhaps no other Ashkenazi Rav of his generation had so deep an influence on Jewish philosophy, mussar and Chassidus. Among the chassidic masters, Rav Yisroel Haufstein, the Koznitzer Maggid, encouraged the study and reprinting of his seforim. According to Chabad tradition, the Alter Rebbe, Rav Shneur Zalman of Liadi, descended from the Maharal and was so influenced by him that the Tanya rests largely on his teachings. His seforim were also studied and treasured in Peshischa and Kotzk.
The mussar leaders Rav Yisroel Salanter, his talmid Rav Simcha Zissel of Kelm, and Rav Yerucham Levovitz of Mir cited his ideas in their shmuessen. Rav Kook and Rav Yitzchok Hutner, author of Pachad Yitzchok, also used his teachings to explain Jewish thought.
Legend tells of the Maharal as the defender of the Jews of Prague against all their enemies, aided by a golem that he made and brought to life by placing holy words in its mouth. Kings and nobles are also said to have sought his company and advice. His shul, the Altneu Shul, still stands in Prague, preserved by the city, and in 1917 a statue was raised in his honor. In the Torah world he lives on through his seforim.
Stories
The Maharal’s Marriage
It is told that the Maharal was engaged to the daughter of Rav Shmuel ben Rav Yaakov, a great and wealthy community leader known as Reich Shmelke (Wealthy Shmelke). Reich Shmelke sent his future son-in-law to learn in Premisla, in the yeshiva of the Maharshal.
Meanwhile four tragedies struck Reich Shmelke in Prague and left him penniless. He wrote to the Maharal that he could no longer keep his promises of support. “I therefore release you from this shidduch,” he wrote, “and you are free to take another proposal.” The Maharal answered, “I wish to take your daughter for my shidduch, and I will wait for Hashem’s salvation. I will not be unfaithful.”
In the meantime the kallah opened a small shop selling baked goods, so that her aging parents would have some means of support. One day, as she sat selling her bread, a soldier on horseback rode up, speared a loaf on the point of his sword and prepared to gallop off with it. Terribly distressed, she seized the horse’s reins and cried, “Please, my good soldier, I beg you. I am a poor girl and my parents are elderly and destitute. The sale of this bread is our only source of income. Please do not take the only means of sustenance we have.”
The soldier replied, “I have not eaten for three days and I am starving. Here, take this coat as collateral. If I do not return with two coins for the loaf within twenty-four hours, you may keep the coat.” He did not return, and when they examined the coat they found that it was lined with gold coins. They wrote to the chasan that, because of this miracle, they were wealthy once again and he was welcome to come and go ahead with the chasunah. The kallah was then twenty-eight and the Maharal was thirty-two.
Her name was Pearl, a flawless jewel. She is indeed buried beside the Maharal in the old cemetery in Prague, and they share one matzeivah.
A note on the family: Reich Shmelke had a son named Yehoshua Shmelke, who was the forefather of Rav Shmelke of Ostrog and of Rav Shmelke Segal Horowitz, Av Beis Din of Trani. Rav Shmelke Segal Horowitz was the son of Rav Yehoshua HaAruch Segal, who was called HaAruch (the tall one) because he grew taller every Shabbos and shrank again on Motzaei Shabbos. He was also the ancestor of Rav Shmelke of Nikolsburg and his brother Rav Pinchas, author of the Hafla’ah.
Two Rebbes
A chassid once told of his rebbe from Peshischa, who said that everyone needs two rebbes, one from this world and one from the worlds Above, Olam HaElyon. The chassid understood that the rebbe meant the Maharal, because he was just then telling how he had gone to the Maharal’s kever in Prague.
He said that he had learned the Maharal’s seforim before davening, and that his tefillah that day was especially fluent. It is also told that, when he stood at the Maharal’s kever, he asked for three things, and promised that if they were granted he would make known the great value of the Maharal’s seforim.
Teachings
A Good Heart
The Maharal taught that a person with a good heart, lev tov, is beloved above and below, and that this one quality holds every other virtue within it. He desires the best for his fellow, and even when he sees something that looks wrong, he judges him favorably. Because he does not calculate his own loss, he does chessed even when it costs him. The heart sits in the center of the body because it is the root of the whole person, and when the heart is good, all is good. The opposite is hatred of others, rooted in an evil heart, and the Maharal explains that this is why such a heart, like the evil eye and the evil inclination, drives a person out of the world. When Hashem created the world, He called each thing good, and whatever turns toward evil turns toward leaving the world. In Gur Aryeh he applies this to Yosef and his brothers, showing how an evil eye, an evil inclination and an evil heart each appeared in the accusations Yosef carried to his father.
Nesivos Olam, Nesiv Lev Tov; Derech HaChaim on Avos 2:13–16; Gur Aryeh, Bereishis, Vayeishev (on Bereishis 37:2)
Review Your Learning
The Maharal lamented that people do not review the Torah they learn, neither Mikra, nor Mishnah, nor Gemara. He did not say this as one who thinks himself above others, and he included himself, saying that he too began in the same way. He pointed to the words of Chazal on the verse that speaks of one who shames the word of Hashem (Bamidbar 15:31): one who neglects Mishnah, and one who does not review his learning, is like a person who sows and does not reap. He explained that Torah, when first learned, is absorbed into the body of the learner, like seed buried in the earth. Reviewing it separates it from the physical, as reaping separates the grain from the ground.
Derech HaChaim on Avos 6:6 (on Sanhedrin 99a and Bamidbar 15:31)
The Maharal’s Promise
The Maharal wrote against the pursuit of pilpul that sharpens the mind but strays from the straight path of learning. He promised that one who turns away from that false path, and turns others with him toward the true and straightforward way, is the person of whom the navi said, “You will be like My own mouth” (Yirmiyahu 15:19). The Torah, he said, will shield and protect such a person in this world and in the next.
Derech HaChaim on Avos 6:6 (on Yirmiyahu 15:19)
Why Non-Jewish Wine Is Forbidden
In the laws of yayin nesech printed at the end of Gevuros Hashem, the Maharal explained that although the prohibition is rabbinic, the rabbis were stricter with it than with some Torah prohibitions, since they forbade even any benefit from such wine. The main reason for the decree, he wrote, was to prevent intermarriage and assimilation, so that Klal Yisroel would remain a separate nation and not be like the nations around it. He was pained to see people making Kiddush and Havdalah on such wine, and even drinking it for the Four Cups at the Seder. This, he said, erases the very difference between Yisroel and the nations that the redemption from Egypt created, since the four cups correspond to the four expressions of redemption.
Gevuros Hashem, Hilchos Yayin Nesech V’Issuro (on Shabbos 17b)
Seforim
- Gur Aryeh: A super-commentary on Rashi on the Torah, in eight volumes; the first of its kind in Ashkenazi lands.
- Gevuros Hashem: On the Exodus and Pesach, with Hilchos Yayin Nesech V’Issuro printed at the end.
- Tiferes Yisrael: On the greatness of Torah and mitzvos, Matan Torah and Shavuos.
- Netzach Yisrael: On exile and redemption and Tisha B’Av.
- Ohr Chadash: On Purim and the Megillas Esther.
- Ner Mitzvah: On Chanukah.
- Derech Chaim: A commentary on Pirkei Avos in five volumes.
- Nesivos Olam: Mussar and machshavah in the aggados of Chazal, arranged according to Mishlei.
- Be’er HaGolah: A defense of the words of Chazal, whose sixth chapter criticizes the approach of Azariah dei Rossi in Me’or Einayim.
- Derashos, Chiddushim on Aggados HaShas, Responsa and Chiddushim on Shas: Including the Derush L’Shabbos Shuvah, delivered in Prague in 5344, and the derashah Al HaTorah V’Hamitzvos, delivered in Posen in Sivan 5352.
Family & talmidim
Teachers: Rav Shlomo Luria, the Maharshal
Talmidim: Rav Yom Tov Lipman Heller, author of Tosafos Yom Tov, Rav Dovid Ganz, author of Tzemach Dovid
Children: Rav Betzalel (his son), Six daughters, one of whom married Rav Yitzchok Katz
Also on 18 Elul
All hilulos on 18 Elul ›Historical sources
- Megillas Yuchsin
- Tzemach Dovid
- Gevuras Ari
- Introduction to Tosafos Yom Tov on the Mishnah
- Shem HaGedolim (the Chida)