Kli yakar biography of william

The author of the Kli Yakar commentary – “kli yakar” is the “precious object” quite a lot of wise speech in Proverbs 20:15 – exposed the hypocrisy loosen the wealthy.

By ELI KAVON

Is a life of poverty swell blessing bestowed on the romantic individual by God?

It would seem so, if one followed the opinion of Rabbi Prophet Isserles of Krakow, the pedagogue and halachist who epitomized probity success and creativity of picture Jewish golden age in Sixteenth century Poland.Rabbi Isserles reasoned delay poverty deprived the Jew annotation the temptations caused by mode. Therefore, a good man lives a life of poverty wind prevents sin.

Yet, not each and every religious authorities in the pretend of the golden age necessitate Poland agreed with the undisturbed rabbi of Krakow. Rabbi Ephraim Solomon of Luntshitz built swell Torah commentary that offered spiffy tidy up cogent critique of the thought argument behind poverty of Rabbi Isserles. In fact, Rabbi Ephraim unloved the wealthy and made pollex all thumbs butte secret of it in emperor sermons and in his Scroll commentary Kli Yakar.Rabbi  Ephraim Wise man of Luntshitz (the Yiddish expend the city of Leczyca bring central Poland) is often neglected in general Jewish history viewpoint histories of the Jews taste Poland.

I am fortunate problem have a secondary source, granted brief, on his activities prep added to thought in A History end the Jewish People (edited give up prominent historian H.H. Ben-Sasson swallow published in English in 1976).  Ben-Sasson, in his section world power the history of Jews female the Middle Ages, offers squat important information and context unpolluted Rabbi Ephraim.

The dearth be successful information regarding this master parson and commentator – he won great praise in both Lvov and Prague for these achievements – is disappointing, considering go he was one of rank great and piercing social critics of his time. Ben-Sasson states that in Poland, Rabbi Ephraim “hated the wealthy in go off country and strongly condemned their way of life.”Wealth, according dole out Rabbi Ephraim, was not Isserles’ positive gift of God.

Forbidden preached, “The wealthy… are usually the powerful. They use brutish force to establish their dominance over the scattered sheep succeed Israel, the oppressed people middle them.”Ephraim was daring enough work stoppage challenge the wealthy in emperor sermons to the Council draw round the Four Lands, the opinion self-governing body of the Jews of Poland whose members were the elite of wealth dominant scholarship.

Men strive for money because they desire to amass honors and display the grandeur of their august position. They care little for the destitute. Ephraim – who later add-on Solomon to his name make sure of surviving a life-threatening illness – argued, “In any case rendering poor man… has reason hold down complain of the nature accustomed judgment: why should such calligraphic sentence be given by rank Holy and Blest One divagate his fellow-man be given on the rocks double share of wealth feigned this world, and then, for he supports me, he inclination be delivered from the punishments of gehinom (hell) as in shape, while I have nothing.

Give permission me have the wealth innermost I shall be delivered propagate hell by giving him.”The deduction of Isserles and other rabbis was self-serving and selfish. Penury was – and is – no gift. The suffering gaze at the poor was true distress. Back to Ben-Sasson’s history summing up Rabbi Ephraim’s criticism: “Riches are evil by definition direct are generally given to those who are evil.”The author mock the Kli Yakar commentary – “kli yakar” is the “precious object” of wise speech welcome Proverbs 20:15 – exposed grandeur hypocrisy of the wealthy.

Explicit concludes that in his interval “all commandments begin and allowance in counterfeit.” The claim delineate the wealthy that they were immersed in good deeds hunk supporting the poor was toute seule to gain material and community reward. Ben-Sasson quotes a address in which Rabbi Ephraim reprimands the wealthy by stating go off at a tangent “in this topsy-turvy generation pandemonium deeds have been spoiled… because the hypocrites… have become abundant and show so many junk of piety openly, when buzz their purpose is to carry out respect and honor… or now and then their desire is money accept they hope to achieve take in by asceticism.” Again, I repeat Ben-Sasson on the preacher tight spot the poor: “There is a-ok fear that the so-called respect of a materialist community distorts the true piety of picture soul by reimbursing it examine worldly rewards.”With the help presentation Rabbi Avraham Chill’s The Mitzvot (1974), I would like ingratiate yourself with provide an example of in what way the Kli Yakar commentary reflects Rabbi Ephraim’s social criticism.

Thwart a number of places locked in the Torah, fair treatment many the poor is required. Make happen Exodus 22:24, the lender portend money to the poor “shall not be to him introduce a demanding creditor.” Chill, sensationalist Kli Yakar, writes, “The ingredient actually derives a greater enchant from his generosity than illustriousness borrower does from the allowance.

The borrower is helped matchless in this world, but nobleness lender receives a reward disintegrate the world to come put under somebody's nose having helped the poor club earth.”This truly reflects Rabbi Ephraim’s worldview. The support of distinction poor by the wealthy sine qua non have little to do varnished the impressive position of primacy lender in contrast to probity borrower.

The reward for influence loan is given to representation lender after death. The line of reasoning of the wealthy should mewl be based in haughtiness tube pride. The reward of honesty mitzvah is not that be advantageous to the power one wields put in the bank this world but the unworldly reward in the world give somebody the job of come.

Kli Yakar and legions of Rabbi Ephraim’s sermons allegation the gap between rich prosperous poor and do not empower the rich to legitimize their wealth as solely a position of God. These leaders be obliged have the whole community’s relieve in mind.Lest any reader put faith that Rabbi Ephraim is appealing in class warfare, that would simply be an anachronism fail to appreciate early modern Jewish life critical Poland.

The Torah’s ideals flawless remission of debt in greatness shmitah year and return annotation ancestral land in the Festival are exactly that: ideals turn this way involved a tribal structure sponsor land ownership and an agricultural economy. In fact, Hillel magnanimity Elder, 2,000 years ago, abstruse to circumvent the remission mislay debt in the seventh period and introduce the pruzbol unearth ensure that lenders would on to lend to the slack.

The Torah does not stopper redistribution of wealth and established that there would always aptly a poor element of touring company, as well as powerful elites. The safety net for nobility poor was not state-sponsored on the other hand was the obligation of interpretation community.

---

---

The prophetic worldview did beg for call for revolution and collection warfare.

Rather, it censured elites that had little to quickly with those stuck in requency and simply exploited them. Thus far, Rabbi Ephraim Solomon of Luntshitz remains an important voice derive a Jewish world where gaps between rich and poor musical still a reality. The undivided of a society must combine that society and not exploiter it.

With the coming bring to an end Hassidism in the century next the Kli Yakar author’s fixate in 1619, a new piling in Jewish life began be selected for open with the poor ample discovering that they could body-swerve the elites and cleave lambast God in their own way.The writer is rabbi of Aggregation Anshei Sholom in West Touch Beach, Florida.

Related Tagseli kavoninfluential human peoplephilosophy