1 Tishrei · Yahrzeit
Yahrzeit/Hillula of Rabbi Meir Leibush - the Malbim
Rabbi Meir Leibush ben Yechiel Michel Wisser (1809 — 1879), better known as the Malbim - מלבי"ם.
Yahrzeit - 1 Tishrei;
Burial place - Kiev.
He was a rabbi, an expert in Hebrew grammar, and a renowned commentator on the Torah. His name - Malbim - was formed as an acronym from his initials. He used this acronym as his surname in all of his published works and became widely known by it.
The Malbim was born in Volochysk, in the Volhynia region, to Yechiel Michel Wisser and his wife. His father studied Hebrew and Talmud. Orphaned in childhood, Meir was raised and educated under the guardianship of his stepfather, Rabbi Leib of Volochysk.
At the age of 13 he left to study in Warsaw, where he became known as the "illui of Volhynia." He displayed talent from early childhood, and his works show that he possessed considerable knowledge of secular sciences and history. From 1838 to 1845 he served as rabbi of Wreschen. In the final year he was called to the rabbinate of Kempen, where he remained until 1859. After that he also became known as the Kempener Maggid.
In 1859, the Malbim became chief rabbi of Bucharest, Romania. He had disagreements with the upper class and taught Jews there, some of whom were Austrian citizens (called sudiţi in Romanian), led by the well-known Dr. Iuliu Barasch. They wanted to bring changes in the spirit of modern European life into the life of the local Jewish community, as had been done in some Reform communities. The Malbim defended the traditional style of Orthodox Judaism, which required strict observance of Jewish law and tradition. He rejected almost all proposals to edit the siddur, give up beards, or make other changes to appearance or to religious observance.
The Malbim opposed the construction of a large Choral Temple with a choir and organ, similar to the Leopoldstadt Great Synagogue in Vienna. He felt it was too Christian in style. In 1864, the Choral Temple became the leading neo-Orthodox synagogue in Romania. He also condemned the founding (before his arrival) of the first two elementary schools in Bucharest for Jewish children, which offered a general education curriculum. During this period, Romanian officials encouraged such efforts to integrate Jews into mainstream Romanian life.
The Malbim's insistence on halachic observance caused part of the religious staff (shochtim, dayanim) to become hostile toward him. Through their frequent complaints, his opponents nearly succeeded in having him imprisoned. The Malbim was freed through the intervention of Sir Moses Montefiore, but on condition that he leave Romania.
The Malbim traveled to Constantinople and lodged a complaint with the Turkish government, but received no satisfaction. After spending six months in Paris, he went to Łęczyca in Russian Poland as successor to his late father-in-law, Chaim Auerbach (1866). Soon after, he became rabbi in Kherson, and from there was called to the rabbinate of Mogilev on the Dnieper (1870). There too he was a staunch defender of Judaism and provoked the displeasure of wealthier Jews; he was declared a political criminal, and the governor of Mogilev forced him to leave the city.
The Malbim went to Königsberg as chief rabbi of the Polish community, but continued to clash with Reform Jews. In 1879 the Malbim visited Vilna, where the community intended to appoint him as rabbi, but the governor of Vilna opposed the appointment. He did not wish to sanction the appointment of a rabbi who had been expelled from Mogilev as a political criminal. The Malbim turned down an offer to become chief Orthodox rabbi of New York. In September 1879, the Malbim was traveling to Kremenchug, where he had been called to serve as rabbi, when he fell ill. He passed away on Rosh Hashanah, 1 Tishrei 5640, in Kiev.
Methodology and Style
The Malbim's fame and popularity rest on his innovative commentary on the Torah. His first published commentary was on Megillat Esther (1845), followed by his commentary on most of the Hebrew Tanach.
His commentary on the Torah is based, above all, on his proven principle that there are no true synonyms in the Tanach; apparent stylistic repetitions are not truly repetitions, but each one introduces a distinct idea. His approach is described by Professor Mordechai Cohen of Yeshiva University as follows:
"Advancing a project begun in Jacob Mecklenburg's commentary on the Pentateuch, the Malbim formulates 613 grammatical principles to justify rabbinic halachic exegesis in the Sifra and elsewhere. To demonstrate the sanctity of Scripture, the Malbim developed a unique hermeneutic, which he ambitiously applied to the entire Torah, resulting in one of the monumental Jewish scholarly achievements of that era: an extensive, comprehensive commentary.... that infuses traditional Jewish linguistic, philosophical, and mystical knowledge with modern concepts of science, psychology, epistemology, logic, and metaphysics."
Works
"Artzot HaChaim," commentary on the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim section, Breslau, 1837);
"Artzot HaShalom," a collection of sermons (Krotoschin, 1839);
"HaTorah VeHaMitzvah," an analytical and innovative commentary on the Pentateuch and Midrash (Warsaw, 1874–1880).
"Ayelet HaShachar," on the differences between similar terms in Hebrew;
"Mikra'ei Kodesh," commentary on the Prophets and the Writings (ib. 1874; this commentary runs parallel in wording and in meaning; the Malbim always sought to explain the different meanings of synonyms);
"Mashal U'Melitza," a dramatic narrative in verse, against hypocrisy (Paris, 1867).
May the merit of the tzadik Rabbi Meir Leibush ben Yechiel Michel Wisser protect our people. Amen!
(Photo and text courtesy of Tzadikim.com)