13 Tishrei · Yahrzeit
Rabbi Akiva Eger
Rabbi Akiva ben Moshe Eger - Akiva Güns, was an outstanding Talmudic scholar, an influential halachic authority, and a prominent leader of European Jewry in the early 19th century.
Rabbi Akiva Eger was born in Eisenstadt - the most important town of the seven Jewish communities of Burgenland, Hungary (now Austria). He was a child prodigy and was educated first at the Mattersdorf Yeshiva, and then under his uncle, Rabbi Wolf Eger (1756–1795), at the Breslau (Wrocław) Yeshiva, who later became rabbi of Biala Podlaska and Leipnik. Out of respect for his uncle, he took on the surname Eger. He thus shared the full name Akiva Eger with his maternal grandfather, the first Rabbi Akiva Eger (1722–1758), author of Mishnat De'Rebbi Akiva, who served as rabbi of Zülz, Silesia, from 1749 and of Pressburg from 1756.
He served as rabbi of Märkisch Friedland, West Prussia, from 1791 to 1815; then, for the last twenty-two years of his life, he was rabbi of the city of Posen (Poznań).
He was a staunch adherent of the old school, and his major works consisted of legal glosses and responsa on the Talmud and Shulchan Aruch. He was a resolute opponent of the Reform movement, which was beginning to make itself felt in his time.
Descendants
Two of his sons, Avraham (1781–1853), was rabbi in Kalisz, Poland, and Solomon (1785–1852), chief rabbi of Posen from 1837 to 1852. His daughter Sorel (Sarah) Eger Sofer (1790–1832) was the second wife of the Chatam Sofer (1762–1839) of Pressburg.
His son Rabbi Shlomo sat Shiva for his son Leibel Eger when the latter became a disciple of the Chassidic rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk. Leibel Eger later went on to study under Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Leiner, author of "Mei HaShiloach" and founder of the Izhbitz-Radzin dynasty, and became a Rebbe (together with Yaakov Leiner) after Rabbi Leiner's passing.
Letter from Rabbi Akiva Eger of Pressburg during the epidemic, to Rabbi Eliyahu Guttmacher
"With G-d's help. Monday, the week in which the Torah portion of Nitzavim is read in the synagogues, Posen… To Rabbi Eliyahu, head of the rabbinical court of the Jewish community of Pleschen.
I have received your letter. Regarding prayer in the synagogue, in my opinion, one should indeed not gather in a cramped space. However, one may pray in small groups… no more than 15 people, starting at the first light of dawn, and doing the same in the afternoon. After the morning and evening prayers, recite a few psalms of your choosing, followed by penitential prayers. Then mention in your prayers His Majesty [the King of Prussia], his descendants, and all who dwell in this land. Make sure that no more than the stated number gather [for prayer] – perhaps by posting a guard for this purpose.
Beware of catching cold. Everyone should wrap their loins in flannel. Do not eat bad food, especially pickled foods. Limit your consumption of fruit, fish, and beer. Do not overeat. It is better to eat small amounts, but often. Keep things clean; do not leave garbage and slops in the house. Change into clean, freshly laundered clothing several times a week. Do not worry, and try not to become agitated. Do not walk the city streets at night. During the day, when the sun is shining, it is good to take a walk outside the city to get some fresh air. Open the windows in the morning to air out the rooms. Do not leave the house on an empty stomach; on an empty stomach one should chew a bit of mustard seed or oak bark. Wash your face and hands with water each morning. Spray the rooms several times with good, strong vinegar mixed with rosewater."
When Prayers Are Accepted
A very wealthy Jew from Warsaw turned for help to Rav Shlomo Eger - son of the great 19th-century sage Rabbi Akiva Eger. His wife Rivka, daughter of Sarah, was in great need of healing, and he asked Rav Shlomo to write a letter to his father in Posen, so that the great sage would pray for his wife's health. This wealthy Jew also said that, in gratitude for his wife's recovery, he would undertake to provide warm winter clothing to 200 yeshiva students from poor families. Rav Shlomo was a very busy man, and when he wrote the letter with this request, he mistakenly wrote the sick woman's name as Sarah, daughter of Rivka.
Soon Rabbi Akiva Eger sent a reply, in which he wrote: "I prayed for the health of Sarah, daughter of Rivka, but my prayer was not accepted. Perhaps there is some error in the name of the sick woman or her mother." Rav Shlomo hurried to verify the name of the sick woman, discovered his mistake, and immediately sent a new letter. Rabbi Akiva Eger replied: "I prayed for the health of Rivka, daughter of Sarah, and my prayer was accepted."
A short time later, news arrived of the sick woman's complete recovery.
Inheritance
In the book of the great Rav Aharon Steinman, "Ke'ayal Ta'arog," it is related that a Jew left a will in which he requested that, after his death, his entire estate be given to whoever was the leader of the generation among the Jewish people. A special session of a Jewish court was convened on this matter, to decide who was the leader of the generation: Rav Chaim of Volozhin or Rabbi Akiva Eger. It was decided that it was Rabbi Akiva Eger, and the entire estate of that Jew was given to him. But he did not make use of the money himself; instead, he donated it toward the building of a Jewish hospital.
May the merit of the tzadik protect Am Yisrael!
Pilgrimage site:
Grave: Akiva Eger