Rabbi Meir Auerbach - "Imrei Binah"

Rabbi Meir Auerbach (1815–1878), author of "Imrei Binah", was born in Poland and served as rabbi of several well-known Jewish communities, including Kalisz. Yahrzeit - 5 Iyar Resting place - Jerusalem Rabbi Meir Auerbach (1815-1878) was born in Kowal, near Kalisz, an important city in central Poland, into a family that had produced great rabbis for centuries. He was a descendant of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman of Poznan, who lived in the second half of the sixteenth century. Rabbi Shlomo Zalman authored many scholarly works and was recognized in his generation as a holy man. Rabbi Meir Auerbach's father, Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Auerbach, who passed away in 1846, was the rabbi of Polotsk and Lenczyca and wrote the book "Sefer Divrei Chaim." Rabbi Meir Auerbach himself was an outstanding Gaon and Talmudic scholar. He became rabbi of the town of Kowal in 1840, at the young age of 25. In 1846, Rabbi Auerbach was appointed head of the rabbinical court in Koło, where he served for nine years. He later became chief rabbi of Kalisz for four years. Auerbach married Gindel of Kalisz. After her husband's death, Gindel visited his grave on the Mount of Olives together with a group of women. At some point during this visit she disappeared and was never found. Rabbi Meir Auerbach was Nasi of Kollel Polin and of the Etz Chaim Yeshiva, one of the leaders of the Ashkenazi community in Jerusalem, and the author of the book "Imrei Binah," by which he is known. He served as Av Beit Din of Kowal, and then, in 1856, as Av Beit Din of Kalisz. In his sermons, he urged the members of his community to immigrate to Palestine in order to "begin the process of redemption." Around 1860, Auerbach left Europe and traveled to the Holy Land, settling in Jerusalem. His position in Poland was taken over by Rabbi Chaim Elazar Wax. Rabbi Meir Auerbach was Nasi of Kollel Polin and of the Etz Chaim Yeshiva, one of the leaders of the Ashkenazi community in Jerusalem, and the author of the book "Imrei Binah," by which he is known. Rabbi Shmuel Salant handed over leadership of the city to him, calling him "the Rabbi of Jerusalem."   His sefer "Imrei Binah" is a commentary on the second section, on Choshen Mishpat. Minhag Yerushalayim In his sefer "Imrei Binah," Rabbi Auerbach established the wedding custom known as "Minhag Yerushalayim," which forbids playing musical instruments at a wedding within Jerusalem itself, out of respect for the Holy Temple which lies in ruins in that city. According to this custom, only percussion instruments are permitted. Rabbi Auerbach's ruling was upheld by Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin, and later by the Rabbi of Jerusalem. Today, most Ashkenazi and Hasidic weddings in Jerusalem follow this custom, although some rabbis (notably Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg) are lenient and permit the use of musical instruments. Sephardim and certain Hasidic groups, such as Ger, are not bound by this custom. Kosher Etrogim Rabbi Auerbach and Rabbi Shmuel Salant considered the Baladi citron, grown in the Arab village of Umm al-Fahm, to be the most kosher etrog. In 1860, after handing over the rabbinate of Kalisz to Rabbi Chaim Elazar Wax, Rabbi Meir Auerbach traveled to Israel and settled in Jerusalem. Rabbi Shmuel Salant, chief rabbi of Jerusalem, was about to embark on a lengthy journey to Europe on behalf of the poor communities of Israel. He appointed Rabbi Meir Auerbach chief rabbi in his absence. A few months later, when Rabbi Shmuel Salant returned, Rabbi Auerbach was prepared to relinquish the role of chief rabbi of Jerusalem in favor of Rabbi Salant. Rabbi Salant, with his keen wisdom, saw the great benefit of Rabbi Auerbach's involvement in communal affairs. He persuaded Rabbi Auerbach to remain as assistant to the chief rabbi of Jerusalem. The Son of Alexander II Rabbi Auerbach was revered as a great man by all the foreign diplomats stationed in Palestine, especially the Russian consul. Once, the tsarevich - the son of Russian Emperor Alexander II - fell ill. The Emperor sent Rabbi Auerbach, through the Russian consul, a request to gather a group of rabbis to pray for his son's recovery. Rabbi Auerbach fulfilled the Tsar's request and sent the Emperor a telegram promising that the boy would recover. At the very moment the Emperor read the telegram, the royal physicians arrived to inform His Highness that his son was miraculously coming out of danger. In gratitude, the Emperor sent Rabbi Auerbach a personal handwritten letter of thanks for his prayers. He also included a gift of one thousand rubles to be distributed among the poor scholars of Jerusalem. Rabbi Auerbach was deeply devoted to the ongoing growth and welfare of Jerusalem's expanding population and worked to open new neighborhoods for expansion. Together with Rabbi Shmuel Salant, he helped Rabbi Yosef Rivlin and Rabbi Yoel Moshe Solomon build the Nachalat Shiva neighborhood, the first Jewish neighborhood of Jerusalem built in modern times outside the walls of the Old City. The cornerstone-laying ceremony for the new neighborhood took place on Lag BaOmer, the 18th of Iyar, 5629 (1869), and by 1875 about 50 Jewish families lived in the neighborhood. He also played a leading role in establishing the Mea Shearim neighborhood. Rabbi Auerbach was greatly beloved among all strata of the community. He was appointed honorary president of the Etz Chaim Yeshiva, the Bikur Cholim Hospital, and the Beit Yaakov Hurva Synagogue. His reputation as a great scholar is attested to by his monumental work on the Shulchan Aruch entitled "Imrei Binah." On the 5th of Iyar 1878, Rabbi Meir Auerbach passed away at the relatively early age of sixty-three. May the merit of the tzadik protect Am Yisrael! https://dailyzohar.com/tzadikim/356-Rabbi-Meir-Auerbach