7 Tishrei · Yahrzeit
Rabbi David Oppenheim
Rabbi David ben Avraham Oppenheim was the Chief Rabbi of Prague (1664 — September 12, 1736).
Yahrzeit - 7 Tishrei
Resting place - Prague, Czech Republic
His book collection forms an important part of the Judaica department of the Bodleian Library at Oxford.
Rabbi Oppenheim was born in 1664 in Worms, where his father Avraham was the head of the community. David Oppenheim's teachers were Gershon Ashkenazi and Yaakov Sak (father of Tzvi Ashkenazi, the Chacham Tzvi). In 1681 he married Gnendel, daughter of the "court Jew" Leffmann Behrens (Lippman Cohen) of Hanover.
An Austrian rabbi, kabbalist, mathematician, and bibliophile. After studying in Metz under Gershon Ulif, Oppenheim married Genendel, daughter of Leffmann Behrens (Lippman Cohen). Thanks to the connections thus formed, combined with the vast fortune bequeathed to him by his uncle, Samuel Oppenheimer, the court agent of Vienna, he became one of the leading Jews in Germany. In 1691, Oppenheim was appointed rabbi of Nikolsburg and Chief Rabbi of Moravia. In 1698 he accepted a call to the rabbinate of Brest-Litovsk, but continued to live in Nikolsburg until 1702, when he became Chief Rabbi of Prague. In 1713, Oppenheim was appointed regional rabbi over half of Bohemia, and in 1718 over all of it. These appointments were confirmed by decrees of the Emperors Leopold I, Joseph I, and Charles VI.
Alongside his rabbinical duties, Oppenheim was engaged in major business dealings, which caused his frequent absences from Prague. Around this time, a dispute arose between him and Rabbi Jonathan Eybeschutz of Prague. The latter, taking advantage of Oppenheim's frequent absences, constantly tried to win the favor of the city's Jews. Since Oppenheim was an outstanding kabbalist, he welcomed Nehemiah Hayon, a well-known Sabbatean whose erudition he admired, and gave him both moral and material support. Moreover, when other rabbis later drew Oppenheim into the struggle against Hayon, he seemed to avoid direct attacks on him. In 1725, Oppenheim refused to sign the ban of excommunication against the Sabbateans, probably because Jonathan Eybeschutz was among the signatories. Toward the end of his life he became blind.
Oppenheim was a prolific author, but of his works only the following were published: "Moed David," tales, some of which were printed together with Judah ben Nissim's "Beit Yehuda" (Dessau, 1698); novellae on the topic "Sugya Arba Mitot" (Prague, 1725); several responsa printed in the collections "Shiyurei Knesset ha-Gedolah," "Chavot Yair," and others. The best known of his unpublished works are "Mekom David," a dictionary of all the places mentioned in the Talmud and the events that took place there; "Metzudat Tzion," a compilation; "Yad David," a commentary on the Pentateuch; "Tefila le-David," sermons; "Shelal David," containing sermons, novellae, and responsa; "Ir David," compilations and novellae; "Nishal David," responsa arranged according to the four sections of the Tur.
In 1713 Oppenheim composed selichot on the occasion of the epidemic that was then devastating Prague. In his epitaph he is praised as a great mathematician.
Oppenheim is especially known for his famous Judaica library, the foundation of which was the extensive collection left to him by his uncle, Samuel Oppenheimer, which included several valuable manuscripts. Oppenheim worked energetically to expand the library and spared neither money nor time in acquiring rare and expensive books. In 1711 he compiled a list of books he did not yet own and made efforts to obtain them. Wolf ("Bibl. Hebr.," I, 290) estimated the number of works in Oppenheim's possession at 7,000, including 1,000 manuscripts. Oppenheim wanted to open his library to public use, but could not do so in Prague because of censorship; therefore he moved it to Hanover, where it was opened under the protection of his father-in-law Leffmann Behrens, who, owing to his position, had great influence in that city.
After Oppenheim's death, the library passed into the possession of his son Joseph Oppenheim, who pawned it to a Hamburg senator for 50,000 marks ($12,000). In 1829, the collection, which had been kept in chests in Hamburg, was purchased by the Bodleian Library at Oxford for 9,000 thalers (about $6,435). It consists of kabbalistic, theological, Talmudic, philosophical, mathematical, and medical works. Its catalogues were compiled by Tychsen (Hanover, 1764), Israel Bresslau (Hamburg, 1782), Isaac Metz under the title "Kehillat David" (ib. 1826), and Jacob Goldenthal (Leipzig, 1843).
May the merit of the tzadik shield our people!
(https://dailyzohar.com/tzadikim/779-Rabbi-David-Ben-Abraham-Oppenheim)