Akiva Eiger (, also spelled Eger; , ), or Akiva Güns (8 November 1761 – 12 October 1837) was a Talmudic scholar, halakhic decisor and leader of European Jewry during the early 19th century.
Eiger is considered one of the greatest Talmudic scholars of modern times and among the most prominent. His name has become synonymous with Talmudic genius in Jewish scholarly culture, and his Torah is studied in the Batei Midrash of contemporary yeshivas. His methods of study and the logic he applied remain relevant today, unlike other Aharonim who tended towards Pilpul. In addition to his significant influence on the study of the Talmud and the works of the Rishonim, Akiva Eiger had a decisive impact in the field of halakha. His glosses printed on the margins of the Shulchan Aruch, as well as his responsa in his Shut works, are foundational elements in the world of daily halachic ruling and the realm of Dayanut.See all biographies of Reb Akiva Eger; for his influence in the 20th century, see the later ones.
At the beginning of his career, he avoided taking on a rabbinical position involving halachic rulings but did not refrain from serving as a rosh yeshiva. Later, he served for 24 years as the rabbi of the town of Markisch-Friedland. His main public activity began when, after the efforts of his famous son-in-law, the Chatam Sofer, he was elected as the rabbi of the Polish district city of Posen, a position he held for 23 years, until his death.
Biography His youth Akiva Eiger was born on 1 Cheshvan 5522 (October 29, 1761).Contrary to the common dating among early biographers of Eger, who dated his birth to 14 Cheshvan 5522 (November 8, 1761), Shaul Blum's research reveals that on the wimple (a band used to adorn the Torah scroll), donated by his parents to commemorate his birth and preserved in the Eisenstadt community until shortly before World War II, it is recorded: "Born on Thursday, Rosh Chodesh Mar-Cheshvan 5522." See: Shaul Blum, The Childhood of Our Rabbi Akiva Eger, Warsaw: S. Blum, 1938, p. 7, note 1. in Eisenstadt.Sale catalog 42 of Kedem Auction House suggests that his brit milah (circumcision) and possibly his birth took place in Pressburg, where his mother's parents lived, not in Eisenstadt, where his parents resided. located in western Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary (now in Burgenland, Austria), one of the "Seven Communities."For more on Rabbi Akiva Eger in the book on Jewish communities in Burgenland, see: Hugo Gold, Gedenkbuch der untergegangenen Judengemeinden des Burgenlandes, Tel Aviv: Olamenu, 1970. His brit milah is recorded in the circumcision register of the mohel Binyamin Wolf Tevin, a leader of the Pressburg community, and it was performed on 9 Cheshvan,[Photo of the mohel's register], recording Rabbi Akiva Eger's brit milah, on the right page. not on time.Several reasons have been suggested for the delayed brit milah; it is possible that he was born during the twilight hours between 1 and 2 Cheshvan, preventing the brit on the eighth day, 8 Cheshvan. Alternatively, the delay may have been for medical reasons. He was the eldest son of Moshe Ginz and Gittel Eiger.
His mother, Gittel, whom her brother described as "righteous and learned like a man",Shut Rabbi Akiva Eger, First Edition [hereafter: Shut Eger (First Edition)], Responsa 29, a letter from his uncle and teacher, Rabbi Wolf Eger. was the daughter of Akiva Eiger of Halberstadt, author of the book Mishnat DeRabbi Akiva, rabbi of Zülz and Pressburg, considered one of the great rabbis of German Jewry and of the Holy Roman Empire. Eiger of Halberstadt at age 39, and his daughter Gittel chose to name her eldest son after him, Akiva. Akiva Eiger always signed his letters: "Akiva Ginz of AS" (Eisenstadt), like his father, but on official documents, he signed "Yaakov Moshe Eiger," where the name "Yaakov" is an anagram of "Akiva,"This was also the practice of Dr. Akiva (Jacob) Eger, Diwan for Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra, Berlin, 1886. and "Moshe" represents his father's name. Later, during his lifetime, the family adopted the mother's surname "Eiger" as it was considered genealogically more prestigious.Shaul Blum, The Childhood of Our Rabbi Akiva Eger, Warsaw 1938, p. 8, note 4. For more on the surname "Eger," see: "[Eger]," in: Heinrich W. Guggenheimer and Eva H. Guggenheimer, Jewish Family Names and Their Origins: An Etymological Dictionary, Hoboken, N.J.: Ktav Publishing House, 1992, p. 211. His father, Moshe Ginz, was the son of Shmuel Schlesinger and Sarah, the daughter of Moshe Broda, and the granddaughter of Avraham Broda, rabbi of Prague and Frankfurt.
As a child, he was recognized for his quick comprehension and phenomenal memory, and his parents directed him to study Talmud at a very young age. His name began to spread among scholars in the area when, at just six or seven years old, he solved a difficult Talmudic sugya that had stumped the greatest minds at the Breslau yeshiva for a long time without resolution. The question was sent to his father by his uncle, Rosh Yeshiva Binyamin Wolf Eiger, who later became the rabbi of Zülz and Leipnik (Lipnik). The solution proposed by the young Eiger earned him the reputation of a child prodigy and sparked curiosity. Many sought to meet him and witness his abilities firsthand.This fact appears in all biographies of Eger, from the earliest ones. See: Bleichroda, Toldot Ra'ka, p. 2; Sofer, Chut HaMeshulash, p. 174; Mordechai Weitz, Atarat Paz, p. 20; Shaul Blum, The Childhood of Our Rabbi Akiva Eger, Warsaw 1938, pp. 12–13. At the age of seven, his father sent him to Mattersdorf to study under the local rabbi, Natan Nata Frankfurter.Mordechai Weitz, Atarat Paz, p. 13. When he turned 12, he returned to Eisenstadt, where he primarily studied with his father and the city's new rabbi, Asher Lemmel from Glogau (Głogów) in Silesia, Prussia (today in Poland).Mordechai Weitz, Atarat Paz, p. 14. Weitz's hypothesis is supported by a contemporary account describing their joint study in the introduction to the manuscript Removing Doubts, a manuscript from the collection of the Jewish Museum in Prague, on the Ktiv website of the National Library of Israel.
Over the years, after his uncle (his mother's brother) recognized his level of Torah knowledge, he persuaded his parents to send him for advanced studies at his yeshiva in Breslau. Due to his age, his parents preferred to keep him close to home, so he was briefly sent to the nearby Hungarian city of Mattersdorf, to the local rabbi's yeshiva, where he strengthened his knowledge and confidence.Shaul Blum, The Childhood of Our Rabbi Akiva Eger, Warsaw 1938, p. 11, note 9. According to S. Walden, The New Great Names. At age 12 (5533, 1773), he traveled to Breslau and became the close student of his uncle, Wolf Eiger, who even designated him as his successor should he be absent. In this yeshiva, he met Yeshaya Pick Berlin, who later became the rabbi of Breslau and was known for his glosses on the Babylonian Talmud printed as additions to the Masoret HaShas on the pages of Vilna Shas.
The Lissa period
In the summer of 1781, when he was about 20 years old, he married Glickl,In some sources, she is called "Glicken" or "Glickche" – a form in High German. the 18-year-old daughter (born 1763) of the wealthy Yitzchak (Itzik) Margolis of Lissa. The wedding took place in Lissa.In his letter printed in Shut Eger (First Edition), Siman 29, his uncle describes the celebration held at the Breslau Yeshiva as participating from afar with their friend on his wedding day. According to their prior agreement, Akiva Eiger settled in Lissa. His father-in-law provided him with a large, well-furnished house, including a rich library, and also supported him financially so that he could devote himself to Torah study. During his time in Lissa, he befriended Yehuda Neuburg, the rabbi of Ravicz (Rawitsch), son-in-law of Meir Posner, author of the "Beit Meir," who later corresponded with Eiger. David Tevel ben Natan Neta of Lissa also included him in his rabbinical court during his stay in the city.
In Lissa, Akiva Eiger and Glickl had their first three children: Avraham (late 1781–1853): Avraham Eiger, Akiva Eiger's eldest son, later married a woman from Ravicz (Rawitsch) near Posen (Poznań) and settled there. He eventually became the rabbi of Rogozin. He spent much time editing and preparing his father's works for print. He died on 1 Kislev 5614 (1853) and was buried in Posen. Shlomo (1787–1852): Shlomo Eiger, later the rabbi of Kalisz, who succeeded his father as the rabbi of Posen. Sheindel (1788–?): She later married Moshe Heinrich Davidson of Bromberg.The birth and death dates of family members are based on comparing information from the main biographies of the subject of the entry and the "Eger Family" file, though some discrepancies exist. See also: Michael Simon, "The Genealogy of the Eger, Margolis-Kalberisky, and Simon Families," Tel Aviv, 1954.
While still in Lissa, Akiva Eiger established a yeshiva in the house provided by his father-in-law, and students began gathering around him, some of whom later became rabbis themselves and maintained correspondence with their teacher. This arrangement continued until the winter of 1789–1790 (5550). In the middle of Shevat 5550, Akiva Eiger's father died, and he mourned deeply. That summerThe fire is described in all biographies of Eger. Chaim Karlinsky, "Rabbi Akiva Eger Z"L," in the Jewish Journal, Issue 27, New York, Kislev 5698 – demonstrates from the chronological sequence of events that the fire should be dated to the summer of 5550 (20 Sivan, June 2 1790), rather than as some earlier biographers recorded, in the summer of 5551 (20 Sivan, June 22, 1791). Evidence for this dating comes from a collection of manuscripts describing the fire, housed in the National Library of Israel under the title: Lashon HaKodesh: The Fire Incident in Lissa in 5550, on 20 Sivan (1790), which destroyed about half of the Jewish homes. a fire broke out, destroying most of the Jewish homes in Lissa, including the properties of his father-in-law Itzik Margolis, who was left destitute with his extended family. The yeshiva students dispersed, and Akiva Eiger was forced to move to the nearby city of Ravicz, where he was appointed as a dayan (rabbinical judge). His economic situation in Ravicz worsened daily, and the small Jewish community could not afford the salaries for its religious leaders.
The Markisch-Friedland period
Initially, Akiva Eiger was reluctant to accept a rabbinical position, preferring to be a rosh yeshiva and teach students, relying on a living stipend provided by local Jewish benefactors. However, financial difficulties eventually forced him to take on a rabbinical position. In 1791, after the great fire in Lissa and the ensuing economic crisis, as well as the loss of his father-in-law's fortune, and following a trial period in the city of Ravicz, Akiva Eiger was appointed, through the intervention of his father-in-law and friends, to serve as the rabbi of Markisch-Friedland in West Prussia, a position he held for 24 years, beginning on 18 Adar I 5551.