Aaron Chorin

Aaron Chorin, also Áron Chorin ( born August 3, 1766 White Moravian churches; † August 24, 1844 in Arad ) was a Hungarian Reform rabbi.

Life

As a 14 -year-old Chorin took on a two-year study at the yeshiva of Matter village he studied with Rabbi Ezekiel Landau in Prague, where he also acquired knowledge in general philosophy, learned the German language and developed an interest in the Kabbalah. In 1783 he married and tried unsuccessfully to establish himself as a dealer. In 1789 he was appointed Rabbi of Arad and held that post until his death. In 1803 he published his book in Prague Emek ha - Schaweh in which he attacked those customs which had claimed his statement has no basis in Judaism, where he founded his reforms with policies from the Talmud. The book sparked in ultra - Orthodox circles a storm of indignation and was considered heretical. Mordechai farmer from Mikulov urged the congregation in Arad, the book with a spell ( " Cherem " ) to prove. Chorin was summoned before a rabbinical court, by its judgment, the book should be burned and of Chorin a written revocation was demanded. Chorin put but with the Hungarian government appealed, after which the conviction was overturned.

The most important innovations Chorin's concerned the synagogue liturgy. He changed the text of some prayers, the prayer Kol Nidre picked on, allowed prayers in the vernacular without headgear and allowed the use of the organ on Shabbat. In addition, he allowed Riding and writing on Shabbat and reduced the seven days of mourning after the death of a family member ( " Shiva "). As a committed fighter for secular education and the improvement of the social and cultural status of the Jews in Hungary, he called for the construction of a rabbinical seminary and a school where Jews should purchase products and agricultural knowledge. In his article Kinat ha - Emet ( " The jealousy of the truth " ), he supported the reforms introduced by Israel Jacobson. In Davar be - Itto ( " A word spoken in due time," Hebrew and German, 1820 ), he emphasized the love of God and humanity takes precedence over the positive commandments; Hillel his article, written in the form of a dialogue between Rabbi Hillel and his students Yohanan ben Zakkai, is written in the same spirit. In Orthodox circles, he was contemptuously referred to as Acher ( "another "), which is an acronym of his name is Aaron Chorin Rabbi firstly and secondly as a nickname for Elisha ben Abuja was used after his apostasy.

Pictures

Lower part of the grave inscription Aaron Chorin in Arad.