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Akiva Eiger (, also spelled Eger; , ), or Akiva Güns (8 November 1761 – 12 October 1837) was a Talmudic scholar, halakha posek 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 Beth midrash of contemporary yeshivas. His methods of study and the logic he applied remain relevant today, unlike other Acharonim 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, Moses Sofer, he was elected as the rabbi of the Polish district city of Posen, a position he held for 23 years, until his death.
His mother, Gittel, whom her brother described as "righteous and learned like a man",Shut Rabbi Akiva Eger, First Edition hereafter:, 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 Mattersburg 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 Torah 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.
In Lissa, Akiva Eiger and Glickl had their first three children:
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.
Immediately upon his arrival in Markisch-Friedland, he established a yeshiva and began gathering many students, including those from his previous yeshiva in Lissa. As was customary at the time, the local Jewish community funded the rabbi's yeshiva and its students, in addition to his regular salary. The community board's protocol in Markisch-Friedland, detailing the new rabbi's salary terms, dated 8 Adar I 5551 (1791), has been preserved.Shlomo Sofer, Letters of the Scribes, Letter 3. In this agreement, under the title, his monthly salary is detailed in the local currency (Reichstaler), including special pay for his sermons on Shabbat Shuva and Shabbat HaGadol, Kimcha D'Pischa (Passover flour), Four Cups, Etrog and Lulav, free accommodation in the rabbi's residence, notary fees for certifying marriages and inheritance agreements. The agreement also specified the occasions on which the rabbi was entitled to be called to the Torah and to read the Haftarah. Additionally, it stipulated that the rabbi would serve as the Sandak (godfather) at the first brit milah (circumcision) conducted each month in the community. The initial salary was modest, and Akiva Eiger, who saw that it was insufficient to support his family, suspected that the community leaders assumed he had savings from the dowry he received from his wealthy father-in-law. However, as he did not have such funds, he approached the community board to request a raise, emphasizing that he only wished to receive the minimum necessary for his subsistence:
During the early period of his tenure in Markisch-Friedland, his fourth child, Sharl (Sarah), was born.For details on her second marriage, see below. Her birth date here is based on most of Eger's biographers and that of her second husband, the "Chatam Sofer," who dated it to 1790 (5550). However, this is uncertain: according to her uncle, Rabbi Bunim Ginz, in his letter to her second husband (Chut HaMeshulash, p. 14), she was born around 5548 (1788). On the other hand, Dr. Abraham Chaim Freiman, a researcher of Jewish law, claimed in the introduction to his article From the Writings of Rabbi Akiva Eger, in Azkara, vol. 3, Jerusalem, 5697, p. 44, that a letter from Rabbi Akiva Eger dated 1807 (5567) concerning a match for his 13-year-old daughter accurately reflects her age. Consequently, he determined she was born around 5554 (1794). However, a later article refuted Freiman's conclusion: a photograph of the autograph reveals that the letter was written in 1800 (5560), not 1807, necessitating moving her birth back seven years to approximately 5547–5548 (1787). See: Avraham Shisha, To Clarify the Exact Date of a Letter from Our Rabbi Akiva Eger and Its Implications, in HaMaayan Year 22, Issue 3, 5742, pp. 47–48. She was married in her first match to Avraham Moshe Kalischer, the rabbi of Schneidermuhl, the son of Yehuda Leib Kalischer of Lissa, author of the "Yad HaChazakah." His daughter Tzipora, born in Markisch-Friedland, died in her youth.Mordechai Weitz, Atarat Paz, p. 40.
During the Markisch-Friedland period, Akiva Eiger established his first students.Rabbi Naftali Tzvi of Bleicherode, his student from this period, later became his grandson-in-law when he married the daughter of Rabbi Avraham Eger. His innovations on the Talmud and his annotations on the Mishnah and Shulchan Aruch were mostly written there. Akiva Eiger began responding to halachic queries from across Europe and became known as one of the greatest halachic respondents of his generation. His responsa from this period are addressed to the rabbis of major communities in Italy, Germany, Moravia, Poland, and Russia.Shaul Blum, "Our Rabbi Akiva Eger in Markisch-Friedland (5552–5576)," Warsaw, 1938, p. 30 (Blum lists the names of the communities: Berlin, Białystok, Grodno, Glogau, Danzig, Dresden, Warsaw, Vilnius, Lentsitz, Lipník nad Bečvou, Kaunas, and Strasbourg). Even the local authorities entrusted him with decisions concerning Jewish life.
In addition to issuing halachic rulings, studying, and spreading Torah, Akiva Eiger was involved in all public needs in his city, especially those of the disadvantaged. He served as a member of the board of directors in all charity organizations in the city and even founded specific charitable organizations for neglected areas until his arrival. At his initiative, the city established the "Holy Society for Wood Distribution," a charitable fund aimed at ensuring a steady supply of firewood to heat the homes of the poor during the harsh winter.Chaim Karlinsky, Rabbi Akiva Eger Z"L, in the Jewish Journal – Issue 27, New York, Kislev 5698.
Shortly before his wife's death, Akiva Eiger received an offer to assume the rabbinic position in Leipnik after the previous rabbi, Benjamin Wolf Eiger, Akiva Eiger's uncle and mentor, died, leaving the position vacant. The offer remained open until after his second marriage, but ultimately, it did not materialize.Shaul Blum, "Our Rabbi Akiva Eger in Markisch-Friedland: (5552–5576)," Warsaw 5698, p. 47. The matter is discussed in a congratulatory letter on his second marriage written by his friend and relative, Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch of Zamocz, published in his responsa "Tiferet Tzvi," Siman 49.
Following his wife's death, Akiva Eiger contemplated resigning from his rabbinical post: This thought did not come to fruition.
In 1801 (5561), their first son was born. Akiva Eiger named him Moshe after his father, who had died about a decade earlier.
In 1802 (5562), after the death of Meshulam Igra, the rabbinic seat of Pressburg became vacant, and Akiva Eiger was among the leading candidates proposed by the local community board, but ultimately, Moshe Sofer (the "Chasam Sofer"), who later became Akiva Eiger's son-in-law, was appointed.Shlomo Sofer, The New Triple Thread (Chut HaMeshulash HaChadash), p. 58. The other two candidates were Rabbi Baruch Frankel-Teomim of Leipnik, author of "Baruch Taam," and Rabbi Shalom Ullman, then the rabbi of Lukinbach.
In 1805 (5565), Akiva Eiger's fourth son was born and named after his uncle and mentor, Benjamin Wolf, the rabbi of Leipnik. Benjamin Wolf Eiger (the second) was a learned Torah scholar and resided in Berlin.He married Basha from the Finkelstein family of Berlin. The legend surrounding his marriage, claiming he married into a Jewish family from Belarus and the wedding took place in Minsk, is puzzling and might have occurred under different circumstances (see below for details about his son Shmuel, who lived in Minsk. Indeed, in the "New Great Names" (unpublished), this legend is mentioned regarding Shmuel's marriage). In 1806 (5566), his daughter Hadassah was born; she later married Meir Aryeh Leib HaKohen Rosens of Brody, and after her death (before 1837), he married her younger sister, Beila.Details about her can be found below. In 1807 (5567), his son Feibelman was born but died the following year.Sofer, Record This Memory (Ktav Zot Zikaron), p. 23, writes: "Rabbi Feibelman... died young," but according to the Eger Family file, he died at the age of one year. Another daughter born to him in Markisch-Friedland was Rodish, wife of Wolf Schiff of Wolnstein (d. 1849). The Eger Family, Tree G.
In the summer of 1810 (5570), Akiva Eiger was offered to leave Markisch-Friedland for the rabbinic position of his hometown, Eisenstadt. A rabbinic contract was sent to him, where the community leaders, aware of the salary issues in the poor community Akiva Eiger was serving, offered generous terms, including appointing two individuals to oversee the rabbi's livelihood. Akiva Eiger had already given his consent in principle.Evidence for this is provided by Blum (Shaul Blum, "Our Rabbi Akiva Eger in Markisch-Friedland: (5552–5576)," Warsaw, 5698, p. 49) from a letter by Rabbi Akiva Eger kept in Rabbi Avraham Tiktin's archive, in which he conditions his stay in Markisch-Friedland on the advice of his rabbinic colleagues, provided that the Jewish community of Eisenstadt "forgives my words." However, his friends, the rabbis of the cities Lissa, Berlin, and Rawitsch, prevented him from taking the position, and the appointment did not materialize.The full appointment document is printed in the book Iggrot Sofrim (Letters of Scholars), pp. 5–6. Rabbi Akiva Eger mentions the opposition of his friends in a letter on another matter printed there, pp. 13–14.
In the summer of 1811 (5571), Akiva Eiger's mother died in Eisenstadt. Later that year, a daughter was born to him, named Gitel after his mother. She later married Shmuel Kornfeld. A year later (1812), his young son-in-law, Avraham Moshe Kalischer, who was then the rabbi of Schneidermuhl, died, leaving Akiva Eiger's daughter, Sherel, aged 22, with their two daughters: Glickl (who died in childhood) and Radish (wife of Yosef Gins). Akiva Eiger urgently wrote about her in a letter to Moses Sofer, the rabbi of Pressburg, asking if he knew of a suitable widower in his community for his daughter. Sofer, who had recently been widowed from his first wife, forwarded the letter to his close associate, Daniel Proshtitz, who then wrote to Akiva Eiger, suggesting he match his daughter with the rabbi of Pressburg. At the same time, Bunim Eiger, Akiva Eiger's brother and the rabbi of Mattersdorf, reached out to Sofer, his friend, and to his brother, Akiva Eiger, supporting the match idea.For more on the match story, popular legends associated with it, the Tenayim (marriage agreement) document, and attempts to delay it by some members of the Pressburg community, see The New Triple Thread (Chut HaMeshulash HaChadash), pp. 68–71. The wedding took place in early winter of 1813 in Eisenstadt.
Akiva Eiger's friendship with Sofer began even before they became family through marriage, as they exchanged letters on halachic and communal matters. The age gap between them was less than a year: Akiva Eiger was born in October 1761, while Sofer was born in September 1762. A popular legend highlights the sensitivity of Akiva Eiger towards others’ feelings, portraying his character as compassionate. This story takes place during a meeting between Akiva Eiger and two other Torah giants of his generation: Sofer and Yaakov Lorberbaum of Lissa, author of "Netivot HaMishpat." The legend, while elevating Akiva Eiger's status as a wonder worker, also shows the near-blind reverence people held for him: During this meeting, the two rabbis visited Akiva Eiger's home. Pleased with their visit, Akiva Eiger invited them to dine with him and assigned one of his yeshiva students to serve the meal. During the meal, the rabbi of Lissa shared a complex discussion involving several Talmudic topics. When he finished, Akiva Eiger asked his son-in-law for his opinion, and Sofer expressed, at length, his view that the rabbi of Lissa's argument was untenable. Sensing that the rabbi of Lissa was displeased with the turn of events, Akiva Eiger, in his sensitivity, asked the student serving as a waiter for his opinion on the dispute between the two rabbis. To everyone's surprise, the student declared that the rabbi of Lissa was correct, outlining the points of disagreement, refuting Sofer's position, and proving the truth of the Lissa rabbi's argument. According to the legend, the Chasam Sofer later remarked that the student's arguments were beyond his Torah knowledge and that it was unlikely he could have followed the discussion while serving the meal.Yosef Reuven Zlotofler, Zchuyot Yosef, Rishon LeZion 5736, Vol. 3, p. 154, Section 121. This legend also appears in other early sources. However:
Immediately after his wedding, the Chasam Sofer began searching for a rabbinic position for his father-in-law in a major city befitting his stature and standing in the Jewish community. One proposal was for the rabbinate of Trešt (Třešť), Moravia. For an unknown reason, Akiva Eiger was not chosen for the position, and the community of Trešt decided to appoint Elazar Löw, author of "Shemen Rokeach."
Delegates from the community board came to Akiva Eiger's home, but he hesitated and refused to immediately take on a responsible position in a large city like Posen. In his letter to the community board, he requested time to decide and promised to respond either positively or negatively before Passover. Meanwhile, news of the proposed appointment spread in Posen, causing unrest among some Jews in the city who argued that the appointment of an "old-fashioned" rabbi like Akiva Eiger was unsuitable for a progressive community like Posen's. Twenty-two community members lodged a complaint with the local governor, Zbroni di Sposeti, arguing that Posen needed only a preacher who would focus on ethics and moral rectification. The community board tried to defend itself by claiming that since the election process was legitimate, the rest was a private matter of the Jewish community. However, to no avail; the authorities enforced new elections.
As the delays continued in Posen and the knowledge that Akiva Eiger had grown tired of his long tenure in Markisch-Friedland spread, the community of Kornik, a small community of about 1,000 Jews in a small town of approximately 3,000 residents, tried its luck and sent Akiva Eiger its own "rabbinic contract" on the 18th of Shevat 5575.The rabbinic contract was preserved within the "Kornik Register" located in the manuscript collection of the Jewish Theological Seminary Library in New York and available on microfilm at the Institute of Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts (No. 29708).HebrewBooks, Nadav, "The Rabbinic Contract of the Kornik Community to Rabbi Akiva Eger", 1981, p. 172–180 It is possible that the Kornik community board assumed that Akiva Eiger had become tired of Markisch-Friedland's rabbinate but was not yet ready for a large rabbinate like Posen. The financial conditions offered in the Kornik contract were more generous than those in Posen. Akiva Eiger ultimately declined Kornik's offer for unknown reasons and accepted Posen's offer in the spring, despite the ongoing internal dispute within Posen.See Iggrot Sofrim (Letters of Scholars), pp. 13–15 for his letters from Iyar 5575 on this matter.The offer from Kornik is mentioned by HebrewBooks, Blum, "Life of the Gaon", p. 47, contrary to Mordechai Nadav's emphasis in his article ‘The Rabbinic Contract of the Kornik Community to Rabbi Akiva Eger,’ p. 172, 177, which claims the offer was unknown to earlier biographers of Rabbi Akiva Eger, and lists Blum among them (Mordechai Nadav, 'The Rabbinic Contract,' Arshet, 6 (1981): p. 172–180).
Thus, Akiva Eiger's appointment was delayed until the month of Elul 5575. In the rabbinic contract sent to Akiva Eiger in this month, it was written:The rabbinic contract is presented here according to: Yehuda Louis Levin, 'The Rabbinic Letter Sent by the Posen Community to Rabbi Akiva Eger,' in Kovetz Al Yad Year 19, Berlin: Mekitzei Nerudim], 5663. Levin copied it from the Posen Community Register Volume iii. See also the copies by Sofer, Iggrot Sofrim (Letters of Scholars), pp. 8–11; HebrewBooks, Blum, "Life of the Gaon", p. 61–62.
In the year 5578 (1818), his son Shmuel was born; he later resided in Minsk after his marriage. In 5581 (1820 or 1821), his son Simcha Bunim Eiger of Breslau (who died in 5628, 1868) was born.See about him: Meir Wunder, Encyclopedia of Galician Rabbis, Part 1, p. 87. According to "The Eger Family," he was married to Golda Silber. A scholar who spent his last twenty years in Brezan, Galicia, his father's book "K'tav Ve'Hotam" was printed from his manuscripts. In 5582 (1822), his daughter Beila was born. After the death of her older sister Hadassah, she married her brother-in-law Meir Aryeh Leib HaCohen Rosenz from Brody.Their son is Yaakov Rosenz, see details in the chapter "His Descendants". Two years later, in 5584, his son David Eiger of Breslau was born. In 5587 (1827), his daughter Yitta was born (she died in 5641, 1881); she married Shimon Berliner. Other daughters born to him in Posen include: Freida (Freidke) (who died on the first day of Passover 5637Hillel Noah Maggid Steinshneider, City of Vilna, p. 266, note 4.), wife of Simcha Ephraim Fishel Gertshtein (Gradstein) of Lublin, who was also the brother-in-law of Akiva Eiger's grandson Leibele Eiger. And Rivka Rachel (?–5649, 1889), wife of Chaim Shmuel Birnbaum of Dubno, author of the books "Rachash Levav" and "Maaseh Chashav".Her second husband was Rabbi Yitzchak Yehuda Shmelkish, author of the responsa "Beit Yitzchak," one of the major rabbis and halachic authorities in Galicia.
Even in Posen, he simultaneously served as the head of the yeshiva while holding the rabbinate. His tenure in Posen lasted approximately 23 years until his death.
No time was allocated for lunch, and a bowl of soup was served to him while he delved into the Gemara open before him. Between 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm, he rested on his bed, armed with a pencil, while reviewing new books brought to him and annotating the margins.
From 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, he sat as a judge in the community's court, and the community board meetings were scheduled during these hours to allow his participation, taking place in the courtroom. After the court proceedings, which usually ended before 4:00 pm, he drank a glass of wine, adhering to the halachic ruling that a judge should not issue rulings after drinking wine. He then visited community members, comforting the sick and consoling mourners, a task that often took a long time due to his commitment to visiting individuals from all societal layers. This practice ceased over the years as his communal duties increased. He found a halachic solution to the obligation of visiting the sick by hiring a special messenger who visited the sick on his behalf and provided detailed reports on their medical conditions.Rabbi Hillel Lichtenstein relayed: (Hillel Lichtenstein, Maskil El Dal, Lemberg 5631, Part 4, Section 2, Question 1, p. 11b, note). This solution became a subject of halachic discourse between Rabbi Eliyahu David Rabinowitz-Teomim (the Aderet) and his brother Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Rabinowitz-Teomim. For more on this topic, see: HaMaayan, Rabbi Israel Dandrowitz, Avoiding the Mitzvah of Visiting the Sick, Issue 200, Tevet 5772, pp. 147–154.
At 4:00 PM, he prayed Mincha (afternoon prayer), which he set at this relatively early time to maintain a consistent schedule even during the winter, when sunset occurs earlier. He used to pray the afternoon prayer wearing tefillin. After Mincha, he delivered a halachic lesson from the book "Magen Avraham," until the Maariv (evening prayer).
The hours from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm were dedicated to reading letters sent to him from across the Jewish diaspora in Europe and beyond and responding to them. Afterward, he studied until midnight, then he would go to sleep.His daily schedule was printed posthumously in German in Ignatz Reich's book, Beth-El: Ehrentempel verdienter ungarischer Israeliten, Budapest, 1868, pp. 192–193, note; here it is provided according to the translation by Chaya Markowitz, cited in the article by Shlomo Yehuda Spitzer, There Was No One Like Him Among the Rabbis of Our Generation, in "Ali Zikaron: Records of Individuals and Communities," Issue 3, pp. 2–5. A nearly identical schedule is provided by Avraham Ovadia (Gottesdiner), Rabbi Akiva Eger, Jerusalem 5698. "Sinai", Volume 1, pp. 763–764.
Akiva Eiger was very active in the Jewish public sphere both in Posen and beyond, involved in numerous cases affecting the lives of Jews in Prussia and Poland. Below are some of the major cases he managed:
Akiva Eiger personally supervised the hospital's management and wrote its operating regulations. The hospital provided medical care to hundreds of patients annually at a reduced cost, and those with limited means received free treatment and hospitalization. Wanting to distance the Jewish community leadership, which he suspected of being influenced by the Haskalah, Akiva Eiger ensured the institution's funding came from philanthropists rather than the local community funds. This move provoked the community leaders, who appealed to the authorities to enforce a clause in the law stating that all Jewish institutions in the city should be under the governance of the community leadership. The rabbi defended himself by stating that according to Latz's will, the institution, built with his funds, could not be placed under the community leaders’ control, and he invited the authorities to send an inspector to the institution. The inspector's examination revealed that the institution was managed according to regulations and that there was no suspicion of embezzlement of public funds. The inspector concluded with a recommendation that the authorities reprimand the community leaders for their petty complaint. Later attempts at mediation proposed by the community leaders, which involved signing an agreement to change the institution's regulations after the rabbi's death, were rejected. In practice, the regulations were preserved even after the rabbi's death, and even after "Beit Latz" was repurposed as a retirement home for the communityMeir Wunder, The Jewish Hospital Established by Rabbi Akiva Eger, Paths of Medicine, Issue 1, 1979, pp. 81–84.
Akiva Eiger threw his full public weight into the matter. In his letter dated the 3rd of Tammuz (June 20), he addressed Lifshitz senior, who was then the rabbi of Khadzyets, demanding that he cease his lobbying efforts and withdraw his son's candidacy. In the absence of voluntary compliance by the Lifshitz rabbis, he wrote: Lifshitz's response is lost, but from Akiva Eiger's reply dated the 14th of Tammuz (July 1), it is clear that he reiterated his stance, emphasizing that he would not allow the young Lifshitz to issue halachic rulings in Wornik at all, not even temporarily or on simple matters. Two days earlier, he sent a personal letter to the young Lifshitz, opening it without the rabbinic title "To Mr. the bachelor Baruch, son of the rabbi of Khadzyets", instructing him not to issue rulings in Wornik even on minor issues, emphasizing that conducting wedding ceremonies was also considered issuing a halachic ruling in this context, and was thus forbidden to him.
In parallel, he wrote to the town's shochet instructing him not to bring any Kosher regarding animals or poultry before "the bachelor Baruch Yitzchak" and not to allow him to check the slaughtering knife or examine it under his supervision. In additional letters to the Wornik community board and the rabbis of neighbouring towns, he emphasized that he had no personal interest in the matter, that his sole intention was for the sake of Heaven, and he requested that the regional rabbis join him in a ruling that unless the new rabbi passed an examination before the regional rabbis, himself included, he was not permitted to issue halachic rulings and meat from his community should not be consumed.The full text of his letters on this matter was published in the journal HaTzofeh Me'Eretz HaGer, Year 4, pp. 72–77, "Records from Meir AB"R," and from there in Iggrot Sofrim, letters 31–38.
In later years, Baruch Yitzchak Lifshitz became a preacher in Hamburg and authored several books. His prominent work is his notes on his father's Mishnah commentary "Tiferet Yisrael," which he signed: Avi—an acronym for "Amar Baruch Yitzchak" (said Baruch Yitzchak).See about him: Yechezkel Dukkes, Chachmei Ahavu, Hamburg 1908, No. 122 (p. 126).
In Elul 5597 (1837), Akiva Eiger fell seriously ill. A slight improvement occurred during the Ten Days of Repentance of 5598, and he appeared for public Yom Kippur prayers. However, the day after Yom Kippur, he developed a severe pneumonia, and three days later, on the 13th of Tishrei 5598, he died in Posen at the age of 76. He left behind fifteen children, several of whom from his second marriage were still unmarried at his death. His last wife had died a year before him, leaving their children orphaned. In his will, he allocated a certain sum for their wedding expenses.
Upon the news of his death, the local Jewish leadership declared a "work cessation," a general order to close shops and businesses to pay last respects to such an important figure. The entire Jewish community of Posen attended his funeral, along with members of the city's upper non-Jewish classes, government officials, and the bishop of Posen.HebrewBooks, Shaul Blum, "Our Rabbi Rabbi Akiva Eger in His Last Days", The Life of Our Gaon Rabbi Akiva Eger', Warsaw 5698, p. 96, according to Dr. L. Worshner's book, Rabbi Akiva Eger.
According to his will, Akiva Eiger was eulogized only at the gravesite, rather than at the start of the funeral procession as was customary. The will was publicly released a few days after his death, wherein Akiva Eiger forbade his students from eulogizing him and asked that they study in his merit during the year of mourning and on the anniversary in the following years. The text of the will was published in German in the Jewish press: Akiva Eiger also specified the exact wording he wished to be inscribed on his gravestone to prevent any honorific titles that did not align with his modesty during his life. The gravestone inscription according to his will:
The community members, wanting to honor their rabbi who, in their view, had humbly downplayed his own status, took the liberty of expanding R' to Rabbenu (instead of Reb). The original gravestone of Akiva Eiger in the Jewish cemetery of Posen was destroyed during World War II, and afterward, a new marble gravestone was placed at the assumed location of his grave, now situated within a residential street, with the inscription quoting the old gravestone.
Despite Akiva Eiger's directive against being eulogized after his death, fearing that future generations might interpret it as neglect or disregard, one of his students published a mournful poem titled "Unique Mourning",Raphael Firshental, Unique Mourning, Breslau 1837 – Introduction, Chapters 3–4 explaining that by doing so, his rabbi's words were being observed in letter, if not in spirit. A rhymed passage from the poem's introduction justifies the act of eulogy, reflecting the shock and silence that struck the Jewish world upon Akiva Eiger's death:
Additional mourning pamphlets were printed and circulated after his death, including:Poems and eulogies about Rabbi Akiva Eger's death were printed in many other sources that did not dedicate full prints; see, for example: David Luntel, Ayelet HaShachar: A book including various poems and parables, proverbs and fables, praise songs and dirges, Warsaw 1844. pp. 86–92
On behalf of the community, it was announced at the sealing of the grave that his son, Shlomo Eiger, who until then served as the rabbi of Kalisz, would be his successor as the rabbi of PosenOn the conduct of R' Shlomo Eger during the mourning period for his father, see his notes printed on the margins of the "Shulchan Aruch," titled "Gilyon Maharsheh," regarding the custom of mourners to change their place in the synagogue, and the prohibition of public mourning on Shabbat: (Gilyon Maharsheh, Shulchan Aruch Yoreh De'ah, Hilchot Aveilut, siman 393, on the Shach s"k 7).
The writer Alter Druyanov recounts, based on the historian Shaul Pinchas Rabinovitch (Shapir), Akiva Eiger's encounter with the students of the Rabbinical Seminary of Warsaw and his sarcastic remarks towards them:
Despite the above, when modernity was possible or necessary within Orthodox boundaries, he did not oppose it. His disciples were the first among Orthodox rabbis to introduce the practice of delivering speeches, sermons, and eulogies in German, considering it a practical adaptation to the language of their listeners and not a remnant of modernity. During his lifetime, in 1821, his disciple Shlomo Plessner delivered a eulogy in modern German for Avraham Tiktin of Breslau, and since then, this practice gradually became accepted among all German Orthodox rabbis.Mordechai Breuer, The Emancipation and the Rabbis. The article, translated into Hebrew, was published in his book Asif: Miscellaneous Writings, hereinafter:, Jerusalem, 1999.
Rabbi Eger's biographer, Mordechai Weitz, Ateret Paz, pp. 45–64, recounts based on a Hasidic tradition that he respected Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Peshischa when the latter visited his home and even considered reciprocating the visit. However, his son prevented it, stating that "it would be disrespectful for his father to humble himself before a Hasidic rabbi." Mordechai Wilensky, a researcher of the opposition to Hasidism ( Hasidim and Mitnagdim Vol. 1, Jerusalem: Bialik Institute 1970, expanded and revised edition 1990, pp. 335 onwards), also notes that Rabbi Eger's son, Rabbi Shlomo, known for his firm opposition to Hasidism, warned one of his sons "not to speak ill of a group of Hasidim... as all gossip is bad." See also: Eliezer Emmanuel Horowitz, Divrei Chaim Vol. 1, Introduction, p. 68, the biography of Rabbi Yeshaya of Peshdebozh, claiming that Rabbi Eger studied in his youth with the rabbi of Peshdebozh, who became a Hasid, and because of this acquaintance, he refused to accept the view that Hasidim were 'destroyers of the Torah'.
Evidence supporting Akiva Eiger's moderate attitude towards Hasidism can be found in a letter from Eiger's son-in-law, Shmuel Chaim Birnbaum, to his nephew Yehuda Leib Eiger of Lublin, where he describes, in response to his inquiry, details of daily life in his grandfather's home, mentioning among other things the books used:Before 1805, while still serving as rabbi in Markish-Friedland, the Hasidim spread a rumour that he leaned towards Hasidism or had even joined the movement. Shlomo Zalman Lipshitz, the "Chemdat Shlomo," refuted this rumour in a letter to his son.Notes in his handwriting on a copy of Rabbi David of Makov's letter on the history of the controversy with the Hasidim, which he passed on to his son, stating: "... And regarding the claim that the Gaon Rabbi Akiva went to the known place, it is a lie and falsehood..." Wilensky dates the letter to 1805, explaining its reference to the rumour spread by the Hasidim. In retaliation, a rumour spread from the opposing camp that Akiva Eiger had issued a harsh letter against Hasidism and the Hasidim. Dovber Schneuri, the "Mitteler Rebbe," leader of Chabad, in his letter to his nephew, son-in-law, and successor the Tzemach Tzedek of Lubavitch, recounts his meeting with Akiva Eiger in 1825.According to Chaim Mordechai Perlov, Likutei Sipurim, New York, 1992, the meeting took place in the Czech spa town of Marienbad (Mariánské Lázně); however, the historiographer and Hasidic researcher Yitzhak Alfasi, (HaMeirim LeAretz: The History of the Chabad Rebbes, p. 130) believes the meeting was on the way to Karlovy Vary. See also: Yehoshua Mondshine (editor), Maamar "Al Tatzar Et Moav": by Rabbi Dovber, the Mitteler Rebbe, delivered before Rabbi Akiva Eger in Posen, Parashat Devarim 1825. Brooklyn, NY: Keren Hod Torah, 1976. It appears the visit was at Rabbi Eger's home. Akiva Eiger denied authorship of the harsh letter attributed to him. He wrote:
In his letter from Kislev 5593 (winter of 1833) to his son Abraham, he instructed not to duplicate responsa he had written to different people on the same topic, even if some contain additions and innovations. He stated, and preferred to edit the central responsum and incorporate later additions within it,
He also addressed the question of the quality of the printing, the paper, the ink, and the font, as he believed that the aesthetics of the print, seemingly external, had an impact on how the text was perceived by the reader. In one of his letters, printed by his sons in their introduction to the book of responsa, he expressed:
Regarding the standard honorific titles typically included in such letters and usually copied verbatim into printed responsa literature, he strongly rejected the practice, preferring that no titles, even minimal ones, be quoted:
Since many of these novellae collections were not organized according to the Talmud's order, and due to the multitude of collections that made it difficult for scholars to follow all of Eiger's insights on a given topic, there arose a need for a project that would arrange all of his numerous writings according to the order of the Babylonian Talmud. Such a project encountered many difficulties due to issues of copyright, held by numerous entities, and it also required a scholarly authority to guide the work.
From the early 1980s, several editions of Akiva Eiger's novellae on the Talmud were published according to this vision. The oldest among them is the "Zichron Yaakov" edition, printed between 1981 and 1983 in four volumes, which has since received numerous reprints. This edition has become the standard and popular edition of Eiger's novellae due to its smaller number of volumes and their compact size. At the beginning and end of each volume, indexes of sources were printed to maintain minimalism within the text pages and not to overload information.
A highly expanded edition, covering even relatively minor references from Eiger, began to be published in 1990 under the editorship of Shlomo Arieli. In this edition, a separate volume was dedicated to each tractate, and some tractates were divided into two volumes. Although this project was not completed, it provided Eiger's insights on most tractates studied in yeshivot. Another edition in this style, called "Torat Rabbeinu Akiva Eiger," was edited by David Metzger (Maor Institute, 2005), and it consists of six volumes.
In recent years, a fully annotated edition of Akiva Eiger's glosses has been published, which organizes and expands upon his notes according to the full text. An annotated edition of the glosses on selected tractates was also published. Research into these annotations has been conducted by Chaim Dov Shavel, who partially published his findings in his book "The Teachings of Akiva Eiger in the Glosses of the Talmud" in 1959 (covering parts of Seder Moed). He continued his research on Eiger's glosses for all of Seder Moed, Seder Nashim, and parts of Seder Nezikin, publishing articles on these topics in the journal "HaDarom." In 1972, a second volume of his book was published, compiling his studies on the remaining tractates of Seder Moed.
Most of the notes in the "Glosses of the Talmud" also appear in different forms in Eiger's other, more detailed writings, such as "Derush V’Chiddush." Therefore, it is customary to compare them to discern his precise intention in places where he was highly concise.
Given the extensive focus on his questions, books compiling his unanswered queries have also been published. In 1982, his descendants published the book Kushiot Atzumot from his manuscript, containing 1,401 questions, many of which had not appeared in his previously printed works. These collections were integrated, as much as possible, into the volumes of his Talmudic teachings.
As early as 1876, just forty years after the first publication of his book "Derush V’Chiddush," Eiger's questions became widespread in study halls and served as the basis for Torah works primarily aimed at resolving these questions. Yissachar Dov Heltercht from Lubraniec published his book Chazot Kashot, stating: In 1898, Yitzchak Tzvi Aronovsky printed his book Yad Yitzchak in VilnaSee HebrewBooks, Yitzchak Tzvi Aronovsky, Yad Yitzchak. In 1905–1912, Binyamin Rabinowitz published in Jerusalem his book Mishnat Rabbi Binyamin,See HebrewBooks, Binyamin Rabinowitz, Mishnat Rabbi Binyamin. which In 1934–1937, Moshe Avraham from Wienchter printed his book "Ganon V’Hatzil" in Brooklyn,See HebrewBooks, Moshe Avraham Wienchter, Ganon V’Hatzil. dedicated to In 1979, a book titled Choshen Yeshuot was published in Jerusalem. On the title page, the author, Avraham Zilberman, claimed that he "answers all of the questions of Akiva Eiger of blessed memory on Orders Nashim and Nezikin."
Another ongoing attempt was made by Shmuel Aharon Shazuri, who dedicated a regular column titled "Asheshot" in his journal Kol TorahSee HebrewBooks, Kol Torah systematically aimed at resolving Eiger's questions in the margins of the Talmud.
About a month later, he confirmed in a letter that the annotations were suitable for print. However, the printing of the annotations was delayed for over twenty years after Eiger's death, and they were first printed in Berlin in 1862 by his grandson Avraham Moshe Bleicherode. Concurrently, his son R. Itzik Leib printed another edition of his father's annotations on the Shulchan Aruch in Johannisburg (Pisz), Prussia. Other manuscripts of the annotations also exist. At the end of the 20th century, a comparative edition of Eiger's annotations on the Shulchan Aruch, including the various versions, was published.See introduction to the 'Shulchan Aruch HaShalem', Jerusalem: Machon Yerushalayim, 1994, pp. 114–118.
Akiva Eiger used to write his notes on the margins of the books in his library. As a result, besides his printed annotations on the margins of the Babylonian Talmud and the Shulchan Aruch, many books from his library, which dispersed over the years, are held by collectors and continue to be discovered and published from time to time in Torah compilations.For example: annotations on the book "Elijah Spira" in Morasha, Vol. 12: Issue (7–9) 104–108, 1984; annotations on the responsa "Teshuvah MeAhavah" Vol. 3, Morasha, Vol. 16: Issue (3–4) 33–38, 1988; annotations on "Kenesset HaGedolah" Orach Chaim, Morasha, Vol. 19: Issue (5–6) 24–25, 1994. Sometimes, he had several copies of the same book in his library, and his notes were recorded randomly on different copies. Due to the high value placed on Eiger's writings in the yeshiva world, even his duplicated annotations receive printed editions, even when the book on which they were written is not a foundational work like the Shulchan Aruch.See, for example: Rabbi Akiva Eger's Margins on Eliyah Rabbah, Jerusalem 2003. The title page states: "Published from two copies of the Eliyah Rabbah margins from our Rabbi." This edition is based on a different copy than the one mentioned in the previous note.
Nevertheless, many of Eiger's novellae on the Tanakh have survived through citations in his other books and those of his students and colleagues. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, attempts were made to compile them, such as the collection "Midrashei U’Chiddushei Rabbi Akiva Eiger on the Torah,"Jerusalem 1996. Second edition with additions, 2004. which includes insights on other books of the Nevi'im and Ketuvim, some from unpublished manuscripts and most from collected sources.
Apart from these, many descendants of Akiva Eiger are known through his daughter, Sarah, the wife of the Moses Sofer.
In the collection, the association's statutes were published. From the section detailing the association's objectives, one can observe the cultural diversity of the family members and their commitment to maintaining family ties. Among other goals: to learn about the various parts of the family and connect them in a Jewish-humanistic spirit, in the light of Akiva Eiger, to promote mutual respect. To publish a detailed bibliography of Akiva Eiger's works and those written about him. To collect stories and legends about Eiger. To organize study groups on his teachings on the anniversary of his death, in accordance with his will.
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