My Pick of Rabbis Influencing Our Lives

 Nadene Goldfoot                                            

(1st Century BCE):  Hillel: Born in Babylon, president of Sanhedrin in Israel and held office with descendants until 5th century, one of last pair of Zugot-scholars of debate, created 7 rules of Bible interpretation, created Golden Rule: "Do not do until others that which you would not have them do unto you..." Today we have Hillel Foundations started 1923, supported by B'nai B'rith, have Hillel  House on Campuses.  

 

                                         

(8 BCE to 4 BCE Jesus); Hellenistic rabbi, not a part of Jews taken to Babylon,  educated in Bethlehem, possibly without certification, never stated he was G-d's only son but followers did, especially his mother. Born either in 8 BCE or 4BCE and died in  about 29 CE on a Roman cross with others.  33 or 37 years old when died.  Christianity created from his followers. He selected mostly non-educated and non- religious Jews as friends such as doctor, fisherman, tax collector; men of other interests.  As a speaker, swayed Hellenistic audiences to his comments of what was wrong in the world, and his writers interpreted his words as blaming the Jews. 

 Rome's Emperor Constantine's mother accepted him as the leader of Christianity, then the Emperor went along with it.  Cause of anti-Semitism from writers of New Testament in AD (CE era).  Constantine's papers condemning Jews grew worse from 300 CE onwards seeing Judaism as competition against Christianity, that he was backing.  

"The 2,604,381,000 estimate (2 billion, 604 million, 381 thousand) for mid-year 2023 Christian population total is a 44,506,000-person increase from the mid-year 2022 total. The new estimates of the worldwide Christian population for both 2025 and 2050 are higher than the 2022 report's estimates."  Judaism, who lost 6 million in the Holocaust, as still at a little over 6 million Jews living in Israel with about 6 million in the USA and 2 million elsewhere, totaling about 14 million or 0.02% of the world population.  We're an endangered group holding onto Israel as our reservation, keeping Judaism alive there.  

In fact the familiar image of Jesus Christians usually view actually comes from the Byzantine era, from the 4th Century onwards, and Byzantine representations of Jesus were symbolic - they were all about meaning, not historical accuracy.  They were based on the image of an enthroned emperor, as we see in the altar mosaic of the Santa Pudenziana church in Rome. (Joan Taylor of King's College, London). I would see him looking very Greek as he was very Hellenistic.                                

(1040-1105)Rashi-Rabbi Solomon Yitzhak ben Isaac:born in Troyes, France, studied in Rhineland of Germany, rabbinical scholar whose comments still exist in our prayer books, had a rabbinical school, commented on Bible and Talmud, known for his direct rational meanings.  He tended to be more lenient than debate partner.                   

(1135-1204) Ramban:  Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, Maimonides, born in Cordova, Spain, aliyah to Palestine in 1165, wrote list of 613 rules or laws from Moses, papers on our Jewish calendar, became philosopher, halakhist, medical writer.  Suffered during Crusades.  Moved to Egypt.  Physician to Viceroy of Egypt. Wrote comments on Mishnah.   Died in Tiberias.  

(1482-1565)Meir Katzenellenbogen:  Maharam Padua, Rabbi of Padua was a Talmudist, born in Germany but studied in Poland. He was extensively consulted on halakhic problems.  Known more in genealogy circles.  From a rabbinical family descended from 12 Jews  of Katzenellenbogen, Hesse-Nassau, Germany in 1312 with thousands of descendants  and a huge family connection throughout Europe and America.  Chief Rabbi and ABD of Padua and Venice, Maharam m'Paduva, מהר"ם מפאדובה, Chief Rabbi of Padua 1525-1564, Rosh Yeshiva, Venezia, Rosh Yeshiva and Rabbi in Venezia & Padua.  Listed in "Finding Our Fathers" by Dan Rottenberg.                      

(1700-1760) Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer  Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism, born in Podolia.  Podolia, Ukrainian Podillya, region, western Ukraine, south of Volhynia and extending between the rivers Dniester and Southern Buh. The name Podolia appeared in the 14th century when the Poles began to colonize the area.  Whereas Lithuania was known as a center of Judaism and its students, Ukraine was not.  It was part of Ottoman Turk holdings, then went to Soviet Union.  Baal Shem Tov studying Practical Kabbalah in the countryside, practicing teaching children and was kosher butcher, too.  In 1735 he was well known for his miraculous cures.  Disciples flocked to study his doctrines.   At death he had some 10,000 followers.                                         

    (1720-1797) Gaon of Vilna, Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman, born into a rabbinical family;  child prodigy. According to legend he had committed the Tanakh to memory by the age of four, and aged seven he was taught Talmud by Moses Margalit, future rabbi of Kėdainiai and the author of a commentary to the Jerusalem Talmud, entitled Pnei Moshe ("The Face of Moses"). He possessed a photographic memory. By eight, he was studying astronomy during his free time. From the age of ten he continued his studies without the aid of a teacher, and by the age of eleven he had committed the entire Talmud to memory.  He was a Lithuanian Jewish Talmudist, halakhist, kabbalist, and the foremost leader of misnagdic (non-hasidic) Jewry of the past few centuries. He is commonly referred to in Hebrew as ha-Gaon he-Chasid mi-Vilna, "the pious genius from Vilnius.When Hasidic Judaism became influential in his native town, the Vilna Gaon joined the "opposers" or Misnagdim, rabbis and heads of the Polish communities, to curb Hasidic influence. He encouraged his students to study natural sciences, and translated geometry books to Yiddish and Hebrew.  The Hasids and misnagdim were having a war against each other, according to writings.  Known for his vast descendants as told in book, Eliyahu's Branches by Chaim Freedman.  

(1745-1812)Rabbi; Shneur Zalman of Liadi;  Founded in 1775 by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi,Lithuania/ now part of Belarus.   The name "Chabad" (חב״ד‎) is an acronym formed from three Hebrew words—Chokhmah, Binah, Da'at (the first three sefirot of the kabbalistic Tree of Life) ( חכמה, בינה, דעת‎): "Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge"—which represent the intellectual and kabbalistic ...    He was the son of Baruch, who was a paternal descendant of the mystic and philosopher Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel. According to Meir Perels of Prague, the Maharal was the great-great-grandson of Judah Leib the Elder who was said to have descended paternally from Hai Gaon and therefore also from the Davidic dynasty, however several modern historians such as Otto Muneles and Shlomo Engard have questioned this claim. ^Sh neur Zalman was a prominent (and the youngest) disciple of Dov Ber of Mezeritch, the "Great Maggid", who was in turn the successor of the founder of Hasidic Judaism, Yisrael ben Eliezer, known as the Baal Shem Tov.

(1932-2020) Rabbi Emanuel Rose of Portland, Oregon  of the Reform Temple.  He wasn't my rabbi as I belonged to the Conservative Synagogue, Neveh Zedek, but somehow he was the one advertizing a group defending Israel, and my huband and I joined, Danny being a practiced debator from Brooklyn and Orlando, Florida.  Rabbi Rose was born into an orthodox family, somehow becoming a reform rabbi that my cousin once removed Golda Hahn belonged to.  The rabbi gave us a long list of thick books to read first, and I bought and read every one of them.  I knew history of Israel like I had never known it before.  I've never stopped adding to my information, either.  He inspired me.  We were only 2 years apart, so maybe it was our generation.  I caught onto his zeal to defend Israel like a match that wouldn't die.  To know is to love, to admire, to respect.  Thank you so much, Rabbi.  You impressed me greatly even though I hadn't heard any of your sermons.  I didn't have to.  

All these rabbis and all the rest I don't know have influenced the product, Judaism to the point of where it is today.  It's never died, just evolved, sticking to the main points of Judaism like we have evolved, sticking to our original form, basically.  

What's evolved that one can't see are our brains.  We understand so much more now We've learned things and in the process have grown far more dendrites in our brains.  Our DNA can now tell us more than we ever imagined we'd know about ourselves.  Even tracing our family back to possibly one or more of these rabbis is possible today.  How about that?  

Resource:

https://www.geni.com/people/Rabbi-Meir-Katzenellenbogen-Maharam-of-Padua/6000000001288063190

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilna_Gaon

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

https://www.britannica.com/place/Podolia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shneur_Zalman_of_Liadi

https://www.ojmche.org/oral-history-people/rabbi-emanuel-rose/