Solomon ben Moses of Chelm

Rabbi Solomon ben Moses of Chelm[1][2] (also known as Shlomo of Chelm or Shlomo Chelma) (1715/16–1781) was a rabbinical scholar, best known for his multi-volume Mirkeves Hamishneh,[3] part of which was published posthumously.[1] He participated in the 1742, 1751 and 1753 rulings of The Council of Four Lands.

Mikevet HaMishneh, Shlomo Chelma's multi-volume commentary on the Rambam's Mishneh Torah

Early life

He was "regarded as a prodigy" and had the benefits of his birth to "wealthy parents from well-known families" including that in 1742 "before he had turned 25" becoming the chief rabbi of Chelm and the surrounding area.[1] During his early married years he had been supported by his father-in-law, Moses Parnes.[4]

According to the research of Rabbi Reuven Margolies he was a healer a Baal Shem and was known as Rebbi Adam Baal Shem. In the introduction to his sefer the leaders of the generation refer to him as Rebbi Adam.

Mirkevet HaMishneh

The first volume of the manuscript, which was only partially published in the author's lifetime, came out in 1751.[2]

Other works

Another work was named Chug HaAretz, completed 1781.[5][6] was not published until 1988.[7] Two volumes of his ten volume overview of Shulchan Aruch were published in his lifetime.[4]

Get of Cleves

For taking sides in the Get of Cleves, a controversy involving many of Eastern Europe's rabbis of that time, his secular knowledge, including knowing several non-Jewish languages,[1][7][2] was turned against him, and the other side called him "a frequenter of concerts and chess-player [and] other choice epithets."[8]

References
  1. "Khelm, Shelomoh ben Mosheh". YIVO Encyclopedia.
  2. Wilhelm Bacher; M. Seligsohn. "SOLOMON BEN MOSES CHELM". Jewish Encyclopedia.
  3. "This Day in History – 21 Tammuz/July 27 (2016)". Hamodia. July 26, 2016.
  4. Encyclopaedia Judaica. Vol. 5. pp. 373–374.
  5. Rabbi Yechiel Spero (2004). Touched by a Story(2). Artscroll. pp. 299–300. ISBN 1-57819-996-4.
  6. "Allotments of the Tribes: Rabbi Shlomo of Chelm, c. 1780". National Library of Israel (nli.org.il).
  7. Rehav Rubin (2008). "Hug ha-ares by Rabbi Solomon of Chelm: An Early Geographical Treatise and Its Sources". JSTOR. JSTOR 40385904.
  8. "Keruz Lema'an Da'ath".

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "Solomon ben Moses Chelm". The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.

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