Rav Meir Lublin zt"l
הרב מאיר בן גדליה לובלין זצ"ל
Iyar 16 , 5476
Rav Meir Lublin zt"l
Son of Rav Gedaliah
Born around שי''ח 1558 in Lublin to a prominent rabbinic family.
His paternal grandfather was Rav Asher of Cracow, the mekubal.
Rav Meir was a disciple of Rav Yitzchok Shapira, Rosh Yeshivas Cracow, who also became his father-in-law when the Maharam wed his daughter, Esther.
At a young age, he became Rosh Yeshiva in Lublin. This was during the years שמב-שמז.
He is, perhaps, more well-known for his tenure in Cracow as Rav and Rosh Yeshivah; he did, however, serve as the head of Lwow’s rabbinical court for some twenty years as well. Eventually, he settled back in his home town of Lublin.
The Maharam’s genius in Talmudic studies--especially in the area of the demanding discipline of Talmudic logic known as pilpul-- is what he is legendary for. His mastery of pilpul is clearly demonstrated in his works on Jewish law and responsa.
Among his more well-known students, we can count: Rav Yeshaya Horowitz, author of the Shelah HaKadosh; Rav Noson Shapira, author of Megaleh Amukos; Rav Yehoshua of Cracow, the author of Maginei Shlomo and his responsa, Pnei Yehoshua; as well as Rav Avraham, the son of the Masas Binyamin.
Footnote: Among his works that have come down to us are: Meir Eynai Chachamim, novella on the Talmud and its commentaries, Rashi and the Tosfos; Manhir Eynai Chachamim, one hundred and forty responsa; Meor HaGolah, a commentary on the Tur and Beis Yosef; Meor HaKatan, a commentary on Shaarei Dura; Ner Mitzvah, a commentary on the Smag; and Torah Ohr, a biblical commentary on the weekly parshah.
The Maharam was an outspoken critic a number of his own contemporaries and he took issue with many of the works on Jewish law of his day. Remarkably, he even contended with the Shulchan Aruch, the Rema’s glosses, and even with the Sem”a’s commentary. Among the incisive remarks found in his responsa are the fact that he finds their logic inadequate, that he finds their conclusions in Jewish law faulty, and that he was not inclined to even study them.
This attitude may have been one of the leading causes for his dismissal from his post of rabbi in Lwow according to the following legendary episode recorded in the work Matzvos Kodesh and cited in Anshei Shem and Ir HaTzedek:
Once, the author of Aysan HaEzrachi, Rabbi Avraham Shrentzel, made a wedding and married off his son. He invited many guests, among them noted personalities and rabbis including the Maharam. At the end of the affair, out of respect for the great rabbi, Rav Avraham proceeded to escort him home.
The Maharam however, distracted as he was with his own thoughts, took no notice of this escort until he reached his own doorstep. Once he was home, his wife, noting that the well-known Avraham Shrentzel was escorting her husband, turned to the Maharam and pointedly remarked: “Why don’t you notice who is escorting you? Is your own honor so much greater that you ignore his? Could you not honor him by acknowledging his presence or engaging him in conversation?”
The Maharam replied, “And what about his own rebbe and teacher, the author of the Sem”a? Why did he not join his student and escort me home? Was the Sem”a’s honor so great that he did not feel the need to honor me as well?”
When Rav Avraham Shrentzel heard his own rebbe demeaned, he decided to stand up for the Sem”a’s honor by having the Maharam removed from office. After the wedding, he summoned the public leaders of the community as well as the heads of the Council of the Four Lands and exerted every influence against the Maharam until he succeeded in having him desmissed.
At that time, the city of Lublin sent after him and asked him to serve as their rabbi. The Maharam left Lwow for his hometown, Lublin to serve as their rabbi.
He passed away 16 Iyar שע''ו (1616).