Eleazar Rokeaḥ

Eleazar Rokeaḥ of Brody was born in Kraków. He served as rabbi of Rakov and Tarnów. In 1714, he was appointed head of the rabbinic court in Brody and subsequently became the city’s rabbi. A staunch opponent of the Sabbatean movement, Rokeaḥ was involved in the attacks on Moses Ḥayim Luzzatto and the efforts to ban the latter’s works. In 1735, Rokeaḥ was invited to become rabbi of the Ashkenazic community in Amsterdam, and a medal was made in his honor. In 1740, he left for the land of Israel and settled in Safed. There he continued his battle against Sabbateanism. Rokeaḥ began to despair of success and contemplated returning to Europe; however, he died before being able to do so. In addition to works on the Pentateuch, Mishnah, and Maimonides’ writings, Rokeaḥ also wrote responsa.