Men of Renown

For twenty-two years I have been one of the parnasim [board members] and leaders of this magnificent congregation, the city of Lwów; my heart has moved me to do good work in memory of the generations of earlier and later scholars of this praiseworthy congregation, to gather the names of its rabbis and prodigies (gaonim) who served within it for the past four hundred years—as heads of the yeshivah, heads of the rabbinic court, halakhic decisors, and preachers—to impart biographical snippets.

Our city of Lwów (Lemberg) is famous as a mother city amongst Israel, a metropolis that in every generation boasted leading Jews, universal prodigies, men of renown, and princes of Torah. Some of them achieved a great reputation through their writings and enlightened the face of the earth. Their name is engraved in lasting memory, for we live by the words of their mouth; they issued halakhic decisions and the word of the Lord; their memorial is in their deeds. There were others who did not live to see their wisdom and teaching published, whether because they did not wish it, or because they did not have the leisure to compose books, or even if they wrote books, they lacked the means to publish them, for the cost of printing books was very great then, and so their words were lost over the course of time and we were not privileged to enjoy their light. Their names were nearly forgotten in this world, even though in their time they were recognized as great scholars. In the course of time no one took care to record their names in writing or to compose a memorial book of all the rabbis and great scholars of Lwów, to research their lives and to erect a lasting memorial to them. For such a major task, it is necessary first to search in minute-books (pinkasim) containing their signatures, as well as matters pertaining to their histories and the periods when they lived, and the state of our nation during those times. Secondly, we must look for where they are mentioned in books and appear in the rabbinic approbations (haskamot) on books, for through this we can also identify where they dwelled and what their communal function was. Thirdly, we can reveal what is buried in the ground, remnants of tombstones that were erected over their graves to extract names, to know when they went to their eternal rest, as well as their characters and their activity in the community. [ . . . ]

Referring to the aforementioned pinkasim, there was a very old record-book in the small inner city synagogue, in which were written many ancient matters pertaining to the history of the congregation, its rabbis, and sages. It was very precious. It was lent by the wardens (gabayim) to the author of Matsevet kodesh [Gabriel ben Naphtali Hertz Suchestow (1820–1879)] in order for him to cite various things for his booklets; but to our dismay, the minute-book was stolen or lost, and it is no more. I have searched and inquired diligently for it, but have not found it. (If whoever has this minute-book in his possession would return the lost object to its owners, the heads of the community, he will be richly rewarded for the kindness that he will have performed on behalf of the living and the dead.) A second minute-book remained in safekeeping in the large suburban synagogue. It was hidden for many years in the hands of a certain man, whose whereabouts were unknown. Afterwards, one of the dignitaries of our city, the great and honorable rabbi and sage R. Naphtali Hertz Bernstein (may his memory be a blessing!) searched and found it. This minute-book is now in my possession, and it does not contain histories of our city, but rather regulations, halakhic decisions, proclamations, clearance transactions, deeds, and deeds of sale; that are signed—in their own hand—by rabbis, judges, heads of the academy, officers, leaders of the community, and other communal dignitaries, from 5386 [1626] to 5538 [1778]. There are two hundred and forty signatory names [ . . . ] The minute-book also contained documents copied from the Record of the Council of Four Lands, thirty-eight regulations that the Council enacted concerning the laws of fugitives in a meeting of all the leaders and rabbis of the Kingdom of Poland. [ . . . ]

From this minute-book, which survived, I extracted in my present work the names of the great leaders of Israel, and you will find them all in their proper places, each in a separate article arranged alphabetically. I also labored to collect the names of the rabbis and great scholars of Lwów who authored haskamot, as well as those mentioned in other books, or in the responsa exchanges with the famous sages of those generations. Where different sages bore the same name, I have arranged their articles chronologically. I have also presented the epitaphs engraved on their tombstones as given in the volumes of Matsevet kodesh. At the end of this book I have added a small appendix, containing examples of writs, edicts, and judgments from the minute-book in my possession; these shed light on the state of our nation and its way of life in those times.

I hope that this work of mine will be useful for all who wish and yearn to know the names and context of the great Jewish personalities from our city who rendered holy service in their days, who worked to enhance and glorify the study of Torah, as well as the events of their lives and the books that they composed. Let it provide material for a more ambitious enterprise on the part of one of those scholars who will be willing to write the history of the Jews of Lwów generally, and the history of its rabbis and scholars specifically. Let my present work serve him as a guide, to draw from it those matters useful for his task. [ . . . ]

May God, who stood by me for the beginning and completion of this first part, also sustain me and privilege me to compile the second part. May the merit of the great scholars stand on behalf of me and my descendants forever. Amen.

Lwów, month of Nisan, 5654 (1894).

Solomon, son of R. Isaiah Abraham Halevi, Buber.