Living Legacy: The Maharal M’Prague
18 Elul marks
the 413th yohrtzeit of the Maharal of Prague—one of the most
legendary figures in Klal Yisroel in modern history.
Yehuda Livai
was born in the Polish city of Poznan, in middle of the seder on Pesach 5272
(1512), to his father Rav Bezalel. Through his birth, the Jews of the town were
saved from a blood libel—thus, his great work on behalf of Klal Yisroel began
with his first breath on this earth.
He learned
under his holy father, and soon grew far beyond his peers. It became clear that
he was a holy neshamah. He married Perel, the daughter of Rabi Shmelka, who was
a very wealthy man, with many government connections.
After his
marriage, many talmidim came to learn under him. At first, he served as
the rov of his hometown of Poznan, later in Niklosburg, and finally, in 5329
(1598) he became the Av Beis Din of Prague. His home was like that of a
government minister—and indeed, in addition to his kedushah and taharah,
his depth and breadth of knowledge in the entire Torah, he was like a minister
to the Jewish people.
In time, he
became known with the title “Rabban Shel Kol Bnei Hagolah,” the master of all
of diaspora Jewry. The Remah once remarked that the Maharal had the neshamah
of Dovid Hamelech.
During his
tenure in Prague, the Maharal was known to defend Yiddishkeit with great force
and temerity, never fearing anyone. Many tzaros afflicted the Jewish
People during those years, and the Maharal was always at the forefront in their
defense.
Although he
did not have any sons, the Maharal did have daughters—and each of them married
gedolim in their own right.
His
monumental works deep works of machshavah, Jewish thought—over twenty of
them— are learned and studied by every segment of Klal Yisroel with equal
reverence. Scholars throughout the centuries have tirelessly studied the
approach and the philosophy of the Maharal. The Koznitzer maggid said that all
of the seforim are written with ruach hakodesh. Among chassidim, the
mere keeping of the Sifrei Maharal in the home are considered a shemirah. He
was also a great mekubal who would conduct tzirufei Sheimos… and he earned the
awe of the kings and princes who witnessed him do battle with those who wished
to harm Yidden—always winning through the koach hakedusha
Today, the
kever of the Maharal continues to attract masses of Yidden who are awed
by the history and the holiness of the Kever as well as the Altneuschul and the surrounding area. The central place occupied by the
Maharal in the culture and the Torah of Am Yisroel only continues to grow more
prominent with the passage of time.
*We thank Mr. Adam Leventhal of Denver for graciously providing the beautiful images that we feature from his trip to Prague.
