Solomon Freehof

Rodef Shalom Temple in Pittsburgh, Solomon B. Freehof was Senior Rabbi here from 1934 to 1966

Solomon Bennett Freehof (born August 8, 1892 in London ; died June 12, 1990 in Pittsburgh ) was an American rabbi of Reform Judaism . He is known as the author of religious law decisions ( Posek ), book author and biblical scholar.

Life

family

On the paternal side, Solomon Freehof's family can be traced back to Frieda Schneersohn, the eldest daughter of Schneur Salman von Ljady. His father, Isaac Freilachoff, came from Schklou (now Belarus ) and moved to Chernigov to learn the art of writing a Torah . There he married Golda Blonstein. Isaac Freilachoff developed from a Lubavitch Hasid to a follower of the Maggid of Kamenets, who belonged to the Chibbat Zion movement . When the Freilachoffs and their eldest son Morris (Moshe) moved from Chernigov to London around 1890, they seem to have lived a traditionalist, early Zionist form of Judaism. The family lived in London's East End, where the other children were born: son Solomon and daughters Jane, Ada, Esther and Fannie. Isaac Freilachoff earned his living writing and proofreading Torah scrolls. Little is known about Solomon Freilachoff's childhood in this traditionally Jewish neighborhood.

Youth in Baltimore

In 1902 the father emigrated with the eldest son to the United States, where he worked in Baltimore to pay for the passage of the rest of the family members. While most of the Jewish immigrants found work in the Baltimore textile industry, Isaac Freilachoff continued to work as a Torah writer. Because he received fewer orders for this than in London, he acquired an additional qualification as a mohel . In 1903 the mother followed with the other children. The large Jewish community in Baltimore was strongly influenced by German culture. Solomon attended a German-English public school and a Talmud Torah school. In Baltimore, Solomon Freilachoff got to know the Oheb Shalom congregation as a youth , which, under the direction of Rabbi William Rosenau, represented a very conservative form of Reform Judaism. Freilachoff developed from an orthodox or at least a traditional Jew to a supporter of the reform movement, although the motives remain in the dark. For many European Jews (East) seems to immigration, the previous way of life not to have more right fit, and the reform movement turned out to be the American Jewry with a future perspective is. Manifesto was Solomon Freilach offs religious development in that it contacted with a friend Rosenau and inquired about rabbinical studies at the Hebrew Union College (HUC). Rosenau gave both of them private lessons in preparation for their studies.

Hebrew Union College

In 1910, Solomon Freilachoff began studying at the Hebrew Union College and changed his last name to Freehof. His academic teachers at the HUC included Ephraim Feldman, Gotthard Deutsch , Moses Buttenwieser, David Neumark , Julian Morgenstern and Henry Englander, as well as Kaufmann Kohler , who shaped the direction of the college in those years. Freehof esteemed the self-taught Feldman, who taught the Talmud; after his death, Jacob Zallel Lauterbach taught this subject, a graduate of the orthodox Berlin rabbinical seminary of Esriel Hildesheimer , who also had a doctorate at the University of Göttingen . Like other lecturers with a European background, Lauterbach had considerable problems responding to the students, many of whom had little prior knowledge of the Talmud. Freehof drew attention to himself as an excellent student and also as a preacher (it was common for rabbinical students to be asked for church services in reform communities). Kohler took a decidedly anti-Zionist line; notwithstanding this, Zionism grew rapidly among the students. This also applies to Freehof, who, however, was not an activist and also did not formally belong to the Zionist organization of the HUC.

After Freehof was ordained rabbi in 1915, he taught Mishnah and Midrash at the HUC. From late 1918 to the summer of 1919 he served as a military rabbi in the US Army in France and Germany and returned to the Hebrew Union College as a professor in the fall. Reform Judaism, like other “liberal” organizations, made efforts in the interwar years to be recognized as “100% American” by the population. In this context, Freehof, together with Deutsch and Lauterbach, campaigned in 1920 for the exclusion of two students who were considered socialists. Freehofs took a hard line here, although he personally had socialist sympathies at this time and z. B. his older brother Morris was a Poale Zion activist . His sermons show him as a liberal with no socialist references.

Rabbinate and Responses

In 1924, Solomon Freehof left college and took a position as rabbi for the Kehilath Anshe Mayriv community in Chicago; from 1934 to 1966 he was Senior Rabbi of the Rodef Shalom Ward in Pittsburgh. Under Freehof's leadership, the community grew, which was also reflected in building projects. Freehof used the pulpit to convey religious knowledge. His lectures drew hundreds of listeners on Sundays. Book reviews, which he offered during the week, were also well attended.

From 1943 to 1945, Solomon Freehof was President of the Central Conference of the American Rabbis (CCAR), the umbrella organization for reformed US rabbis . He was chairman of the CCAR Liturgy Commission from 1939 to 1941, at a time when the Union Prayerbook was being extensively revised. In 1955 he became chairman of the CCAR response commission. He was the first American to serve as President of the World Union for Progressive Judaism from 1959 to 1964 .

Solomon Freehof was born on October 29, 1934 with Lillian. Simon married; the marriage remained childless. Lillian S. Freehof became known as an author of religious children's books.

Teaching

Solomon Freehof took a leading role in the project to link Reform Judaism more closely with Jewish tradition. In terms of the self-understanding of the movement, this was not possible simply by resorting to the halacha ; the concept of minhag (custom) created a more flexible connection with the past. Freehof suggested giving Minhagim a normative status so that they were some kind of religious obligation. In a historical retrospect, Freehof explained in 1944 ( Reform Jewish Practice and its Rabbinic Background ) that after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in AD 70, the Sanhedrin could no longer meet and was therefore unable to bring about the considerable changes to the Halacha made necessary by living in the diaspora . In this situation it was the creative force (= Minhag) of the people, not the rabbis, who made these adjustments, which were then understood and systematized by the religious law. Likewise, in the present, it is the creative power of the people who bring about the necessary adjustment to the modern world, and Reform Judaism already has a tradition of modern Minhagim that needs to be explored.

Although Kaufmann Kohler and Gotthard Deutsch already wrote responses as reform rabbis, something new began with Solomon Freehof. He was perceived as the first Posek of Reform Judaism, with the effect that the number of inquiries regarding religious law increased considerably and collections of the reports he wrote made up a large part of his publications. A total of 539 responses Freehofs were published. In a speech to reform rabbis of New York City in 1961 ( Reform Judaism and the Legal Tradition ), Freehof laid out his principles: The Halacha is no longer applicable today because there is no longer any interpretation in this field, but no (innovative) legislation. One reason for this is that orthodox connoisseurs of the Halacha reject innovations in principle and, based on their self-image, shy away from making decisions. Reform Judaism necessarily rebelled against it in its early days. But now it is important to maintain one's own independence and to tie in with tradition: “We make contact with the great rabbinical intellectual tradition and see where it can help us. When we find cases where the rabbinical tradition is inconsistent with life, in those cases we take sides with life, as everyone does. As a trial I follow the rule that Halacha guides us but does not rule ( our guidance and not our governance ). I don't think that's a principle, just a rule of thumb that we can apply on the go. ”The first Responsen volume that Freehof published in 1960 is extremely traditional in its presentation of the material and the sources used. Freehof only seldom cites works on the science of Judaism or the positions of experts, especially medical professionals; the classics of rabbinical literature are given a large say. A (conservative) critic of the second volume, published in 1963, stated that it was actually not about responses. In the first part of the elaboration, Freehof presented the relevant sources, in the second part he made a decision based on the sensitivities and needs of a modern Jewish community, and the two parts were hardly connected with each other. However, this criticism only affects the relatively rare cases in which Freehof decided against the halachic tradition. What is special about his responses is that the vast majority of them justify a liberal position within the traditional argumentation framework.

The Solomon B. Freehof Institute of Progressive Halakha is dedicated to the further development of the liberal Halacha.

Publications (selection)

• Preface to Scripture: A Guide to the Understanding of the Bible in Accordance with the Jewish Tradition , Cincinnati 1950
• The responsa literature . Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1959.
• Current Reform responsa . Hebrew Union College Press, Cincinnati 1969.
• Reform responsa, and Recent Reform responsa . Ktav, New York 1973.
• The Book of Isaiah. A Commentary ( The Jewish Commentary for Bible Readers ). Union of American Hebrew Congregations, New York 1972.
• The Book of Jeremiah. A Commentary ( The Jewish Commentary for Bible Readers ). Union of American Hebrew Congregations, New York 1977.

literature

• Gary P. Zola: Art. Freehof, Solomon Bennett . In: American National Biography , 1999.
• Joan S. Friedman: Guidance, Not Governance: Rabbi Solomon B. Freehof and Reform Responsa . Hebrew Union College Press, Cincinnati 2013.
• Joan S. Friedman: The Making of a Reform Rabbi: Solomon B. Freehof from Childhood to HUC . In: American Jewish Archives Journal, 58 / 1-2 (2006), pp. 1-49. ( PDF )
• Joan S. Friedman: A Critique of Solomon Freehof's Concept of Minhag and Reform Jewish Practice. In: Walter Jacob, Moshe Zemer (eds.): Re-examing Progressive Halakhah, Studies in Progressive Halakhah , ed. Walter Jacob and Moshe Zemer, New York / Oxford 2002, pp. 111-133. ( Digitized version )
• Dan Cohn-Sherbok: Law in Reform Judaism: A Study of Solomon Freehof . In: Jewish Law Annual 7 (1988), pp. 198-209.
• David Golinkin: The responsa of Rabbi Solomon B. Freehof: A reappraisal . In: Walter Jacob (Ed.): Beyond the letter of the law: essays on diversity in the halakhah in honor of Moshe Zemer . Rodef Shalom Press, Pittsburgh 2004, pp. 190ff. ( Digitized version )

Web links

• Jewish Virtual Library

Individual evidence

1. ^ Joan S. Friedman: The Making of a Reform Rabbi: Solomon B. Freehof from Childhood to HUC , 2006, pp. 3-5.
2. ^ Joan S. Friedman: The Making of a Reform Rabbi: Solomon B. Freehof from Childhood to HUC , 2006, p. 11: Still, there is a vast chasm between studying with Rosenau and deciding to enter HUC, and how Freehof crossed it remained a mystery ...
3. ^ Joan S. Friedman, The Making of a Reform Rabbi: Solomon B. Freehof from Childhood to HUC , 2006, pp. 30-33.
4. ^ Joan S. Friedman: The Making of a Reform Rabbi: Solomon B. Freehof from Childhood to HUC , 2006, p. 7.
5. ^ Joan S. Friedman: The Making of a Reform Rabbi: Solomon B. Freehof from Childhood to HUC , 2006, p. 34.
6. ^ Joan S. Friedman: The Making of a Reform Rabbi: Solomon B. Freehof from Childhood to HUC , 2006, p. 1.
7. ↑ Kerry M. Olitzky, Marc Lee Raphael: The American Synagogue: A Historical Dictionary and Sourcebook . Westport 1996, p. 317.
8. ^ Michael A. Meyer: The Changing Role of Religious Custom in Reform Judaism . In: Joseph Isaac Lifshitz et al. (Ed.): Minhagim . Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / Munich / Boston 2020, pp. 227–234, here p. 232.
9. ^ Joan S. Friedman: A Critique of Solomon Freehof's Concept of Minhag and Reform Jewish Practice , New York / Oxford 2002, pp. 112f.
10. ↑ Peter J. Haas: Reform Responsa: Developing a Theory of Liberal Halakhah . In: Walter Jacob (ed.): Liberal Judaism and halakhah , Pittsburgh 1988, p. 35ff., Here p. 60.
11. ↑ Quoted from: David Golinkin: The responsa of Rabbi Solomon B. Freehof: A reappraisal , Pittsburgh 2004, p. 195.
12. ↑ David Golinkin: The responsa of Rabbi Solomon B. Freehof: A reappraisal , Pittsburgh 2004, p. 199.