Shmuel Salant (January 2, 1816 – August 16,
1909) served as the Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of
Jerusalem and was a renowned Talmudist and Torah
scholar.
He was born in Białystok, then part of Russia.
After marrying Toiba (Yonah), the eldest
daughter of Rabbi Yosef Zundel of Salant, he
adopted his father-in-law's surname. At an early
age his lungs became damaged, and he was advised
to seek a warm climate. This induced him in 1840
to go with his wife and son Benyamin Beinish to
Jerusalem.
En route, in Constantinople, he met and gained
the friendship of Sir Moses Montefiore, then on
his way to defend the Jews falsely accused in
the Damascus Blood Libel. Rabbi Salant arrived
in Jerusalem in 1841, rejoining his
father-in-law and about 500 other Ashkenazim who
had preceded him. From 1848 to 1851 he served as
a meshulach (itinerant fund-raiser), visiting
the principal cities of Lithuania and Poland to
collect money for the impoverished Jews of the
Old Yishuv. This age-old practice was termed the
Chaluka.
In 1860, Rabbi Salant travelled to Germany,
Amsterdam, and London to collect funds. Upon his
return to Jerusalem, he succeeded in ensuring
that his contributions were equally divided
between the Sephardim and Ashkenazim. He also
collected donations for the building of the Beis
Yaakov Synagogue in Jerusalem. In 1878 he
succeeded Rabbi Meir Auerbach as chief rabbi of
the Ashkenazim.
In 1888 Rabbi Salant's eyesight began to fail,
and a few years later he became blind. This did
not stop his extensive activity in communal
affairs. In 1900, however, he requested an
assistant; Rabbi Elijah David Rabinowitz-Teomim
of Russia was selected for the position,
however, Rabbi Rabinowitz-Teomim predeceased
Rabbi Salant.
Rabbi Salant did not author any major works, but
was regarded as a distinguished Talmudist and an
excellent and learned leader. Many of halachic
(legal) positions are known through the
prodigious writing of his student, Rabbi Yechiel
Michel Tukichinsky.
He was also known for his moderation and
tolerance of all classes of Jews. As Ashkenazic
chief rabbi, he was on friendly terms with his
Sephardic counterpart, Chief Rabbi Yaakov Shaul
Elyashar, and they generally acted in harmony
concerning the welfare matters of the community.
Rabbi Salant was instrumental in the
establishment of the Etz Chaim Yeshiva in
Jerusalem. He also helped found Bikur Cholim
Hospital and encouraged people to move into new
neighborhoods outside of the Old City walls.
During his tenure as chief rabbi, the population
of Jerusalem grew from 5,000 to 30,000 Jews.
Rabbi Salant died on Monday, 16 August (29th
Av), 1909 and is buried on the Mount of Olives.
His student, Rabbi Yechiel Michel Tukichinsky
writes that though funerals in Jerusalem are
generally performed within the same day or night
as the passing, Rabbi Salant's was an exception.
He died at night and the funeral was not held
until daybreak because the Rabbis were concerned
that the massive attendance to a nighttime
funeral procession would lead to injuries or
worse. In 2006, Rabbi Salant was memorialized in
a n Israeli postage stamp, pictured. |
|
