ABRAHAM ABUSCH BEN ẒEVI HIRSCH

ABRAHAM ABUSCH BEN ẒEVI HIRSCH (1700–1769), German rabbi and halakhist. He was also called Abraham Abusch Lissa and also Abusch Frankfurter, from the towns Lissa and Frankfurt where he served as rabbi, after having been rabbi of Mezhirech. After the interregnum brought about by the departure of Jacob Joshua *Falk, the community of Frankfurt approached him to become its rabbi. The community of Lissa was reluctant to part with him and only did so after much persuasion on the part of the communal leaders of Frankfurt. His pious and meek disposition and the stories of his charitable deeds became legendary. The name of Abraham Abusch is associated with a cause célèbre, "the *Clevesget" (divorce; see *Lipschuetz, Israel). Although several renowned rabbis approved the divorce Abraham persisted in his opinion that it was invalid. The members of his community supported him by enacting a regulation barring from the Frankfurt rabbinate anyone who had approved the divorce. For some time, he also held the important position of parnas or president of the "*Councils of the Lands." Although he was renowned as a talmudic scholar, few of his writings have survived. Several of his works appeared under the title Birkat Avraham: (1) novellae on five tractates of Seder Mo'ed (1881); (2) commentary on the Passover Haggadah (1887), with a supplement, Maḥazeh Avraham (1908); (3) a volume also known as Kaneh Avraham (1884), kabbalistic commentary on Genesis; (4) a commentary on Berakhot (1930); and (5) on Ruth (1934). He also wrote Darkhei ha-Ḥayyim, on remedies, medicines, and charms (1912). His ethical will was also published (1806).

bibliography:

M. Horovitz, Frankfurter Rabbinen, 3 (1884), 65 ff.; L. Lewin, Geschichte der Juden in Lissa (1904), 185 ff.

[Alexander Tobias]