STEIN, ELIEZER LIPMAN

STEIN, ELIEZER LIPMAN (c. 1778–1851), Hungarian talmudist and preacher. Stein corresponded on halakhah with Moses *Sofer (Responsa Ḥatam Sofer, pt. 6, no. 48), with Meir *Eisenstadt and with his teacher Judah Aszo, author of the responsa Mahari Aszo. Stein served as av bet din of the community of Gyöngyös. During his period of office there, a quarrel arose between him and the community because he disqualified a shoḥet. The community referred the dispute to a non-Jewish judge who ruled that the shoḥet was capable of carrying out his duties. As a result of this ruling, the community deducted from the rabbi's salary the payment that they were accustomed to receive from the slaughter of animals, because this had decreased as a result of the ban. He resolved to resign his office and was accepted as rabbi in the community of Mór, but in the end the community yielded and became reconciled with him, and he remained there until 1837 when he went as rabbi and av bet din to Nagyszöllös (Vinogradov). Shortly thereafter, at the age of 60, he decided to immigrate to Ereẓ Israel. With this in mind he went to Pressburg and obtained from Moses Sofer a letter of recommendation to the philanthropists of Hungary. In the letter Sofer describes Stein's greatness as a talmudist and asks the Jewish philanthropists to appoint him to offices that would enable him to support himself in Ereẓ Israel and also that they pay the expenses of the journey. During Stein's visits from town to town to make the necessary arrangements he went to Dunaszerdahely and was appointed to the then vacant office of rabbi and av bet din. He abandoned his previous plan and remained there until his death.

He was the author of several works on contemporary problems, including Hishanot ha-Bimah (1943), against siting the *bimah in the synagogue in front of the ark. He also wrote Evel Moshe (1840), a eulogy on Moses Sofer, and Ir Shushan (1849), homilies and responsa.

bibliography:

J.J. (L.) Greenwald (Grunwald), Zikkaron la-Rishonim (1909), 22 no. 5; idem, Mekorot le-Korot Yisrael (1934), 91; idem, Toyzend Yor Idish Lebn in Ungarn (1945), 249f.; idem, Maẓẓevat Kodesh (1952) 33; M. Stein, Even ha-Me'ir (1909), 19 no. 113; P.Z. Schwartz, Shem ha-Gedolim me-Ereẓ Hagar, 1 (1913), 63b. no. 69; S. Buechler, in: Magyar Zsidkó Szemle, 7 (1890), 470, 472, 474.

[Samuel Weingarten-Hakohen]