Rabbi Aharon David Deutsch, Author of Goren David. Long letter to Mahram Schick. Sharp Letter Against the ...

Rabbi Aharon David Deutsch, Author of Goren David. Long letter to Mahram Schick. Sharp Letter Against the Rabbinical Seminary. Balassagyarmat 1871

This letter is in response to the Maharam Schick’s letter proposing that each community draft regulations against the appointment of a rabbi who graduated from the seminary, to prevent people from sending their sons to study there. The Goren David writes that such regulations will be ineffective, as people have no compunctions against abolishing regulations in their community books – for example, the positioning of the bima in the center of the synagogue and modern cantors, etc. But if all the rabbis forbade studies at the seminary, that would have a major effect on the Orthodox Jewry, because the heretics anyways don't send their sons to the seminary, as they want their sons to be doctors and lawyers and sever the connection to Judaism.

The Goren David further suggests garnering the support of the renowned Rabbi Yirmiyahu Lev of Uhely, Rabbi Chaim Sofer of Munkatch, Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Mannheimer of Ungvar to work together against the seminary, as well as the Chassidic leaders: Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch of Liska and the Yitav Lev of Sighet, “…because we must unite with the Chassidic rabbis and show them respect…”

Rabbi Aharon David Deutsch (1812-1878) was one of the outstanding students of the Chasam Sofer. He was one of the most uncompromising and most important leaders of Orthodoxy who firmly opposed the rabbinical seminary. He was in sympathy with the Chasidism, although he did not adopt all their tenets. As typical of his views may be quoted the facts that he declared it sinful to pray in a synagogue in which the Bima was not in the center. He served as Av Beis Din of Balassagyarmat for 27 years, until his passing.

This signed letter is completely in his handwriting. 3 sides. Wrinkles. 18 X 28.5 cm.

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Background: Starting in 1846, members of the Enlightenment movement in Hungary began trying to convince the ruling regime to establish an institution for liberal rabbis, which would train rabbis in secular studies, so that they could serve as official, state-sanctioned rabbis so that gradually all the Jewish communities would be assigned rabbis with dubious loyalty to traditional Judaism, in order to persuade and lead the general Jewish public toward liberalism and openness and to leave the age-old path of Orthodox Judaism.

For decades the intellectuals tried to convince the authorities, but the efforts of the Torah giants, headed by the students of the Chassam Sofer, managed to cancel and postpone the initiative each time it threatened to become a reality.

After the suppression of the people’s revolution in Hungary in 1848, the Austrians imposed an enormous fine on the Jews, to be used for building Jewish educational institutions, and in 1862 the plan for the establishment of the rabbinical seminary in Budapest was published.

The plan’s announcement sparked a huge storm among the haredi rabbis, who organized petitions that were signed by hundreds and presented to Emperor Franz Josef by a delegation headed by Rabbi Yehuda Assad and Rabbi Yirmiyahu Lowe, resulting in the freezing of the plans.

Following years of pressure from the intellectuals, the emperor acquiesced and in 1873 they were given the money to build the seminary. This news sent shock waves through the haredi community. The Maharam Schick rent his clothes in grief and Rabbi Hillel Lichtenstein of Kolomaya declared a day of fasting and mourning. In 1876 the seminary opened its doors, and still exists today.

The Maharam Schick, as one of the outstanding students of the Chassam Sofer, was very active against the seminary and sent dozens of letters to all the leading rabbis of Hungary and beyond for them to protest and form a united stand against the liberal initiative. The rabbis all sent letters supporting the Maharam Schick’s efforts.

The rabbinical seminary features prominently on the responsa by the Maharam Schick and in his book of sermons.