Aaron ha-Levi ben Moses Aaron Markovich of Wilna
THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA
very days intervening tietween the date that brouplit liini boiiily liberty and that wliieli perfected it by adding spiritual eiifranehiseinent. Even in the eitation of rabbinical traditions and amplifications of the Law, the author displays rare jiidfrment and proper feeling, tlms completely justify ing the popularity which this book lias for centuries enioyed. The aulhor'senumerationof the fundamental doc trines('('/!*nv'/H) of .Judaism is note wort hy namely, "the eternity, onmipolcnce, unity, and omniseienic of God creation of the world by God rewards and punishments for human actions; and the truth of Jewish tradition"' (intrixluction to the "Hinnuk "). CVmiparcd with the familiar principles of faith as ermmerated by Mainionides, one is struck by the fact that the "Ilinnuk," representing the ofbcial orthodoxy of the time, mentions neither the unchange al)lenessof the Law nor resurrection. This is owinuundoubtedly to the aversion of rabbinical Jiulaism to the Maimoiudean attempt to set up dogmas. The "Hinnidv" has been translated into Spanish and Latin; the former version seems to have been in existence about a hundred years ago, but has entirely disappeared. An abbreviation of the Latin tianslation was ]iublished by .1. . Hottinger under the title "Juris lb-br,-eoruui Leges 2G1 Duclu U. Levi Barcelonitu'." Zurich, HmR, and a French extract under the title, "Instruction Heligieuse et
- roiale," by E. Halevy.
lially aiul loviiij;ly c(miit tlic
Rzeszow.
His father, Hayyiin Jiulah Loeb ben rabbi of Lemberg. as was also his father-in-law, Hayyim Cohen Rapoport. author of resiion.sa. ultimately published at Lemberg, 1S(I1. Aaron strongly opposed the Ilasidism which arose Elie/.er,
and esixrially attacked Klimelech of Leauthor of "No'am Elimelech " (compare "Torat ha-Kenaot," p. 26). His approbati(ms are found in various works of that period. /.aysk, the
'.'
Daviii
Itosin,
.
Ein rompeufUuiii
il. Jlkl. .Joseph l)en Mtwe.s of Tariii>|Kil, Miiiliat ll'nimili (a vcrv leanieil commentary on the Ilinnuk. in :i vols.i, I.cmluTt'. Wilt. t'
(;c«,lzi.'<l;iiiiili; etc.,
Brcslau, 1871
p
AARON HA-LEVI BEN MOSES
STAROSELYE: A
Talmudicscholiir and
OF
(-.ibalisl
of note, who flourished in I'oland during the latter |iarl of the eighteenth century and the early part of the nineteenth. He was oneof the most eiithusiastic and steadfast di.sciples of the cabalist Senior Salman, rabbi of Lozhne and Lody, and studied
under him until he had acquired a full knowledge of mystic lore. Hi; urged Salman to publi.sji his work. " Tanya "(Sla vita, ITflO); and when the latter was imprisoned l)y a royal decree in 1T9S, Aaron ti-aveh'd from town to town to collect money from liis master's followers, to ransom him, oral feast to bribe the jailer and the prison warders to allow them to .see Salman. After the hitter's death in 1S13, Aaron took U]i liis residence as rabbi at Staroselye! and many flocked to him to have the Law explaiiied in accordance with the teachings of his master. These formed a school known as the Hasidim of Staroselye. Aaron was the author of "Sha'are Aboilah"(The Gates of Worship). Shklov. lS2()-2t. a work which is also known by the name " 'Abodat ha Benonim " {The AVorship of the Humble). It is ilivided into live sections; the first on the imity of God: the second on the union of souls; the third on divine service; the fourth on the Law and the Commandments; and the fifth on repentance. He also wrote "'Abodat ha-Lewi." Lembersr, 1861, a commentary on the Pentateuch. All of "Aaron's teachings are based on the oral traditions of Salman and on his work, "Tanya." his
Bibliography: Benjacob. 0?nr )io-ScMrim, iihrm
Huii.rocKAPMv: BuIht.
.tiwfii Slicm. p.
2.'i,
Craeow.
A.
lS!k"i.
15.
I).
.
Itnii.iocRAPHr:
was
in Galieia,
16
hn-GeiMim hc-Hadasli.
""'"^ "'^'-
Walden,
p. 603;
Sn. W".; Rodkinson J.
AARON HA-LEVI OETTINGEN
.-ini.i
L. S.
(xjj'B'n): Galician rabbi; born about the beirinniuir of the seventeenth century died in Lembcrir about 1670. He w^as one of a prominent fainilv of rabbis, and officiated for the ccmgregations o"f Javorov' and
AARON OF LINCOLN: born
English
financier;
England, about 112.5; died llSti. He mentione<l in the English pipe-roll of 166 as creditor of King Henry II. for sums amountiiii: to .t'61612.v. W. (about $:!.(),s;i. the e(|uivalent of. 'iiKIII, 000 of the jiresent day) in nine of the Knglish coimties (.Jacobs, "Jews of Angevin longland," p. 4:i). He conducted his business through agents (M. D. Uavis, "Shetaioth," pp. 2.H7, 2.SS, Xo. 148; Jacobs, at Lincoln.
is first
1
p. 277),
I.e.,
Isaac,
fil
and sometimes in conjunction with bj' these methods building uji what
Joce;
was practically a great baidving association that spread throughout England. He made a specialty of leniling money fortlw purpose of building abbeys and monasteries. Among Ihoselniill were the Abbey of St. Albans ("Gesta St'. Albani."e(l. Hiley, p. 193), Lincoln Alinster (Ginddusl'ambrensis, "Opera." eti.
Dymock. vii. 30), Peterborouirh Cathedral ("Benedict Abbas," ed. Stubbs. i. liiti). and no less than nine Cistercian abbevs (" Jlemorials of Fotintains Abbey," ii. 18). They "were all founded bctwi^cn 1140 and 11.52. and at Aaron's de:i1h remained imlebted to him in no less a sum than 6,400 marks (t'4.S(ii) or •S24.0()0. probably cipial to .S7.")0.000 at the present day). Some of these debtsmay. however, have been incurred by the abbeys in order to acquire lands pledged to'Aaron. Tims the abbot of Meaux took over from Aaron lands pledged to the latter in the sum of 1,800 marks (f 1.200 (U- 8<).000, equal to .§180,OOOat the present day); Aaron at thesainetime promising to couunute the debt for a new His one of only 1.260 marks, which was Transac- paid olT l)y"the abbey. After Aaron's tions. death the original deed for 1. sou m:irks was brought to light, and the king's treasury detuanded from the abbey the missing .540 marks ("Chron. de Melsa," i. 173 it set}.). This incident indicates how. on the one hand. Aaron'sactivity enabled the abbeys to get jiossessiou of the lands belonging to the smaller barons, and, on the other, how his death brought the abbeys into the king's power. Aaron not only advanced money on land, but also on corn (.Tacobs, I.e., p. 66), armor (Giraldus Cambrensis, " De Instructione Principum." ed. Brewer, i.
p. 4.5), and liouses ("Hotulus Cartartiin." .Jacobs, I.e., p. 60), and in this way acquired interest in properties scattered through the east-
5.56
an
em
and .southern counties of I^ngland. AVhen he die(L in 1186. Ileni-y II. seized his property as the esch<'at of a Jewish u.surer (see rsfnv), and tli(! Engli.sh crown thus became universal heir to his
The actual cash treasure accumulated by Aarim was sent over to France to assist Henry iii his war with Philip Augustus, but the vessel containing it went down on the voyage between Shoreham and Dieppe ("Benedict Abbas," cd. Stubbs, ii, .5). However, the indebtedness of the smaller barons and knights still remained, aud fell into the hands estate.
of the king to the
probably equal to
amount of
.fl.5,000
(§73,(l00,
000 at the present day), owed by some four hundred and thirty persons dis.?2. .500,
