2 - Raising a Rabbi in the Posen District, 1795–1823

Summary

ALTHOUGH Tsevi Hirsch Kalischer finished his schooling under Jacob Lorbeerbaum and Akiva Eger shortly before the Hamburg temple controversy, he must have learnt first-hand from his teachers about the recent ritual innovations and proposals for educational reform. One of the chief rhetorical weapons in the rabbinic opposition was an appeal to messianic beliefs. Even though messianic concepts were under suspicion for their political implications and found wanting on the basis of reason, the foremost rabbinic leaders of the time touted them as the sustenance of the Jewish people and the symbol and reward of faith. Given this context, it is not surprising that Kalischer was deeply intrigued by messianism.

Yet Kalischer would surpass his teachers in messianic enthusiasm, in his avid eagerness for the spiritual glory promised in the ancient visions of the messianic age, and in his deep conviction that the days of redemption were at hand. This optimistic certitude was not bequeathed to him by Lorbeerbaum and Eger. They disdained the contemporary taste for rationalism and were stymied by the new political relationship between the Jews and the state. Eger would later attempt to dampen his student's messianic ardour. As we shall see in this chapter, both teachers suffered from the impoverishment of their communities and lamented the dwindling enthusiasm for Torah study. Kalischer's response to the new developments of the era, however, was quite positive. He would notice the increasing opportunities for Jewish power and interpret them as God-given vehicles enabling the Jews to initiate redemption. He greeted the hunger for reason as a tool to be used in the strengthening of religious belief. From where did this optimism spring? It seems clear from his writings that he was graced with a hopeful disposition, and his religious faith was of the sort that casts a warm light on all events. In addition, his environment and elements of his family culture contributed to his positive outlook. He was raised within the protective cocoon of a rabbinic family that imbued him with a deep respect for a broad range of Jewish learning. His particular revision of the messianic concept was indebted to the values of the yeshiva world and its mode of study, especially its deep respect for the sacrificial commandments and the need to resolve tensions between conflicting opinions.