Chaim Elozor Wax

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Chaim Elozor Wax was a famous posek, a Hasidic rabbi, and great leader in Jewish Poland. Besides his being a bright headed in Talmudic studies, he was very much concerned about the needs of his fellows, and did the most of his effort on their behalf.

He is especially known about his thorough responsa work Nefesh Haya, and about his heading the Polish Kolel which is also called Warsaw Kolel, in order to distinguish it from the Galician which was under separate authority.

Contents 1 Tarnogrod 2 Kalisz 3 Pietrokov 4 Zion and Zionism 5 References

[edit] Tarnogrod

Wax was born in 1822 in the city of Tarnogrod bordering Polish Galicia which was then under Austrian rule. His father Rabbi Avraham Yehuda Leibish was a great scholar too, as we find his son citing fantastic Torah accomplishments in his name.

The tidkus of his mother Haya Beila we can see from the fact, that Wax found important enough to name his great work Nefesh Haya after her name. In introduction to this work, Wax explains his decision with a story that happened while he was young. Once upon a time he got very sick, and was unable to keep up with his torah studies and his service to god. While begging for his well being, she said, she is even ready to devote her life instead of her son, but how could a child be raised without a mother? She asked. At least she takes on herself his illness for the while, but asked to stay alive as long needed in order to be able to raise him at best of her might. Apparently her prayer was accepted and he got completely healed while she got than sick from the same illness.

As he writes, she was also instrumental in his acceptance as the rabbi in her residence, while he was not older than 18 years. She also supported him with wisdom to be able to cope with this diligent position. As he got established in the community, the mother's soul fulfilled her pledge, and took her way to heaven.

Wax sat on the rabbinical chair of Tarnogrod for about 20 years.

[edit] Kalisz

In year 1860 or 1861, after when the former rabbi of Kalisz Meir Auerbach went up to Israel, Wax was hired to take over his place in this huge commune. His appearance in town elevated its state in religious aspects, while even a shoemaker found it important, to designate certain hours during each and every day for torah studies. He is also credited for the new synagogue which was built up under his rabbinate.

In that time his first wife Blime, the daughter of Rabbi Moshe Yosef a brother Rabbi Chaim Halbershtam of Sanz, passed away. He than married Shifra Mirl, the daughter of the great scholar and posek, Rabbi Yisroel Yehoshua Trunk from Kutno.

In the Yeshiva in hear he found a good opportunity to build up and encourage competent torah scholars for the next generation. Once there arrived a delegation from Oshikov with a request that he should help them appoint a qualified scholar to serve as the rabbi in their community. He sent a proxy to call the student Eliyah Singer, and in front of the delegation Wax instructed him to sit on his nice rabbinical chair, than he handed a rabbinical hat for the puzzled disciple. He now faced the delegation calling out "Mazel Tov! Here is your rabbi!"

[edit] Pietrokov

Rabbi Chaim Elozor's commitment to God was not limited to the convenient position of pride. In fact he was ready to his service even for the price of losing his rabbinical chair, and getting into danger.

The story happened when Mr. Greenfield was about making a wedding for his daughter. Greenfield was a wealthy man, having close contact with the gentile politicians and was more interested to please them, than to please the Haredi community.

When the rabbi arrived he was shocked to see something at the wedding which was not according to Jewish custom and law, the rabbi requested to correct it, and when his request was not fulfilled he refused to lead the ceremony.

This caused a noise while Mr. Greenfield wanted to show power, but realized that if no rabbi there is no wedding. The governor who was a best friend with Mr. Greenfield, and wanted to help with situation on, came along to the rabbi and ordered him with force of authority to go ahead with the ceremony.

The rabbi answered him that the governor has no permission to get involved in religious matters, on which the governor responded with invalidating the position of the rabbi. The rabbi responded ok, so now I have no obligations and turn to his cart to take him home.

As the governor see the rabbi is leaving the ceremony behind, he sent policemen to block the wagon. Mr. Greenfield ended up fulfilling the requirement, but for Rabbi Wax this was the end of his carrier in Kalisz, which remained without an official rabbi for seven years.

This was the good lock for Pietrokov to get such a wise rabbi for their community.

[edit] Zion and Zionism

Rabbi Wax was a sample of a responsible leader. Although he was a hot disciple of Rabbi Eliyah from Greiditz, and very much supported the idea of colonization of the holy land with farm and settlement, he stood firm for the rights of the Yishuv haYashan, the original settlers who came for the purposes of learning Torah and devotion for God.

At one hand he cited the most extreme statement of Rabbi Eliyah, that by building up the ruins of Israel we could hurry up the footsteps of Moshiach. But at the other hand, he issued a statement in letter to Yehiel Pins a famous agent for Hovevei Zion, that Theodor Herzl and his friends who are agitating for Jewish state and nationalism, are actually destroyers of Zion and not its builders.

His strategy was to first help and build up the existing citizens of Jerusalem and Israel, and then to pave a slow and sure path for new settlers. As the president of the Warsaw-Kolel, he worked with superhuman vigor and strengths, not only to provide them the semi-annual Haluka, but also for long-term plans to build up a stable economy over there.

He worked extensively for the establishment of an etrog economy in Israel, with the financial help and support of Sir Moshe Montefiori. Together with many of his colleagues, he especially cared for the Balady citron, which they also considered as the highest in kashruth. Even though, he never crossed boundaries to completely ban the Greek citron.

In year 1886, he undertook a then extremely challenging trip to Israel together with his esteemed father-in-law, Rabbi Trunk, in order to supervise himself the etrog plantations, and to establish housing and jobs for the disciples of the Warsaw-Kolel.

In the mentioned letter, he claims that the Zionists are ready to destroy the lives of the present citizens of Israel, by curving their funding to national purposes, and by aggravating the ruling Turkish government. As of now we are witness to how the radical Zionist activists, of which some converted to be called elected officials, flushed rivers of Jewish and Arabic blood for the sake of nationality and peace they never reached.

[edit] References