Sofer, R. Moses of Pressburg

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Sofer, R. Moses of Pressburg ( Ḥatam Sofer, 1762–1839). Jewish halakhic authority and orthodox community leader. Sofer served as rabbi of Pressburg, Hungary, for the last thirty-three years of his life. He founded a large and successful yeshivah, and he firmly opposed the maskilim (see HASKALAH) in their attempts to adjust Judaism to the spirit of the times. After his death, his responsa (in 7 vols., Ḥiddushei Teshuvot Mosheh Sofer, known from the initials as Ḥatam Sofer), sermons, and letters were published, all of which reflect his devotion to the orthodox cause and his encouragement of Jewish settlement in Erez Israel.