Judah ben Eliezer

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JUDAH BEN ELIEZER

JUDAH BEN ELIEZER (known as Yesod , the Heb. initials of Y ehudah S afra ve-D ayyan; "scribe of the bet din," lit. "judge") d. 1762, Lithuanian talmudist, communal worker, and philanthropist. Judah was born in Vilna where he served as communal secretary, dayyan, and for a while as rabbi, deputizing for his son-in-law, *Samuel b. Avigdor. He used his position and wealth for the benefit of the community and the needy, rendering valuable service in the community's struggle with the local authorities (1742). His name frequently appears in the communal records of the time. A yeshivah in Vilna was named after him. Judah attended the rabbinical conference at Mir (in 1751), where he supported Jonathan *Eybeschuetz in the latter's controversy with Jacob *Emden. He died in Vilna.

bibliography:

S.J. Fuenn, Kiryah Ne'emanah (19152), 121–4; Fuenn, Keneset, 389f.; I. Klausner, in: Zion, 2 (1937), 137–52; Yahadut Lita, 1 (1960), index; 2 (1967), 53.

[Samuel Abba Horodezky]