KLAUSNER, ABRAHAM

KLAUSNER, ABRAHAM (d. 1407/8), Austrian talmudist. Klausner was a pupil of Moses of Znaim. In 1380 he was living in Vienna where he served as rabbi together with Meir Halevy, by whom he was apparently ordained with the title "morenu." He was a brother-in-law of the martyr, *Aaron of Neustadt (Blumlein), one of the great scholars of Austria and the uncle and teacher of Israel *Isserlein. Jacob *Moellin (the Maharil) studied under him and he was the main teacher of Isaac *Tyrnau. Klausner's responsa are mentioned in the responsa of Isserlein and Israel *Bruna. His main reputation, however, rests upon his Sefer ha-Minhagim (Riva di Trento, 1558). This was already known to his contemporaries and is mentioned by Moellin and by Isserlein. It is the first extant work in the field of local religious customs (see *Minhagim Books), to which insufficient attention was paid by the *posekim until his time. Klausner adapted the *minhagim of Ḥayyim Paltiel, a contemporary of Meir of Rothenburg (part of which has been published by D. Goldschmidt from a manuscript of 1305 (see bibl.)), adding explanations in the margins, which were incorporated by the printer in the text and made to appear as one work. The customs in the printed edition are dealt with at greater length than in the manuscript and arranged differently. It was printed with errors, omissions, and repetitions. A new edition based upon the Riva di Trento edition with introduction, notes, and sources was published by C.J. Ehrenreich in 1929.

bibliography:

Carmoly, in: Ben Chananja, 8 (1865), 737; J. Freimann (ed.), Leket Yosher, 2 (1904), xviiif. (introd.); C.J. Ehren-reich (ed.), Sefer ha-Minhagim le-R. Avraham Klausner (1929), iii–vii (introd.); J. Kaufman, R. Yom Tov Lippmann Muehlhausen (Heb. 1927), 3f.; Goldschmidt, in: KS, 23 (1946/47), 324–30; 24 (1947/48), 73–83.

[David Tamar]