Rabbeinu Gershom Me’or Hagolah (“Light of the Diaspora”) was the first major leader of Ashkenazi Jewry and a pivotal figure in its early development. A teacher and scholar of exceptional stature, his far-reaching policies were universally embraced by all of Ashkenazi Jewry. Read on for 12 facts about one of the most influential Jewish figures of the medieval period.
1. He Was the First Leading Ashkenazi Rabbi
At the time of Rabbeinu Gershom’s birth in the 10th century CE,1 the seat of Jewish life and scholarship was Babylonia, home of the ancient Torah academies of Sura and Pumbedita. The tides of the Diaspora were shifting, however. The Jewish communities of Babylonia were declining, and Western Europe was emerging as the home of new centers of Jewish life.
These new centers were divided between the Sephardic community of the Iberian Peninsula and the Ashkenazi community of France and Germany. Rabbeinu Gershom was among the first rabbis to lead Ashkenazi Jewry and the very first of such great repute.
2. His Appellation Means “Light of the Diaspora”
Rabbeinu Gershom is known as “Me’or Hagolah,” Light of the Diaspora, indicating the great esteem in which he was held by both his contemporaries and later scholars. The first to describe him in such terms was Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki), who wrote about his esteemed precursor: “Rabbeinu Gershom—may the remembrance of the righteous and holy be a blessing—illuminated the eyes of the Diaspora, and we all live by the words of his mouth.”2
3. He Led a Yeshivah In Mainz
Rabbeinu Gershom led a yeshivah in the German city of Mainz, which quickly gained fame as a Torah institution of the highest caliber. Students streamed to Mainz from across Germany and beyond, eager to study Torah from Rabbeinu Gershom’s mouth. Among these students were the future teachers of Rashi and other great Ashkenazi leaders. In fact, Rashi states that all the German and Italian scholars of his time were the disciples of Rabbeinu Gershom’s disciples.3
Read: What Is a Yeshivah?
4. He Wrote a Commentary on the Talmud
Rabbeinu Gershom wrote one of the first commentaries on the Talmud, the definitive work of Jewish law. Known for its conciseness and clarity, this commentary is printed in the margins of all standard editions of the Talmud.
It should be noted that much of the commentary attributed to him might not have been penned by him personally, written instead by his students based on his teachings.
Read: What Is the Talmud?
5. His Liturgies Tell of Trying Times
As the High Middle Ages began, Christian Europe was swept up in antisemitic religious fervor, resulting in expulsions, killings, and forced conversions. In fact, Rabbeinu Gershom’s own son was among those forcibly baptized.4
Rabbeinu Gershom composed a number of stirring liturgies (selichot) describing these persecutions. In Zechor Brit Avraham (“Recall the Covenant of Abraham”), parts of which are recited in many communities during the Yom Kippur Ne’ilah service, he laments:
The remnants of Your nation accept Your kingship
but the enemy oppresses, destroys, and maims
They force us to cast Your pleasant yoke
and accept a wretched image as god.
Wounds, bruises, and fresh blows
are inflicted on the daughter of Israel
She is pained and embittered in a foreign land
hunted like a bird from Mt. Moriah.
In a similarly-themed liturgy titled Ayeh Kol Nifleotecha (“Where Are All Your Wonders?”), recited by many on the fourth day of the pre-Rosh-Hashanah Selichot, Rabbeinu Gershom concludes with a fervent prayer:
Rebuild Your city as in the days of old
Repair Your altar, the Temple hall and anteroom
Judah and Israel will serve You there
And Your name will be exalted forever and ever.
Read: What Are Selichot?
6. His Policies Enhanced Jewish Life
Rabbeinu Gershom is perhaps most famous for his numerous enactments aimed at improving various aspects of Jewish life, primarily marital harmony and social relations.5 Most regulations established in the post-Talmudic era are limited to a specific community or country. Rabbeinu Gershom’s policies, however, were universally accepted by Ashkenazi communities worldwide6—underscoring that Rabbeinu Gershom was, indeed, the “Light of the Diaspora.”
Three of his more well-known enactments are outlined below.
7. He Banned Polygamy
Although polygamy is permitted (albeit not necessarily encouraged) by Torah law—indeed, Abraham had two wives and Jacob had four—Rabbeinu Gershom forbade this practice.7 Among other reasons, this was done to minimize infighting between rival wives8 and to ensure husbands would properly provide for their spouses.9
Read: Polygamy in Judaism
10. Legend Says It Came From Personal Experience
According to a famous legend, popularized by 19th-century novelist Marcus Lehmann, Rabbeinu Gershom’s attitude toward polygamy was the result of unfortunate personal experience. When his first wife did not bear him children, he married a second wife, who, in cahoots with one of the king’s advisers, plotted a false accusation against him which nearly cost him his life.
Read the story: Rabbeinu Gershom
9. He Banned Forced Divorce
In a seminal recognition of a woman’s rights, Rabbeinu Gershom decreed that a husband may not divorce his wife without her consent.10
Read: Jewish Divorce
10. He Enacted Privacy Laws
Rabbeinu Gershom was well ahead of his time in the realm of privacy laws. One of his better-known bans is not to read a private letter without the writer’s knowledge11—which today extends to respecting the privacy of another’s emails, texts, and direct messages.
11. Rashi Was Born the Year He Died
Rabbeinu Gershom passed away in 1040, the same year that Rashi, the great commentator of the Torah and Talmud, was born.12 This alignment embodies the verse, “One sun rises as another sun sets.”13 When one great Jewish leader has completed his mission in this world, G‑d ensures that another is born, ready to continue guiding and teaching the Jewish nation.
Read: Who Was Rashi?
12. He Helped Shape Jewish History
For centuries, Jewish communities in Europe and beyond looked to the Geonim, the great scholars of Babylonia, for guidance. This dynamic shifted with Rabbeinu Gershom and his colleagues. With their own renowned leaders and thriving yeshivas, Germany and its sister European countries no longer felt dependent on Babylonia, and they focused their resources on nurturing their own Torah centers. Concurrently, a similar dynamic was taking place in Spain, with the emergence of the Sephardic Torah centers. This shift marked a significant milestone in Jewish history: the center of Jewish life moved from Babylonia to Western Europe, where it would remain for close to 500 years.
Read: The Four Captives
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