Elijah ben Kalonymus of Lublin

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ELIJAH BEN KALONYMUS OF LUBLIN

ELIJAH BEN KALONYMUS OF LUBLIN (second half of 17th century), preacher and rabbi. Little is known about Elijah, whose only extant work, Adderet Eliyahu (Frankfurt on the Oder, 1696), contains sermons commenting on each weekly Torah portion. They resemble short fables, each of which can stand independently, while together they form an intricate whole. In these derashot, written in a pleasant style, Elijah employs much kabbalistic terminology, quoting from such works as the Zohar, Zohar Ḥadash, and Sefer ha-Peli'ah, and makes use of talmudic-midrashic literature as well as Rashi. At the end of the book is appended a prayer from Ereẓ Israel, the recitation of which could ensure forgiveness for sins connected with the destruction of the Temple and the resultant Diaspora.

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