FRIED, AARON

FRIED, AARON (1812–1891), Hungarian rabbi. Born in Hajduböszörmény, Fried studied under R. Moses Sofer in Pressburg from 1828 to 1831. In 1833 he married the daughter of Eleazar Loew (author of Shemen Roke'aḥ), the rabbi of Abaujszántó, and took up residence with him there until 1837. In the latter year, he was appointed rabbi of Mezöcsát where he remained until 1844. While there, all his possessions including his books and writings were lost in a fire. From 1844 to 1860 he was rabbi of Hajdusámson; he was then appointed to Hajduböszörmény. where he remained for the rest of his life. Fried took a prominent part in the establishment of the organization of the Hungarian Orthodox Jewish community, and in conducting their affairs. He is the author of: Omer le-Ẓiyyon (1872), talmudic novellae; Ẓel ha-Kesef (1878), 24 aggadic excursuses (no. 21 contains interesting references to the Hungarian Jewish congress held in 1868/69); Responsa Maharaf, including a long aggadic introduction with some interesting autobiographical data entitled Todat Aharon, as well as a commentary on the Mishnayot of the order Zera'im and tractate Mikva'ot, entitled Ḥallat Aharon (1893); and Zekan Aharon, homilies (1904). The two latter books were published post-humously by Fried's son Eleazar (Lazar).

bibliography:

A. Fried, She'elot u-Teshuvot Maharaf (1893), 11a; P.Z. Schwartz, Shem ha-Gedolim me-Ereẓ Hagar, 1 (1913), no. 112; M. Stein, Even ha-Me'ir, pt. 1 (1907), 9b, no. 86; idem, Magyar Rabbik, 2 (1906), 72, no. 111.

[Abraham Schischa]