LIPSCHUTZ, SOLOMON BEN MORDECAI

LIPSCHUTZ, SOLOMON BEN MORDECAI (d. 1736), Dutch rabbi. Born and educated in Lisse, Lipschutz was appointed rabbi of the Ashkenazi community in The Hague during the incumbency of David Nunes (c. 1700) as rabbi of the Sephardi community. About 1710 he was appointed rabbi of Rotterdam, remaining there until his death. His query in connection with the eruv of Rotterdam, based on the fact that the river could be regarded as its boundary, is published in Jacob *Poppers' responsa Shav Ya'akov (1702, pt. 1, no. 17). Having received conflicting rules from Ezekiel Katzenellenbogen and Jacob *Reischer, to whom he had first turned, he addressed himself to Jacob Poppers for a decision, and he appears to have written a book for which he obtained Poppers' approbation. The large Boompjes synagogue in Rotterdam was built while he was rabbi. After his death Solomon was succeeded as rabbi of Rotterdam by his son judah (d. 1754) whom Jonathan Eybeschuetz called "a righteous and upright man who increased peace in the world and was pleasing to his brethren." Judah's son abraham (d. 1780) was also appointed a rabbi of Rotterdam, but his appointment stirred up a great controversy because two of the lay leaders were his relatives. The leaders of the community turned to Jonathan Eybeschuetz and David Berlin for a decision, and they decided in Abraham's favor.

bibliography:

Ẓ.H. Horowitz, Kitvei ha-Ge'onim (1928), 21–25.

[Itzhak Alfassi]