Rabbi Loew - Path of Life

7/30/2019 Rabbi Loew - Path of Life

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CESTA

IVOTARABI LWPATHOFLIFE RABBI LOEW

VSTAVA PODAN SPRVOU PRASKHO HRADU

A IDOVSKM MUZEEM V PRAZE K 400.VRO

CSASK KONRNA PRASKHO HRADU5/88/11/2009

CA.15251609

KOL.15251609

VSTAVA SE KON POD ZTITOU VCLAVA KLAUSE, PREZIDENTA ESK REPUBLIKY, MINISTRA KULTURY VCLAVA RIEDLBAUCHAA PRIMTORA HL. MSTA PRAHY PAVLA BMA. THE EXHIBITION IS HELD UNDER THE AUSPICES OF VCLAV KLAUS, PRESIDENT OFTHE CZECH REPUBLIC, THE MINISTER OF CULTURE VCLAV RIEDLBAUCH AND PAVEL BM, THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF PRAGUE.

An exhibition heldby the Prague Castle

Administration andthe Jewish Museumin Prague for the 400thanniversary of the deathof Rabbi Judah Loewben Bezalel

IMPERIAL STABLES, PRAGUE CASTLE

MRT RABIHO JEHUDY LEVY BEN BECALELA


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Myth and Reality

This year is the 400

th

anniversary of thedeath of the renowned Rabbi Judah Loew

(Lw) ben Bezalel. The religious, peda-

gogical and philosophical legacy of this

scholar remains a lively inspiration to

this day. Few people have attracted such

a broad range of admirers, including those

with starkly contrasting religious, philo-sophical and cultural views. The idea of

the Rabbi Loew as the personification

of the mystery of the ghetto, a miracle

worker, mathematician and creator of an

artificial being may not be historically

grounded but it has provided immenseinspiration for literature, art and drama.

The real and the imaginary Rabbi Loew

both have a right to exist, although there

is an immense divide between his histori-

cal legacy and the way he is predominant-

ly seen. This fact is of such importance

that it serves as the basis for the entire

exhibition concept. The exhibition com-

prises two parts: the first focuses on the

historical Rabbi Loew and the authentic

traditions connected with him, while the

second looks at Rabbi Loews legacy and

the origin of the legends that are associ-ated with his name.

Mtus a skutenost

Vroce 2009 si pipomnme 400 let odmrt vhlasnho rabna Jehudy Levy

(Lwa) ben Becalela. Nboensk, pedago-

gick a filosofick odkaz tohoto uence

zstv dodnes iv a inspirujc. Jen st

lze najt jinou osobnost, ke kter by se hl-

silo tak pestr spoleenstv ctitel, lid

s vrazn odlinou nboenskou, filosofic-kou a kulturn orientac. Pojet rabiho Lwa

jako zosobnn tajuplnosti ghetta, divo-

tvrce, matematika a tvrce uml bytosti

golema nen sice historicky oprvnn,

poskytlo vak pebohatou inspiraci uml-

cm. S jejm odrazem se meme setkatjak v literatue, tak ve vtvarnm a drama-

tickm umn. Sv prvo na existenci m

prav i vysnn rabi Lw, avak rozpor

mezi historickm obrazem tto osobnosti

a jejm pevaujcm chpnm je pro-

pastn. Tato skutenost je natolik v-

znamn, e poslouila jako zklad pojet

cel vstavy, kter m dv hlavn sti.

Prvn je vnovna historickmu rabimu

Lwovi a autentickm tradicm s nm spo-

jenm, druh je zasvcena odkazu rabiho

Lwa a pvodu legend spjatch s jeho

jmnem.

Jehuda ben Becalel, Deru nae he-abat ha-gadol, Praha 1589,idovsk muzeum v PrazeJudah Loew ben Bezalel, Derush Na'eh he-Shabbat ha-Gadol,Prague, 1589, Jewish Museum in Prague


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ivot a dlo rabiho Lwa

Kdy se pesn Jehuda Leva ben Becalelnarodil, se s jistotou nev. Pedpo-

kld se, e se tak stalo kolem roku 1525

v polsk Poznani v rodin pochzejc z Prahy.

Jehuda psobil v letech 15531573 jako

moravsk zemsk rabn. Svho postaven

se vak vzdal a odeel do Prahy, kde se stal

rektorem Klausu soukrom rabnsk aka-

demie. V tto instituci byl inn v letech

15731584 a 15881592. Funkci vrchnho

rabna v rodn Poznani zastval v letech

15841588 a znovu 15921595. Roku 1596

byl pijat za vrchnho rabna v Praze. Zesnul

18. dne hebrejskho msce elul roku 5769idovskho letopotu, tedy 17. z 1609,

a je pochovn na Starm idovskm

hbitov v Praze.

Jdro vstavy pedstavuj jedinen sbr-

kov pedmty, knihy a archivlie idovskho

muzea v Praze, kter obohacuj vzcn arte-

fakty zapjen z eskch i zahraninch

instituc. Mezi nejdleitj exponty pat

spisy rabiho Lwa doplnn ednmi kni-

hami a texty souvisejcmi s jeho osobnost.

Uniktn je dokument ze Sttnho archivu

ve Vdni z roku 1597 s podpisem velkho

idovskho uence. Ten mimo jin proslulsvm setknm s csaem Rudolfem II. na

The Life and Work of Rabbi Loew

Although his precise date of birth is un-known, Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel is

thought to have been born around 1525 in

the Polish city of Poznan, the son of parents

from Prague. He was the Chief Rabbi of

Moravia in 15531573, but he gave up his

position and moved to Prague where he be-

came a rector of the Klaus, a private rabbinic

academy. He was active at this institution in

15731584 and 15881592. He held the post

of Chief Rabbi of Poznan in 15841588 and

again in 15921595. He became Chief Rabbi

of Prague in 1596. He died on the 18th of Elul

5769 by the Jewish calendar (17 September1609) and was buried in Pragues Old Jewish

Cemetery.

The core of the exhibition features unique

objects, books and archival materials from

the collections of the Jewish Museum in

Prague, as well as rare artefacts on loan

from Czech and foreign institutions. Among

the most important exhibits are the writings

of Rabbi Loew, alongside official books and

texts associated with him. Also unique is

a 1597 document from the Austrian State

Archives in Vienna, which has a signature

by this great Jewish scholar whose famespread following his meeting with Emperor

Vron modlitba u hrobu rabiho Lwa, Cyklus malebPraskho pohebnho bratrstva, olej na pltn, kol. 1835,idovsk muzeum v Praze

Karel Wrbs, Staronov synagoga z vchodu, kolorovanrytina, kolem 1830, idovsk muzeum v PrazeKarel Wrbs, The Old-New Synagogue from the East,coloured engraving, ca. 1830, Jewish Museum in Prague

< Pohr pro kidu, pelom 16./17. stol., cizelovana zlacen stbro, stedn Evropa, bez znaek vrobce;podle stn tradice byl tento pohr majetkem rabihoLwa, idovsk muzeum v Praze< Kiddush Cup, turn of the 16th/17th century, chasedsilver gilt, Central Europe, without a makers mark; ac-cording to an oral tradition, it once belonged to RabbiLoew, Jewish Museum in Prague


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Praskm hrad. Stoln zvonek Rudolfa II.

ze slitiny sedmi kov dle kabalistickho n-vodu, zapjen vdeskm Umleckohisto-

rickm muzeem, je dal vzcnost, kterou

lze na vstav zhldnout.

Vstava rovn zahrnuje vvoj praskho

ghetta a idovskho hbitova v dob rabiho

Lwa. Dky Muzeu hlavnho msta Prahy

je mono zhldnout v trojrozmrnm zobra-

zen nejvznanj stavby praskho idov-

skho Msta, jak je ve svm modelu zachytil

v 18. stolet Antonn Langweil. Vedle domu

rabiho Lwa jsou pedstaveny nejvznam-

nj veejn stavby, nhrobky velkho uence

a jeho potomk a dalch vznamnch osob-nost konce 16. a potku 17. stolet.

Povsti a legendy

Ironi je, e ir veejnost dnes Jehuduben Becalela zn pedevm dky golemov-sk legend, s n byl spojen a v 19. stolet

a ji vstava rovn pedstav. V nvaznosti

na texty nmeckch romantik vyly v Praze

v roce 1847 Sippurim(hebrejsky Pbhy),

kter uvedly soubor povst o rabim Lwovi

a jeho golemovi do irokho povdom.

Do souboru povst je zaadil Alois Jirsek,

Josef Svtek i Adolf Wenig. Svho nejvt-ho rozen vak golemovsk legendy

Rudolf II at Prague Castle. Another rare ex-

hibit is a table bell that was made from analloy of seven metals on the basis of kab-

balistic instructions and belonged to Rudolf II;

this is on loan from the Kunsthistorisches

Museum in Vienna.

The exhibition also traces the development

of the Prague ghetto and the Jewish ceme-

tery during the lifetime of Rabbi Loew.

Thanks to the City of Prague Museum, it is

possible to see a 3D depiction of the most

important buildings of Pragues Jewish

Town, as rendered in an 18th century model

by Antonn Langweil. In addition to Rabbi

Loews house, this shows the major publicbuildings and the tombstones of Rabbi

Loew and other prominent figures from

the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

Myths and Legends

Ironically, the general public now knows

Judah Loew ben Bezalel mainly due to the

golem legend, with which he was not as-

sociated until the nineteenth century and

which is also featured in the exhibition.

Broader awareness of legends about Rabbi

Loew and his golem was raised in 1847

with the publication in Prague of Sippurim[Tales], which followed on from the works

Anniversary Prayer at the Grave of Rabbi Loew, Cycle of paintingsof the Prague Burial Society, oil on canvas, ca. 1835,Jewish Museum in Prague


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doshly na potku 20. stolet. Tehdy vznikla

na toto tma ada literrnch dl od autor

jako Judl Rosenberg, Gustav Meyrink nebo

Chajim Bloch. Vtvarnou podobu rabiho

Lwa a golema jako prvn zachytil ve svch

kresbch Mikol Ale, pozdji Hugo Stei-ner-Prag, pomnk rabiho Lwa vytvoil pro

prel prask Nov radnice socha

Ladislav aloun. Hra o rabim Lwovi a jeho

golemovi se hrla tak v praskm Osvobo-

zenm divadle (1930). Nejvt ohlas vak

mlo filmov zpracovn golemovskch po-vst ve snmcch Paula Wegenera (1914,

1917, 1920), Juliana Duvivira (1936) nebo

Martina Frie ve filmu Csav peka

a pekav csa(1951).

of the German Romantics. These legends

were also included in works by Alois

Jirsek, Josef Svtek and Adolf Wenig.

Golem legends were most widespread,

however, at the beginning of the 20th cen-

tury, when a number of literary works onthis theme were written by such authors

as Yudel Rosenberg, Gustav Meyrink and

Chaim Bloch. Rabbi Loew and the golem

were depicted in art first by Mikol Ale

and later by Hugo Steiner-Prag. A monu-

ment to Rabbi Loew was made by sculptorLadislav aloun for the front of Pragues

New Town Hall. A play about Rabbi Loew

and his golem was performed at the Liber-

ated Theatre in 1930. The greatest success,

however, was with the film versions of the

golem legends by Paul Wegener (1914,

1917, 1920), Julian Duvivir (1936) andMartin Fri (in the 1951 film The Emperors

Baker and the Golem).

< Ladislav aloun (18701946),Model k plastice rabiho Lwa na

budov praskho magistrtu

na Marinskm nmst, 1910,idovsk muzeum v Praze< Ladislav aloun (18701946),

Model for the Rabbi Loew Monumentat Prague City Hall on Marian Square,

1910, Jewish Museum in Prague

Hugo Steiner-Prag: Golem,litografie, 1916,idovsk muzeum v PrazeHugo Steiner-Prag: Golem,lithograph, 1916,

Jewish Museum in Prague


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CESTAIVOTARABI LW

PATHOFLIFE RABBI LOEWCA.15251609

KOL.15251609

GENERLN PARTNER / GENERAL PARTNER

PARTNEI / PARTNERS

PATRON KULTURNCH AKC PODANCH SPRVOU PRASKHO HRADUPATRON OF CULTURAL EVENTS ORGANIZEDBY THE PRAGUE CASTLE ADMINISTRATION

MEDILN PARTNEI / MEDIA PARTNERS

HLAVN MEDILN PARTNERMAIN MEDIA PARTNER

Nhrobek rabiho Lwa na Starm idovskm hbitov v Praze,sliveneck mramor, 1610, idovsk muzeum v PrazeTombstone of Rabbi Loew at the Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague,Slivenec marble, 1610, Jewish Museum in Prague

Vstava podan Sprvou Praskho hradu

a idovskm muzeem v Praze k 400. vromrt rabiho Jehudy Levy ben Becalela

An exhibition held by the Prague Castle

Administration and the Jewish Museum

in Prague for the 400th anniversary of the

death of Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel

5/ 8 8/11 2009 Csask konrna Praskho

hradu / Imperial Stables, Prague Castle

VSTUPN /ADMISSION OTEVENO DENN /OPEN DAILY 1018

Pln / Basic 160 K

Snen / Reduced 100 K

Rodinn / Family 220 K

Skupinov vstupn pro ky Z a S /1 k 40 K

Group tickets for pupils of elementary

and secondary schools /per pupil 40 K

INFOMACE /INFORMATION

[email protected], www.jewishmuseum.cz / www.kulturanahrade.cz

20% sleva se vstupenkou na vstavu u pokladen v historickch synagogch

a na Starm idovskm hbitov v praskm idovskm Mst

20% discount after showing the exhibition ticket at the cash desks of

the historic synagogues and the Old Jewish Cemetery in Pragues Jewish Town

Kurtoi / Curators: Arno Pak, Alexandr Putk

Komisaka vstavy / Exhibition commissioner: Eva Koskov

Katalog vydalo Nakladatelstv Academiaa idovsk muzeum v PrazeCatalogue published by the Academia PublishingHouse and the Jewish Museum in Prague

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Rabbi Loew - Path of Life