Eleazar of Worms

Eleazar of Worms (; c. 1176 – 1238), or Eleazar ben Judah ben Kalonymus, was a Jewish mystic. He was an important student of the Talmud. He was also the last major member of the Chassidei Ashkenaz, a group of German Jewish mystics.

Eleazar of Worms was born in Mainz. He traveled and studied at many centers of learning in Germany and northern France. He belonged to the Kalonymus family, which was one of the most important German-Jewish families at the time. His father, Judah B. Kalonymus, was one of the leading scholars of his generation. Eleazar learned from his father about Jewish law and theology.

Eleazar spent most of his life living in Worms. He was a Jewish pietist. Eleazar wrote many books and poems on praising God, and studied liturgical poetry, halakhah, theology, ethics and exegesis. Some of his works were printed but many have been lost. Eleazar witnessed and suffered the persecution of Jews. Eleazar's wife, two daughters  were murdered, and he and his son were badly injured.Dan, Joseph. "Eleazar ben Judah of Worms." Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007.Biography in Context. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.

References

Category:1176 births
Category:1238 deaths
Category:German esotericists
Category:German poets
Category:Jewish German writers
Category:Mystics
Category:Writers from Rhineland-Palatinate
Category:People from Worms, Germany