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Jews born in or connected to Latvia

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Cultural and social life of Latvian Jews

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R. Aharon Azriel son of R. Avraham Yitzchak Yafet

Rēzekne / Rezhitsa

Son-in-law (by second marriage) of R. Dov Ber Yaffe Rabinowitz of Turtz, rabbi in Koritz and Utzian.

He served as rabbi until his passing in 5621 (1861).

In the responsa Zioni, responsa to him were printed in vol. 1, section 24 and in section 26, in connection with his question “concerning the madman Moshe Mordechai of Preil,” for whom R. Yehuda Leib Batlan, rabbi of Dvinsk, had arranged a get. The author of Zioni writes: “The chief speaker in this matter was our dear friend the great rabbi of the holy congregation of Rēzekne, for the said woman is a resident of that holy congregation; and he composed a responsum on the matter, taking a position to forbid — that the said woman may not remarry on the basis of the said bill of divorce. His responsum then reached the hand of the rabbi, the Gaon of the holy congregation of Polotsk, who composed on this a lengthy responsum and sent it to the hand of the great rabbi of the holy congregation of Rēzekne, presenting clear arguments to permit, with sharpness and breadth of knowledge. And my friend the great rabbi our master Azriel sent me all their correspondence and the responsum of the great rabbi of Polotsk. I was therefore compelled to first copy the responsum of the aforementioned great rabbi, may he live, so that my own responsum would be properly understood.”

A letter of “the rabbi of Polotsk,” R. Eliyahu Yosef Rivlin, author of the Torat Chesed, to the Lubavitcher Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek, from 13 Adar 5617, printed in Yagdil Torah (N.Y., booklet 32, section 5), concerns the same matter.1)

In Zioni there, section 39: “These two matters the great rabbi our master Azriel responded to me.” In vol. 2 as well, the author engages in halakhic exchange with him (sections 1–2, 5–6).

She'elot uTeshuvot Zekher Yehoseph, Orach Chaim, vol. 1; Megilat HaYachasin (at the end of the book), p. 212, letter 5. Di Geshikhte fun di Yidn in Letland, p. 76, in a note. Yachas Avot, letter 90, with details of his lineage. Entsiklopediya LeChalutzei HaYishuv uVonav, vol. 1, p. 126.

Latvia and Rabbis

1)
R. Yehoshua Mundshein already noted in the introduction to the responsa Zekher Yehudah (Ohalei Shem Institute, 5751), note 40, that the reference in Yagdil Torah to the responsa Zioni cited there is omitted, where it copies the full length of the Torat Chesed responsum on this matter.