Rabbi Yoel Sirkis (5321-20 Adar 5400), known as "the Bach" after his great work - "Bayis Chadash" on the four Turim. He was among the greatest of the Acharonim, editors of the Talmud and poskim of recent generations.

Life History

Born to Rabbi Shmuel of Lublin, son of Rabbi Moshe Yaffe of Krakow in the year 5321 in the city of Lublin.

He was a student of Rabbi Shlomo Leibush of Lublin (a colleague of Rabbi Eliyahu Baal Shem of Worms).

He served as rabbi in Pozna and in additional cities, among them Lubomla, Mezhybizh, and Belz. In the year 5375, he was appointed to serve as head of the beis din in the city of Brisk, and in the year 5379 he moved to a similar position in the city of Krakow and its surroundings, where he served as rabbi and av beis din until his passing.

Rabbi Yoel was among the leaders of the Council of Four Lands, and in the council's records his name is mentioned many times, especially regarding the education tax.

Rabbi Yoel was very wealthy, and fed many students from his large yeshiva at his table. He refrained from learning foreign languages and secular wisdom, except for mathematics.

He passed away on 20 Adar in the year 5400.

Study of Kabbalah

In his halachic works, his expertise in the Zohar and kabbalistic texts is evident. Particularly notable is his attitude toward Kabbalah in one of his responsa: "One who mocks the words of the sages and speaks ill of the wisdom of Kabbalah, which is the source of Torah and its essence and includes fear of Heaven, it is obvious that he deserves excommunication." In addition, he wrote a commentary on the kabbalistic work of the Ramak, Pardes Rimonim. Despite this, he ruled that one should not decide according to Kabbalah in a place where the Talmudic law or common practice is the opposite.

His Family

His wife, Bila, daughter of the distinguished scholar R' Avraham R' Hirtzkes of Lvov.
His son Rabbi Shmuel Tzvi Hirsch.
His daughter Rivka, wife of his student the Taz.
His daughter, wife of R' Naftali Hirtz son of R' Yehuda Zelki, av beis din of Lvov.

His Teachers

His father Rabbi Shmuel Yaffe.
Rabbi Shlomo Leibush of Lublin (colleague of Rabbi Eliyahu Baal Shem of Worms)
Rabbi Hirsch Shor of Brisk.
Rabbi Feivush of Krakow.

Among His Students

Rabbi Yoel Baal Shem
His son-in-law, Rabbi David HaLevi Segal, the Taz.
Rabbi Yehoshua Charif, author of "Meginei Shlomo."
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Krochmal author of Shu"t Tzemach Tzedek (the earlier one).
Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Klausner av beis din in Lvov and Lublin.
Rabbi Gershon Ashkenazi author of the book "Avodas HaGershuni."
Rabbi Tzvi Katz, author of the book "Ateres Tzvi" on Orach Chaim and "Nachlas Tzvi" on Shulchan Aruch Even HaEzer.

His Works

Bayit Chadash - His main work, a commentary on all parts of the Arba'ah Turim. The uniqueness of the Bach in this book is that unlike Rabbi Yosef Karo's 'Beit Yosef' who did not delve deeply into his work and get to the core points as they appear in their original source, the Bach delved to the very root of the matters.

As the Bach writes in his introduction to his book:

"However, since the Rabbi [author of the Tur], may his memory be blessed, was a wise man whose eyes were in his head, and whose main purpose and root was to clarify each halachah thoroughly so that there would be no further doubt in practical halachic ruling, it was necessary to elaborate on the Talmudic discussions and all the decisors and responsa. This led to brevity in the explanation and elucidation of the words of the Tur itself, even in places requiring a master craftsman to understand it properly. Also, when he explains the words of the Tur in some places, there are significant objections to be raised, and the truth needs to be clarified for those who see and study the discussions. This occurred to the Rabbi [Beit Yosef] only because of his great stature, as he focused all his days and all his attention on the purpose of ruling halachah in the short and long Shulchan Aruch. But regarding the explanation and interpretation of the words of the Tur itself, he was brief and moved on, because it was automatically understood by people of his caliber in greatness (...). I have risen to compose an explanation and interpretation for the words of the Turim themselves."

The Bach's Responsa.
Commentary on the book Pardes Rimonim by the Ramak.
Novellae on the Shas.
Glosses on the Shas (printed in the margins of the Vilna Shas).

By Our Rebbeim

The Alter Rebbe rules in his Shulchan Aruch in many matters like the Bach.

It is told that once the Tzemach Tzedek delayed the Shabbos day meal, and his son, the Maharash, wondered about this in his presence. At first, the Tzemach Tzedek did not wish to tell him why he was delayed, but finally told him that there is a question regarding the laws of treifos (non-kosher) birds, where all the decisors permit it but the Bach forbids it. When the Bach passed away, he was challenged for this ruling. Once, this question came before the Alter Rebbe, who permitted it like everyone else, but the Bach came to the Alter Rebbe and asked him to understand his reasoning and forbid it. That day, the Alter Rebbe came to his grandson the Tzemach Tzedek and said that when he ascended to the upper world, they examined his ruling, why he first permitted and tasted from the bird and then forbade it afterward, and asked the Tzemach Tzedek to provide a reason for this, which is why he was delayed.

The Tzemach Tzedek said about the Bach: "The Bach is authoritative. All tzaddikim must pass through Gehinnom, and when the Bach passed away, they cooled Gehinnom beforehand for sixty days."

Several times the Rebbe emphasized the words of the Bach regarding the intention required in Torah study:

"His intention [Hashem's] from the beginning of time was that we engage in Torah study so that our souls would become unified with the essence, spirituality, and holiness of the source of the Torah... And if they had engaged in Torah with this intention, they would have been a chariot and sanctuary for His Divine Presence, for the Divine Presence would have truly been within them, as they are the sanctuary of Hashem and within them the Divine Presence would have established its dwelling place, and the entire earth would have been illuminated by His glory... But now that they have transgressed this law, by not engaging in Torah except for material purposes for their pleasure, to know the laws for business purposes, and also to be proud and display their wisdom... in this they created a separation that caused the Divine Presence to depart from the earth and ascend above, and the earth remained in its physicality without holiness, and this was the cause of its destruction and loss." — Bach on Tur Orach Chaim section 47, s.v. "U'mah she'amar." See there at length.

The Rebbe mentions these words saying: "The well-known explanation of the Bach on this (Tur Orach Chaim section 47) contains wonderfully deep concepts, and their essence concerns the necessity of studying the inner dimensions of Torah, through which one arrives at 'the way of life of moral reproach.'" And in a talk on Simchat Torah 5720, the Rebbe said: "And as the Bach elaborates in explaining the concept of the blessing on the Torah in relation to the Divinity within Torah, in such a style that if we didn't see it explicitly in the words of the Bach, in the revealed part of Torah, one might think it was written by a Chassidic Rebbe..."

External Links

Rabbi Yoel Sirkis (the Bach)