Vilna Gaon + Russia In The 1800s Flashcards

1
Q

What was the Vilna Gaons real name

A

R’ Eliyahu of Vilna

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2
Q

When was he born
When did he die
(Where)

A

Born - 1720
Die - 1798
Vilna, Lithuania

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3
Q

How were jews of lithuania living

A

Generally very poor - aside from 2 large cities

They lived mostly in small towns and villages

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4
Q

What was The Jew’s greatest accomplishment?

A

Torah knowledge and most parents dreamed of their sons becoming great Torah scholars

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5
Q

What was the city of Vilna called? Why?

A
  1. the Jerusalem of Lithuania

2. For its tremendous number of Torah scholars and Jewish life

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6
Q

What was Vilna Gaon known as from a young age?

A

Genius (memorized all of Chumash)

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7
Q

What was well known through by his early 20s?

A

One of the greatest Torah scholars of the generation

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8
Q

How did he sleep from the age of 20-70?

A

He did not sleep more than two hours in any 24 hr period

And not for more than 30 mins (took 4 cat naps)

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9
Q

what was one of Vilnas main accomplishemnts?

A

correcting mistakes he found in many of the major books of judaism including Gemara

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10
Q

How were most of his corrections done? When were they confirmed?

A

Through his vast knowledge at all areas of Torah

Later on - when manuscripts were discovered

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11
Q

What did he do in his 30s?

A

Traveled throughout Eastern Europe for 3 yrs and spent a lot of time searching in libraries and storage rooms

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12
Q

What was he doing while he was traveling around?

A

He made ppl aware of local scholars who are otherwise unknown

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13
Q

What else was he an expert in? How did he know this?

A

Many areas of secular knowledge: philosophy, math, and many of the sciences
A lot was self taught through Torah knowledge

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14
Q

What was he the greatest expert at in his time?

A

Kabbalah

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15
Q

What did he think abt Kabbalah? How was this seen later on?

A

He was against it for the common people

That was one of his main complaints of chassidus

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16
Q

What was his fight against chassidus based upon?

A

Things that were told to him

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17
Q

What was he afraid abt chassidus? So what did he do?

A

That it might break off from Judaism and become a Jew religion
Everything he could to keep that from happening including signing the חרם (ban against them)

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18
Q

What happened after Vilna’s death?

A

Many books were written after his death by his students

Quoting thousands of his original explanations of the Torah

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19
Q

Where did Vilna try to move?

A

A number of times to Eretz yisrael but each time he received some sign from heaven that he should return home

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20
Q

Who was his most famous student?

A

R’ Chaim of Volozhin

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21
Q

What did R’Chaim of Volozhin do?

A

He founded the modern yeshiva system

22
Q

What did many of Vilnas students do?

A

Moved to Israel and helped start the ashkenaz community in yerushalim

23
Q

When and where did Vilna die and where did he get buried?

A

In 1798 on chol hamoed sukkos and buried in Vilna

24
Q

How was the population like during the 1800s in Eastern Europe?

A

It exploded. In the 1800s there were one and half million Jews in europe
By 1900s - 9 1/2 million

25
Q

where had jews been living? what was currently happening at that time?

A

in small towns and villages for hundreds of yrs

now they began moving into cities looking for opportunities to make their lives better

26
Q

there was a …..

A

mass migrartion of jews both from country to another and within the same country

27
Q

what had these changes bring into jewish life?

A

disruption and unpredictability

28
Q

what happened when napolean invaded russia?

A

most jews stayed loyal to rusia

29
Q

whayt was their “reward” (jews for staying loyal 2 Russia)

A

the russian gov issued a series of harsh decrees against the jews

30
Q

what did one of the russian ministers say?

A

hat 1/3 of the jews should imigrate
1/3 should be exterminated
1/3 should convert

31
Q

1st decree = creation of pale settlement?

A

this was only area in russian in which jews were allowed to live

32
Q

what happened to the jews that lived outside of that area?

A

were forced to move and 100,000 of them became refugees

33
Q

how did forbidden cerain cities affect jews?

A

they were forbidden for jews which made it difficult for Jews to earn a living and support themsleves

34
Q

2nd Decree = where were jews banned? what ha dthe russians happen to do?

A

from being involved in traditional jewish business

the russians happened to encourage jews to either leave or convert

35
Q

3rd decree - Cantonist Decree - when did it go into effect

A

1827

36
Q

what did the 3rd degree ask of boys?

A

young boys age of 8-12 were taken 2 military skool for training and then drafted to army 4 25 yrs

37
Q

what would happen if the quota wasnt filled?

A

children of town leaders were taken or the leaders or even the whole town would be sent into exile

38
Q

how would the jewish community fill the quota needed?

A

chose by lottery

took orphaned children or who had sick or poor parents

39
Q

what had been developed

A

black market of kidnapped children developed and kids were sold from 1 town to another

40
Q

what would wealthy jews do?

A

bribe russian officials to have their children set free

41
Q

what did many jews develop? why?

A

hatred towards wealthy jews as well as towards religion

bc of the things that these ppl were doing

42
Q

what did many rabbis do? what abt others

A

they protested and as a result they were fired

others resigned in protest and many kept quiet

43
Q

what were many of these cantonist children forced to do? what did some do?

A

convert
usually after tortue
some committed sucide to avoid this

44
Q

what were the results fo teh cantonist decree like?
How many survived
How many remained religious

A

sevre
few survived
less remained observant jews

45
Q

how long was it in effcet for? was it consistently enforced? how many jewish children were affected?
Cantonist Decree

A
  1. for aound 30 yrs
  2. not
  3. 50,000
46
Q

Decree #4 - what did teh russian gov decree in 1835

A

that jews take last names

47
Q

what were the last names meant to do?

A

to give the govt the authority to keep track of the jews

48
Q

what did many jews do to avoid the govt? what did this also utilize

A

more than 1 last name

avoid having their sons drafted into the army

49
Q

where did some jews take their last names?

A

from tombstones

50
Q

decree 5 - what did the Russian govt made illegal?

A

to dress in their traditional style

51
Q

what did all these decrees create?

A

an attitude amongst jews of not trusting govt which was the only way to survive