הרב אליהו לואנץ

Rav Eliyahu ben Moshe Loanz Ashkenazi (23 Iyar 5324/1564–21 Tammuz 5396/1636), known as Rav Eliyahu Baal Shem and in English sources as Elijah Loans of Worms, was a rav, mekubal, darshan and paytan of Ashkenaz. He was born in Frankfurt am Main into a family that traced itself to Rashi, and was a grandson of the shtadlan Yosef Loanz — Reb Yozelman, of the court of the German emperor — and on his mother’s side of Yochanan Luria. He learned in his native city in the yeshiva of Rav Akiva Frankfurter, av beit din of Frankfurt, and under Rav Yaakov Ginzburg of Friedberg, and afterward in the yeshiva of the Maharal. From there he went to Krakow, which he described as a great city of chachamim and sofrim who know the Torah and learn it, and joined the yeshiva of the rav of the city, Rav Menachem Mendel Avigdors, who also taught him Kabbalah.

While in Krakow he prepared and corrected for print the manuscript of the Darkei Moshe of the Rema. In recognition, the Rema’s brother Rav Eliezer Isserles gave him a further manuscript of the Rema on the Zohar, which he worked into his own Adderet Eliyahu on the Zohar. About 5354/1594 he returned to Germany, settling first in Frankfurt and then moving between a number of cities; from 5360 to 5364 he served as darshan in Worms, and afterward as mara d’atra and av beit din in Fulda, Hanau and Friedberg. Around 5383 he came back to Worms as rosh yeshiva, stood in for the av beit din after the previous rav was niftar, and shortly before his own passing was formally appointed av beit din of Worms. Among his talmidim there was Yuspa Shammes, the shamash who wrote the chronicle of the kehillah of Worms.

Due to his writing of a kabbalikstic work, kamei’ot, he was called “Baal Shem”. He wrote piyutim as well, among them Vikuach Yayin im HaMayim, and his wide learning in the outside wisdoms brought Christian Hebraists such as Johann Buxtorf to seek him out in conversation. Of his many sefarim only some are known and fewer were printed: Rinat Dodim on Shir HaShirim, Michlol Yofi on Kohelet, a commentary on Bereshit Rabbah, Maaglei Tzedek on the Torah commentary of Rabbeinu Bechaye, a commentary on Chovot HaLevavot, Tzofnat Paaneach on the Tikkunei Zohar, and Me’il Eliyahu on the Mishneh Torah of the Rambam; he also edited and brought to press the Ammudei Shlomo of the Maharshal on the Semag and the Sha’arei Dura of Rav Yitzchak ben Meir of Dueren, to which he wrote an introduction. He was niftar in Worms on 21 Tammuz 5396 and was buried there, a little to the right of the matzeivah of the Maharil.