The Kli Yakar—Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Luntschitz כלי יקר — רבי שלמה אפרים מלונטשיץ
a preacher, and then head of the rabbinical court of Prague
Kli Yakar was printed in Lublin in 5362 and has stood ever since in the Mikraot Gedolot beside Rashi and Ramban—and it was written by a preacher. You can hear it: where others parse a word, the Kli Yakar addresses his listener, and often accuses. The wealthy of the community get the worst of it—those whose passion for money and luxury, as he writes, keeps them from helping their needy brothers.
He learned from the Maharshal in Lublin, preached in Lublin, Lvov and Jarosław, after fifty headed the yeshiva in Lvov, and in 5364 was called to Prague as head of the yeshiva and head of the rabbinical court; after the Maharal's death he became chief rabbi of the city. Among his students was the Tosafot Yom Tov.
On the timeline
Places
Related
Sources
Acharonim and later rabbinic literature
- “Kli Yakar” — his commentary on the Torah, Lublin 5362
- “Olelot Ephraim” — a collection of his sermons, Lublin 5350
- “Ir Gibborim” — an early work, Basel 5340