Chasam Sofer Part V: Halacha & Leadership in a Changing World

Published: July 3, 2023, 1:59 p.m.

b'Rav Moshe Sofer the Chasam Sofer (1762-1839) was both a leader and halachic decisor throughout his long rabbinical career. As he confronted a changing world where traditional Jewish life faced developing challenges of modernity, his vision, brilliance and sense of responsibility led him to utilize the halachic responsa he authored as a medium through which to express the traditional response through a continually evolving methodology.\\nWhile still a young rabbi in Mattersdorf, the Chasam Sofer defended the local Frankfurt custom of his youth against the hegemony of a collective Ashkenaz identity. Yet a decade later as rabbi of Pressburg, he utilized the idea of collective Ashkenaz halachic identity following the rulings of the Ramah, as a mechanism for closing ranks around a strong traditional base in the wake of expansive attempts at reforming traditional halacha. During the last decade of the Chasam Sofer\\u2019s life, he expressed a pessimism regarding the future of rabbinical leadership as he witnessed many rabbis of his day leaning towards the reforming of halacha. His creative solution this time was to raise the banner of the Jewish communal collective, elevating the status of custom and rabbinic ordinance to the level of a Torah ordained obligation. The Chasam Sofer\\u2019s keen perception of the challenges facing traditional Judaism form the basis of his legacy until this very day.\\xa0\\nCheck out our previous episodes on the life and leadership of the Chasam Sofer:\\nPart 1: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/hungarian-royalty-the-chasam-sofer-his-family/\\nPart 2: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/chasam-sofer-part-ii-old-traditions-new-message/\\nPart 3: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/chasam-sofer-part-iii-a-pressburg-situation/\\nPart 4: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/chasam-sofer-part-iv-from-frankfurt-to-exile/\\xa0\\n\\xa0\\nFor sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history contact Yehuda at:\\xa0 yehuda@yehudageberer.com\\nSubscribe To Our Podcast on:\\xa0\\nPodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/\\nFollow us on Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites\\nYou can email Yehuda at yehuda@yehudageberer.com'