Yechezkel ben Yehuda Landau was a senior figure in Prague Jewry. He is best known for the his responsa Noda BiYehudah and for his attempt to mediate the disruptive fight between Jacob Emden and Jonathan Eybeschuetz. Born in Poland, Landau attended yeshivot in Ludmir and Brody, where he was appointed a judge in the rabbinic court. He later moved to Prague, where he was appointed chief rabbi and established a yeshiva. Landau was highly esteemed, not just by his own community, but also by others. He also stood in high favor in government circles. Thus, in addition to his rabbinical tasks, he was able to intercede with the government on various occasions when anti-Jewish measures were introduced. Though not opposed to secular knowledge, he objected to "that culture which came from Berlin," in particular Moses Mendelssohn's translation of the Pentateuch into German. He wrote his responsa Noda BiYehudah (named in honor of his father, Yehudah) and a commentary on the Talmud, entitled Tziyyun LeNefesh Chayyah (named in honor of his mother, Chaya), known by the acronym "Tzelach."
Works on Sefaria
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