Golem of Prague

Hashem sent him down to the world to protect the hidden during the days of the Maharal of Prague ZTL.

Consider him Hashems Malach Gavriel for that generation

May we all do Teshuva ASAP so we don’t need haters of Israel as reminders to wake up to return to Hashem with Serious Teshuva and Achdus.

If you check the Czech tourist website, they mention the “legend” of the Golem, and state that they went up there to the attic of the Maharal shul, and there was nothing there and they took pictures. Could it be it disintegrated or is not the actual location?

In the original accounts, he was usually invisible and worked by stealth. By definition, this would leave no trace, and its existence can be neither proved, not disproved.

The “modern” version of a “frankenstein” type creature who beats up goyim with brute force is reflective of the “haskalah”, and while reflected in the modern superhero genre (largely invented by frei Jews, probably based on non-frum Jews misunderstandings of the “golem”), has no real basis in Jewish tradition, and clearly never exist.

I think that the original poster is a golem- er, troll .

I read The Golem in my youth which was created to fight the Blood Libel with a shem and destroyed by removing it in the attic of the synagogue and it could not speak. There is a statue of the Maharal in Prague.

Tuna, we know the Chelmer Golem was real, because Reb Eliyohu’s grandson, the Chacham Tzvi, said so.

Akuperma, what “original accounts”? There are NO accounts of this golem until the 19th century, and it starts immediately as this “superhero” figure. Also, we know golems aren’t invisible.

Gadol Hashtus, far from your assertion that believing these stories borders on kefira, denying that they’re possible is what at least borders on that, if it’s not actual kefira. We know that golems are real. The only question is whether the Maharal made one. I don’t believe he did, and therefore I don’t believe the stories told about this one. Maybe some of them are true stories about a different golem that were retold about this fictional one.

Eliezer, what has the statue of the Maharal got to do with it? Nobody doubts that he existed! Nobody doubts that most of the miracle stories told about him are true. I don’t think any real maamin doubts that he could have made a golem if he had wanted to. The only question is whether he did, and I think the answer is “no”.

i thought that is why the statue was erected. The Chacham Tzvi. 93 paskens that a golem cannot be included in a minyan as it has no neshama. A sleeping person, maybe has the place of the neshama, see SA O’CH 55,6 and the Taz argues s’k 4.

The steipler in letters originally referred to the maharals golem as “yadua”, but when some doubts were raised, he later referred to it as “omrim olov”

I doubt the Golem of Prague existed but why wasn’t he mentioned by… isn’t really such a question?

According to all version of the Golem story it’s existence was a strict secret at the time. Therefore it would make sense for people not to have heard of it. That would also explain why there is no written reference to it prior to the 18th century.

On another note while I doubt the Golem existed I also don’t believe that the origins of the legend are some obscure 19th century author . It could not have become such a widespread legend on the basis of some author who 99.99999% of people ever heard of in any context other than the claim that he was the one to make up the story

smerel

“On another note while I doubt the Golem existed I also don’t believe that the origins of the legend are some obscure 19th century author . It could not have become such a widespread legend on the basis of some author who 99.99999% of people ever heard of in any context other than the claim that he was the one to make up the story”

I don’t follow so Sherlock Holmes, and Peter Pan have some truth because they are so well known? they cant just be from a 19th (early 20th for the latter) century author?

smerel

The authors aren’t unknown. You may not have heard of them but many authors of Golem stories are known. Wikipeida provides a list Berthold Auerbach, Gustav Philippson, Franz Klutschak, Adam Tendlau , Leopold Weisel
Much like most people can’t name the author of Peter Pan

There are lots of made up stories that achieve fame. Far more than the Golem.
You are right perhaps those arent the best comparisons a better comparison would be Vampires who invented it ? nobody knows yet it is something most people have heard of (far more than the Golem) Does that lead credence to their existence? OF course not

> I don’t follow so Sherlock Holmes, and Peter Pan have some truth because they are so well known?

Can we stop destroying everything!? I personally was in Sherlock Holmes’ home and I have a (Purim) hat to prove it.

Of course the Maharal made a Golem.
The goyim in Prague also believe it.
They will tar and feather any denier.
Unfortunately all of the Jewish tour guides we’ve had in Prague were Golem deniers, anti-Golem.
My wife is an einekel from the Maharal but not from the Golem.

smerel > An unheard of 19th century author
avira >> On the other hand, klal yisroel has adopted this story – when we start dismissing such traditions out of hand, we are on a slippery slope

This is a slippery slope. Kuzari principle states that the Torah is proven v. other religions because it was given publicly to millions of people, rather than a small band of people, and then passed thru generations and could not have been conceivably introduced later on. If we take our trust in Golem to the same degree, we will successfully disprove Kuzari.

Ubiq, everyone agrees that there were other golems in the past, so i don’t think it can be called “nonsense”. The issue isn’t if we want to be materialists and deny it on the grounds of it not being scientific, the issue is of historical veracity.

I agree that elevating nonsense is a problem, but I don’t see that happening here.

TS Baum, I hear you, but we should take that learning mood and project it to the rest of our lives.

Chas ve’sholom, to speak about Ravina the way some posters did here.

What has been overlooked is the fact that Reb Eliyahu Bal Shem actually lived in Prague at one point. The legend of the Golem is quite old and moved around, but originally not by Jews.

Perhaps, the news went out about Reb Eliyahu Bal Shem’s Golem in Prague, but spread to people who haven’t heard of him. They associated it with the more families mystical rabbi of Prague.

interesting, and even as Eliahu was chief rabbi (sic!) of Chelm, this does not sound like a joke!

He lived a short life born after and died before Maharal, there is 1630 book assigning Golem and “old synagogue” stories to him. Chacham Tzvi, Yaakov Emden are his descendants.

I don’t see references to him being in Prague, but I also don’t see references that he was not (sorry for using Chelm style!)

For further confusion, there was another Eliyahu Bal Shem _Loanz_ who was born at a similar time and actually was Maharal’s student. So, maybe this is how golem was transferred – through confused references to two Bal Shems?

>>>This is a slippery slope. Kuzari principle states that the Torah is proven v. other religions because it was given publicly to millions of people, rather than a small band of people, and then passed thru generations and could not have been conceivably introduced later on. If we take our trust in Golem to the same degree, we will successfully disprove Kuzari.

Totally off topic but it would have no bearing on the Kuzari. The Kuzari is discussing a belief that STARTED off claiming to have been witnessed by millions of people. An author making something up that goes on to become widely believed is no comparison. e.g. It is very easy to get both the pro and anti Trump crowds to believe all sorts of lies about him . But you could never convince either crowd that his first inauguration never happened or that his second one did. That is the scale of the lie the Kuzari is referring to