Abraham ben Abraham

Abraham ben Abraham (Hebrew: אברהם בן אברהם, lit. "Avraham the son of Avraham") (c. 1700 – 23 May 1749), also known as Count Valentine (Valentin, Walentyn) Potocki (Pototzki or Pototski), was a purported Polish nobleman (szlachta) of the Potocki family who converted to Judaism and was burned at the stake by the Roman Catholic Church because he had renounced Catholicism and had become an observant Jew. According to Jewish oral traditions, he was known to the revered Talmudic sage, the Vilna Gaon (Rabbi Elijah Ben Shlomo Zalman [1720–1797]), and his ashes were interred in the relocated grave of the Vilna Gaon in Vilna's new Jewish cemetery.[1][2]

Although the Orthodox Jewish community accepts the teachings about Abraham ben Abraham, including the involvement of the Vilna Gaon, [3] secular scholars have until recently concluded that it is a legend.[4]

  1. ^ Krohn, Rabbi Paysach J. (2007). Traveling With the Maggid: A journey to great Torah centers of yesteryear. Mesorah Publications Ltd. pp. 37–40. ISBN 978-1-4226-0229-4.
  2. ^ Singer, Evelyne. "The Lost Jewish World: A visit to contemporary Lithuania". Hamodia Magazine, 22 November 2012, pp. 10–14.
  3. ^ current Artscroll publications include Zoren, Moshe (March 2011). Aleinu L'Shabeiach/Bamidbar. Artscroll. ISBN 978-1-4226-1088-6.: 131–133 
  4. ^ "This Day in Jewish History, 1749: A Polish Count Is Burned at the Stake, Maybe". HaAretz Daily Newspaper. May 23, 2016.