יום טוב ליפמן הלר

Yom Tov Lipman Heller (1579-1654), rabbi and communal leader, born in Wallerstein, Bavaria, Germany. He received a rich education not only in Jewish studies, but also in secular subjects. Age only 18 he was appointed dayan in Prague, serving for 28 years. From1625 he served as head of the beit din in Vienna. During the Thirty Years War he was accused by his enemies of unfairly taxing the poor and some Jews even alleged that he had defamed Christianity. He was sentenced to death but this was commuted to imprisonment; he was released after forty days and a heavy fine was imposed on him. In 1631 Heller moved to Poland, living in Lublin, Brest-Litovsk and Nimirow. (He later wrote a eulogy over the Nemirow community when it was destroyed in the Chmielnicki uprising). He was rabbi of Vladimir-Volynski from 1634 to 1643 when he was called to the rabbinate of Krakow, also serving as yeshiva head from 1648. His best-known work, Tosafot Yom Tov, was a commentary to the Mishnah. Heller also wrote kabbalistic commentaries, a commentary on the code of Asher ben Yehiel, responsa, sermons, liturgical poems and an autobiography.