אליעזר ליפמן שטיין

Eliezer Lipman Stein (c.1778-1851), Talmudist and preacher. Stein corresponded on halakhah with Moses Sofer, with Meir Eisenstadt and with his teacher Judah Aszo, author of the response "Mahari Aszo". Stein served as av bet din of the community of Gyongyos, Hungary (then part of the Austrian Empire). During his period of office there, a quarrel arose between him and the community because he disqualified a shohet. The community referred the dispute to a non-Jewish judge who ruled that the shohet was capable of carrying out his duties. As a result of this ruling the community deducted from the rabbi's salary the payment that they were accustomed to receive from the slaughter of animals, because this had decreased as a result of the ban. He resolved to resign his office and was accepted as rabbi in the community of Mor, Hungary, but in the end the community yielded and became reconciled with him, and he remained in Gyongyos until 1837, when he went as rabbi and av bet din to Nagyszollos (now Vynohradiv, Ukraine, aka Vinogradov).

Shortly thereafter, at the age of 60, he decided to emigrate to the Land of Israel. With this in mind he went to Pressburg (Pozsony, now Bratislava in Slovakia) and obtained from Moses Sofer a letter of recommendation to the philanthropists of Hungary. In the letter Sofer describes Stein's greatness as a Talmudist and asks the Jewish philanthropists to appoint him to offices that would enable him to support himself in Erez Israel and also that they pay the expense of the journey there.

During Stein's visits from town to town to make the necessary arrangements he went to Dunaszerdahely (now Dunajska Streda, Slovakia) and was appointed to the then vacant office of rabbi and av bet din. He abandoned his previous plan and remained there until his death.

Stein was the author of several works on contemporary problems, including "Hishanot ha-Bimah" (1843) against siting the bimah in the synagogues in front of the ark. He also wrote "Evel Moshe" (1840), an eulogy on Moses Sofer, and "Ir Shushan" (1849), homilies and responsa.