וכל ישראל ישמעו ויראון ולא יוספו לעשות כדבר הרע הזה בקרבך ... (יג-יב)
R’ Seligmann Baer Bamberger zt”l, popularly referred to as the Wuerzburger Rav, was one of the last great Gaonim of German Jewry. Together with R’ Yaakov Ettlinger zt”l, R’ Shamshon Raphael Hirsch zt”l and R’ Azriel Hildesheimer zt”l, he led the struggle against Reform and helped found the educational institutions that resuscitated Orthodoxy and enabled it to confront modernity. His stance on many issues underscores his commitment to Jewish communal unity, and suggests just how far he was willing to go in order to prevent factionalism from gaining a foothold within the community.
R’ Shmuel Salant zt”l, the ninety year old Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, a man of extraordinary scholarship and piety, was in charge of administering the Kollel Ashkenazim and its chalukah system. R’ Bamberger was in charge of the collection of all monies in Germany on behalf of the charities in the Land of Israel. The German-Dutch Palestine Fund Committee had decided to distribute these funds primarily to needy Jews in Israel who were of German origin. The committee acted in line with the concept which divided the Yishuv in Eretz Yisroel into separate communities according to national origin. R’ Shmuel opposed this method of distribution. He felt that funds should not be apportioned according to differences resulting from a mere accident of birth and native homeland, but rather according to one’s stature in Torah scholarship and piety in Jerusalem. When his letters to responsible authorities failed to resolve the issue, he decided to undertake his one and only trip to Europe, in 1860, and personally visit Wuerzburg in order to discuss the matter with the rabbi in charge of the Kollelim.
R’ Shmuel Salant gave the following account of his meeting with R’ Bamberger. “When I entered the synagogue in Wuerzburg, I saw Rabbi Seligmann Baer standing there in clerical vestments. I further noticed that, contrary to halachic requirements, the Almemar (bima) stood directly in front of the Holy Ark instead of in middle of the synagogue. I was astonished, but said to myself that if a Tzaddik such as Rabbi Seligmann Baer davens here, surely it is inappropriate for me to raise any questions. I was called up for an aliyah to the Torah and I went up, again saying to myself that if Rabbi Seligmann Baer allows himself to be called up to the Torah in this synagogue, surely I can do likewise. As we left the synagogue, the Wuerzburger Rav said to me, ‘I am certain that there must be questions you wish to raise about my synagogue practices!’”
“Heaven forbid,” I replied, “when you approve of a particular practice, it is inappropriate for me to raise any questions.”
“Nevertheless,” countered R’ Seligmann Baer, “I know that you were surprised to see me officiating in a clerical robe, and in a synagogue where the Almemar was not positioned properly. Let me assure you that I did not do so of my own free will. The dissension caused by the ‘innovators’ in our community threatened either to render it asunder or to lead it entirely into the Reform camp. I had only two alternatives; either to see my community divided into two camps, or else to save its unity by means of minor concession. Unity was more precious than anything else. It is a situation like this that calls forth the rule: ‘It is time to act for the Lord; It is necessary to violate a commandment of the Torah.’ I concluded that without concessions, I would not be able to save Torah Judaism in Wuerzburg. At the very least, I would have to make concessions in ‘non-essential’ issues. I consulted with the elderly Gaon, R’ Avraham Bing zt”l, (a contemporary of the Chasam Sofer and talmid of R’ Nosson Adler zt”l) who gave his consent. Then I spent three consecutive days in fasting and prayer, struggling with my conscience. When I was firmly convinced that concessions were absolutely necessary in order to save my community, I approved of this unorthodox practice. Indeed, due to these relatively small sacrifices, I was able to stem the Reform tide.”
R’ Shmuel Salant then said to R’ Bamberger, “There is no need for you to justify your behavior. I knew from the start that it is inappropriate to raise questions about anything you do!” Upon his return to Jerusalem, his rabbinic colleagues were about to issue a ban against all synagogues that did not have the Almemar positioned in the center of the shul. R’ Shmuel voiced his opposition to such a ban, stating: “I have seen one of the greatest Tzaddikim of our generation, the Wuerzburger Rav, daven in such a shul. I myself prayed there and was even called up to the Torah there. It would be impudent for anyone to ban what he permitted.”