Jehiel ben Solomon Heilprin (Hebrew: יחיאל היילפרין; c. 1660 – c. 1746) was a Lithuanian rabbi, kabbalist, and chronicler.
Life and Career
Heilprin was born around 1660 and died in Minsk around 1746. He was a descendant of the noted rabbi Solomon Luria and traced his genealogy back through Rashi to the tanna Johanan ha-Sandlar. He served as rabbi of Hlusk (Glusk), in the Minsk region, until 1711, when he was called to the rabbinate of Minsk. There he also served as head of the yeshivah until his death.
Heilprin was regarded as one of the most eminent Talmudists of his time. He was opposed to casuistry in Talmudic study, which attracted a large number of liberal-minded pupils. He was involved in a prolonged scholarly struggle with Aryeh Leib ben Asher Gunzberg, who had founded a rival yeshivah in Minsk. The conflict eventually subsided when Gunzberg's yeshivah closed.
Heilprin also studied Kabbalah and wrote a work on the subject. He was generally opposed to granting approbations (haskamot) to new books, deviating from this principle only twice.
Major Work: Seder HaDorot
Heilprin is best known for his historical-chronological work Seder HaDorot ("Order of the Generations"), which consists of three parts:
- Yemot Olam – A history from the Creation down to his own time, providing calculated dates for Biblical figures. It draws on the Yuḥasin of Abraham Zacuto, the Shalshelet HaKabbalah of Gedaliah ibn Yaḥya, and the Ẓemaḥ Dawid of David Gans. The last event recorded occurred in 1697.
- Seder HaTanna'im VehaAmoraim – Alphabetical lists of the Tannaim and Amoraim (rabbinic sages of the Mishnah and Talmud) with their dates.
- A catalogue – Names of authors and their works, arranged alphabetically, based on the Sifte Yeshenim of Shabbethai Bass but expanded with many additional titles.
The work also includes notes on the Talmud. It was first published posthumously in 1769 in Karlsruhe by Heilprin's grandson, Judah Löb Heilprin. A revised edition by Naphtali Maskileison was published in Warsaw in 1882.
Other Works
Of Heilprin's numerous other writings, only one was published: Erke HaKinnuyim (Dyhernfurth, 1806), a dictionary of synonyms and homonyms occurring in the Bible, Talmud, and kabbalistic works.
Notable Claims
Heilprin cited Judah Halevi, Meir Aldabi, and Abraham Bibago to argue that Aristotle learned from the books of Solomon when Alexander the Great conquered Jerusalem. He also claimed that Aristotle converted to Judaism late in life and disavowed his Metaphysics.
