Shlomo Ephraim ben Aaron Luntschitz (1550 – 21 February[1] 1619) was arabbi andTorah commentator, best known for his Torah commentaryKeli Yekar.[2] He served as the Rabbi of Prague from 1604 to 1619.
He was born inŁęczyca (also known as Luntschitz) andstudied underSolomon Luria inLublin, and subsequently served asrosh yeshiva (dean) of theyeshiva inLvov (Lemberg). In 1604 he was appointed rabbi ofPrague, a position he filled until his death. In the introduction of hisKeli Yekar he relates that the name Shlomo was added to his name during life-threatening illness, a common practice in Judaism.
Luntschitz is best remembered for his homiletical work, most prominentlyKeli Yekar ('precious vessel', an allusion toProverbs 20:15) on theTorah which first appeared in Lublin in 1602. It is still printed in many editions of the Pentateuch and continues to be highly popular.
He composed two penitential prayers in commemoration of the 1611pogroms that hit Prague on the 2nd of Adar on the Jewish calendar.
In addition he wrote:
