Rabbi Akiva Eiger and the Cholera Crisis: Torah Leadership in a Time of Plague

A Legacy of Torah and Logic

Rabbi Akiva Eiger (1761–1837) was one of the greatest halachic (Jewish legal) authorities of the modern era and a leading Torah scholar among the Acharonim (later halachic decisors). He served as the rabbi of Posen (Poznań) for 23 years until his passing and was widely considered the leading sage of his generation.

Renowned for his sharp, logical method of Talmud study, Rabbi Akiva Eiger's commentaries on the Talmud and his glosses on the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) shaped generations of scholarship and are still studied intensively today around the world.

Although he initially avoided formal rabbinic positions that required rendering halachic rulings, he eventually accepted the post in Posen, where he also led the local yeshivah.

A Halachic Response to a Deadly Epidemic

During Rabbi Akiva Eiger’s tenure, a deadly cholera outbreak spread through the region. Caused by contaminated water and poor sanitation, cholera was a highly infectious disease. Rabbi Akiva Eiger responded with remarkable halachic clarity, compassion, and foresight:

1. Public Health and Hygiene Oversight
He established a committee to oversee hygiene in public areas and raise awareness within the community. This committee funded cleaning services for poor families and distributed halachic proclamations stressing the importance of boiling drinking water and maintaining personal cleanliness.

2. Reducing Congregational Gatherings
To limit public exposure, Rabbi Akiva Eiger ruled that communal prayer in a minyan (quorum of ten) could be suspended. For the High Holidays, he organized a lottery to determine who would attend Rosh Hashanah prayers and who would come on Yom Kippur.

3. Smaller Prayer Groups
He required that large gatherings be broken into smaller groups of no more than fifteen people. In his responsa (Responsa of Rabbi Akiva Eiger, Nedarim 39), he wrote:

“In terms of prayer in the synagogue, it is certainly not appropriate to gather in a cramped space. Rather, let them pray in small shifts, no more than fifteen at a time.”

4. Enforcement and Reporting
Rabbi Akiva Eiger ruled that anyone refusing to comply with safety measures could be reported to the authorities. He instructed communities to deny entry to noncompliant individuals and, if necessary, alert the local police.

5. Added Prayers for Protection
He instituted the recitation of additional Tehillim (Psalms) and special supplications after Shacharit (the morning prayer) and Maariv (the evening prayer) as well as a customized supplication that included blessings for the king and his ministers.

6. Shortened Services and Police Oversight
He mandated shortened prayer services and long breaks between them to minimize crowding. Local police were stationed inside synagogues to monitor orderly entry and exit.

7. Hot Drinks
Despite the halachic principle that one should not eat before prayer, Rabbi Akiva Eiger ruled that each person must drink a hot beverage before Shacharit to reduce vulnerability to illness.

Honored by Torah and State

Thanks to his swift and decisive leadership, the Jewish community of Posen suffered significantly fewer casualties during the cholera outbreak. His actions, rooted in halacha (Jewish law) and guided by a deep sense of public responsibility, earned him a formal letter of gratitude from King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia.