Rabbi Aaron Yosef Messing
×××Ø× ×××”×£ ×"×Ø
Rav, Cong. Sheeris Yisroel, San FranciscoDate of Death:
Sat. September 23, 1916 -
Elul 25 5676
Anyone with biographical information is asked to please send it in.
See CONTACT page for details. Thank you.
Directions to Kever: Located on Chicago's North Side, Jewish Graceland should not be confused with the larger Graceland Cemetery locate a block away. Location: Needed
Biographical Notes:
Rabbi Aaron Yosef Messing should not be confused with Rabbi Aaron Yonason Messing who also Rabbinated in Chicago around the same period.Ā
Photo Caption: Rabbi Aaron Yosef Messing, Credit: Jewish, San Francisco Exhibit Hall, San Francisco Jewish PioneersĀ
Photo Caption: Rabbi Aaron Yosef Messing, Credit: Jewish, San Francisco Exhibit Hall, San Francisco Jewish PioneersĀ
Credit: MCA
Source: The Sentinel, September 27, 1916, Vol. 23,Ā No. 13, Page: 9
Source: Needed, Date: September 26, 1916
« Previous: Rabbi Meir RhineNext: Rabbi Yechezkel Pinter »
http://www.jmaw.org/messing-jewish-san-francisco/
His name was Aharon Yoneson Ben R’ Yosef
It may be that there were two Rabbi Dr. Aaron J. Messings who happened to have lived in the same cities, lived the same dates, came from the same town in Prussia, and were married to women with the same name. However, that seems highly unlikely.
In any event, even if there are, the pictures here are those that are attached to the Geni profile of Aaron Messing, son of Rav Yosef Messing, ztāl, whose name was definitely Aron Yonason, despite whatever āJā name he might have used as a middle name in English.
The last page of Arono Shel Yosef, by his father, lists his children, the oldest of whom was named āAron Yonasonā.
Yosef vs. Yonason, we have to dig a little deeper.
I don’t know if anyone needs to dig much deeper. The death certificate for the Rabbi Aaron J. Messing who died in September of 1916 (as the grave here shows), lists his father as “Joseph Messing.” That would mean that he was the son of Rav Yosef Messing, author of Arono Shel Yosef and other seforim, and named Aron Yonason. Further, the child of this Rabbi Aaron J. Messing who is listed on the death certificate is Abraham J. Messing, a son of Aron Yonason ben Yosef Messing.
Using an English name doesn’t mean that his Hebrew name was the Hebrew form of that English name. It was common among Jews in Prussia/Germany to have the father’s name as the son’s middle name (think Samson Raphael Hirsch, who was Shamshon ben Refoel Aryeh, not Shamshon Refoel). Indeed, another son of Rav Yosef Messing, Henry/Chaim, was “Rabbi Henry Joseph Messing,” using his father’s name as his middle name.
Other than the things written in English, I haven’t seen any evidence that there was a “Aron Yosef” serving as rov in San Francisco and Chicago. However, there is ample evidence that there was a Rabbi Aaron J. Messing, son of Rav Yosef Messing, who was named Aron Yonason ben Yosef.
Also, as another piece of evidence that this is the grave of Aron Yonason ben Yosef Messing, the sefer Zichron L’Riva (Riva being “Riv”a”, or Rav Yosef ben Aron, i.e. Rav Yosef Messing) has a hakdama written by Rav Yosef Messing’s son, Aron Yonason. He signs it in English, “Rabbi Aron J. Messing, Rabbi emeritus in Chicago.”
“Messing belonged to the conservative wing of moderate reform”
That is a quote from the memorial article captioned above.
Does that mean he did not believe in the divinity of the Torah? If so does he belong on this site?
He’s still a work in progress as there are conflicting articles. He was defiantly broader then most in his day.
Anyone has any info on Rabbi Shaul Yedidya Shochet, he was a rav in chicago wrote 3 Seforim, and there is no record of his Kever, any leads?