Elijah Ben Moses Ashkenazi Loans (born Frankfurt-am-Main 1555; died Worms July, 1636) was a German rabbi and Kabbalist. He belonged to the Rashi family, and on his mother's side was the grandson of Johanan Luria, and on his father's of Josel of Rosheim. After having studied in his native city under the direction of Jacob Ginzburg and Akiba Frankfort, Loans went to Cracow, where he attended the lectures of Menahem Mendel. While there he prepared for publication the "Darke Mosheh" of Moses Isserles. At the beginning of the seventeenth century Loans was called to the rabbinate of Fulda, which he left in 1612, occupying successively the rabbinates of Hanau, Friedberg (1620), and Worms (1630), in which last-named city he remained until his death.
Loans was a diligent student of Kabbalah, and for this reason was surnamed "Ba'al Shem." He was also accomplished in music and calligraphy, and various legends circulated regarding his personality. He was the author of the following works: Rinnat Dodim (Basel, 1600), a commentary on Canticles; Miklol Yofi (Amsterdam, 1695), a commentary on Ecclesiastes; Wikkua? Yayin 'im ha-Mayim (ib. 1757), a poem with a commentary; Ma'agle ?ede? (Neubauer, "Cat. Bodl. Hebr. MSS." No. 1832), a commentary on Ba?ya's "?obot ha-Lebabot"; ?ofnat Pa'anea? (ib. No. 1830), a commentary on the "Ti??une Zohar"; a commentary on Genesis Rabbah (ib. No. 149); and Adderet Eliyahu (ib. 1829), a commentary on the Zohar.
Loans also edited the "'Ammude Shelomoh" of Solomon Luria on the "Semag" (Basel, 1599), and the "Sha'are Dura" of Isaac ben Meïr of Dueren, to which he wrote a preface (ib. 1600).
External links
Moses Mannheimer, Die Juden in Worms, p. 61, Frankfurt-am-Main, 1842
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