Illui is a young Torah and Talmudic prodigy or genius. The Hebrew term and title is applied to exceptional Talmudic scholars among Orthodox Jews. It is used among English speaking and Yiddish speaking Orthodox Jews to identify, as a type of mark of honor, those who have been blessed with greater mental and intellectual capabilities than the average intelligent Torah scholar.
Etymology
Illui is a noun derived from the Hebrew and Yiddish.
Recognition of genius
It is considered a mark of honor and excellence for a Talmudic scholar to be recognized as an illui and to be described and called as such by his peers. It indicates that he is regarded as having extraordinary intelligence and mental capacity, necessary for the most serious, advanced and complex Talmudic learning and Torah study.
Usage
In common terminology, an illui would be someone who has an extraordinarily high "IQ" as recognized from early childhood as a child prodigy by rabbis and Torah scholars who have a keen eye to recognize the qualities of excellence in budding young Torah scholars. Haredi and Hasidic Jews are very familiar with this term, and if a scholar that they are familiar with has been known to have been called an illui they will regard it as a great honor for that individual as well as for his family, teachers and those with whom he associates. In Orthodox, Haredi and Hasidic circles, the term illui is applied to males only, as women are not obligated in Torah study to the same degree that men are required to devote much of their early life to serious and intense Torah studies, also referred to as Torah learning. Most rosh yeshivas have been called illuim as have many Hasidic Rebbes.
Views of origins
There are some Judaic mystical traditions that explain how and why illuim are different. One explanation attributes it to an "Angel's Slap": The usage of the term is also used with caution in terms of its practical implications for the one who holds it. For example, Jonathan Rosenblum, a notable Haredi commentator has cautioned that:
The Jewish Encyclopedia explains that in the history of the yeshivas, the term "illui" had a definite function:
Recognition in all denominations
The term illui has widespread usage in all Jewish denominations. Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the Union for Reform Judaism in the United States states that: "... It was the illui – the truly superior student – who would devote his life to study, while others would return to full-time employment. Indeed, even when the great yeshivot of Eastern Europe were at their height, the number of students was relatively modest and smaller than the number of full-time Torah students in Israel today..." Rabbi Louis Jacobs, of the Conservative Judaism-Masorti Movement, has been described as being: "...Identified by his teachers as an ilui, a talmudic genius — renowned even then for his prodigious memory and sharp intellect — he went on to study at the Gateshead Kollel, which at that time was considered the Oxford of rabbinical academies..."
Examples of illuim
Rabbi Jonathan Eybeschutz :"...An "illui," a child prodigy in his youth, Rabbi Yonasan became one of the great commentators on the Talmud and on the "Shulchan Aruch," the Codes of Jewish Law..."
The Vilna Gaon : "...Recognized early in life as an illui, at the early age of six, he gave a complicated sermon in the Synagogue of Vilna amazing the listeners by answering questions with great depth. This, in a city known worldwide for its scholarship..."
Abraham Mapu : "...His early education in Bible and Talmud was received at the heder, on leaving which, at the age of twelve, he continued the study of the Talmud in private, and was so successful that he soon acquired the name of "'Illui"..."
Meir Shapiro,Polish rabbi born in Bucovina, known in his youth as Shotzer Iluy
Regarding Rabbi Menachem Ziemba and his son: "...In 5684 Reb Menachem lost his son, Moshe Yehudah Aryeh, at the age of 19. The young boy was already known as an illui in the same mold as his father..."
Rabbi Isser Yehuda Unterman, : "...From a young age Unterman was known as the "Illui of Brisk". In 1898, he was invited to become one of the founding students of Etz Chaim Yeshiva branch in Maltsch, Belorussia. For some time, he also studied at the Mir Yeshiva, but later returned to Maltsch..."
Rabbi Dovid Lifshitz : "...Born in Minsk, Russia, in 1906, Rabbi Lifshitz was recognized at a very young age as an "illui," a child prodigy in Jewish studies. At the age of 12, he coedited a volume of commentary on the Bible..."
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, the musician, : "...Shlomo was a child prodigy scholar called an illui in Hebrew. He had the Torah half memorized by the time he was a scant five years old and had an insatiable love of learning Judaism. He was carefully guarded and received treatment reserved for royalty..."
