Rabbi Aron Engelman ABD of Kolo

http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pagefeed/hebrewbooks_org_50838_92.pdf

Author of Beis Aharon בית אהרן

An erudite man was the Rabbi of Kolo (in the Kalish province) Rabbi Aaron Engelman the Levite, a genius and righteous, a wonderful preacher, "clever and a celebrated writer in public and magnificent in manhood" (phrase by Rabbi Eliyahu Regoler Rabbi of Kalish in a responsa to him, Yad Eliyahu, writings character 20 chapter 6).

Rabbi Aaron was born to his father Rabbi Gershon the Levite in year 5557 [1796-1797], he was a wonder lad, when time came the Rabbi of Gumbin Rabbi Alexander Yehuda the Levite author of "Midrash Kesuba" who was from the lineage of the genius family Kara. After years of intense studying in his father-in-law's vicinity Rabbi Aaron is accepted as the Rabbi of Kolo, a town known for it's rabbis giants in Torah among them from his father-in-law's ancestors. In this town he served without expecting a wage he was admired by all its residents. His wife was a woman of valor and she ran a manufacturing business of wool and linen. His wages that the community insisted on giving him, he gave all to the poor.

Young in age Rabbi Aaron became sick, his good friend Rabbi Eliyahu Regoler, the Rabbi of Kalish the capital of the province, used to visit him,and once when he returned to Kalish from a visit he gathered a Minyan [10 people] and went to the Cemetery to pray at the gravesite of the Magen Avraham for his recovery. In Elul 5605 [September 1845], when Rabbi Eliyahu travelled to Lithuania for his son's wedding, he passed Kolo on purpose to visit his friend Rabbi Aaron who was laying in his sick-bed, and right after he left the town after the visit, Rabbi Aaron passed away. The Kolo townspeople ran after Rabbi Eliyahu and bought him back from his trip. When he stood up for his Eulogy, he just started with the words [of the Bible] "Vayehu Binsoah Ha'Uron [when the Uron/holy ark travelled]" (he was nicknamed Uron from love of his townspeople) the whole crowd burst out crying.

Rabbi Aaron was famous, despite his young age (he died around the age of 49), with his Torah studies and his righteousness. The holy Rabbi Nachum from Schodik, his friend that was already in Israel, wrote to Poland in that time: "I saw a bed being carried in front of the Western-Wall and they announced that the Rabbi of Kolo was being bought to be buried in Israel". They checked and found that his words corresponded with the time of his passing. 7 Elul 5605 [September 9, 1845].