It is told of Rabbi Yehezkel Landau, Prague’s famous rabbi, the 200th anniversary of whose death was observed several months ago,that on the High Holidays he acted as Sheliach Tzibur. he had a fine voice and considerable musical skill. One of his tunes, in particular, was very popular with the people: the tune with which he chanted Mekhalkel Hayyim. It became known among the Jews of Prague as the “Mekhalkel Hayyim of the Rav.”
One day the official merrymaker (Badchan) of the community decided to include the “Mekhalkel Hayyim of the Rav” in his repertoire. He sang it at weddings and other festivities, imitating not only the rabbi’s voice, but also the body movements with which the rabbi accompanied his singing. The new act was a great hit. The people enjoyed it exceedingly and remunerated well the Badchan.
The Parnassim of the community, however, were outraged. They told the Badchan that his act was an insult to the rabbi and that he must stop it immediately, otherwise they would remove him from his post. He was also told to go to the rabbi and apologize for what he had done.
The Badchan called upon the rabbi: “Rabbi, please forgive me, don’t be angry. I never intended to make fun of you or to insult you. What I did, I did in order to make a living. I promise that from now on…”
“I am not angry at all,” the rabbi interrupted him. “On the contrary I am pleased that I had the privilege of helping a Jew— even if indirectly — to make a living. I give you permission to use my Mekhalkel Hayyim anytime and anywhere.”
The Badchan’s eyes lit up.
“But what about the Parnassim?” he asked stammeringly.
“I will give it to you in writing, so nobody will be able to stop you from doing your act,” the rabbi replied.
Rabbi Yehezkel Landau took a slip of paper and wrote on it: “Permission is given to the bearer of this paper to earn his living by means of Mekhalkel Hayyim.”
This story has been printed many times. It appears, for example, in Rabbi Y.L. Maimon’s “Sarei HaMeah,” in Mordechai Lipson’s “Midor Dor (vol. 3, no. 21550 in Alter Druyanow’s “Sefer Habedicha VeHahidud,” no 2265), in Eliezer Sherman’s introduction to his “Hershele Ostropoler” (Tel Aviv, 1930-31,p.4) and in Aaron Simha Blumenthal’s “Sihat Hakhamim” (Jerualem, 1903,pp. 9). The last mentioned book is perhaps the first source in which the story about Rabbi Yehezkel Landau appears.
According to some versions of the story, the name of the Badchan was Hayyim and Rabbi Yehezkel Landau, wrote the following on the slip he gave him.:Permission is given to Reb Hayyim to earn a living (Lekhalkel Hayim Shelo) from my “Mekalkl Hayyim (BaMekhalhel Hayyim Sheli).
This story is told about another Rabbi Yehezkel, Rabbi Yehezkel Katzenellenbogen, the author of responsa Knesset Yehezkel, who was for 35 years rabbi of the communities of Altona, Wandsbeck and Hamburg. He died in 1749.
The story about Rabbi Yehezkel Katzenellenbogen, was printed in Rabbi P.J. Kohn’s “RabbinischeHumor ‘ (second enlarged edition, Frankfurt, 1930, p. 132-133) in Chajim Blochs “Ostjuedischer Humor” (Berlin, 1920, p. 75-76) and in Abraham Ittinga’s sefer Sihat Hullin shel Talmidei Hakhamim heHadash” (Munkacz, 1909, p. 9)
I also saw the story in an issue — at present inaccessibile to me — of a German Jewish paper of the 1880s or 1890s.
Following is the story as told in Sefer Sihat Hullin Shel Talmidei Hakhamim Hehadash:
Rabbi Katzenellenbogen was accustomed to serve as Sheliach Tzibbur. He had a special tune for Mekhalkel Hayyim. He thought that he was a fine singer, but this view wasn’t shared by his listeners.
A poor Jew of Hamburg taught himself to imitate
The Jewish Press, Friday, Sept. 3, 1993 pp. 48-49