Rabbi Eleazar ben David Fleckeles was born in Prague. In 1779 he was appointed rabbi of Kojetin in Moravia, but in 1783 returned to Prague, where he served as a member of the bet din of Rabbi Ezekiel Landau and also headed a large yeshiva. After Rabbi Landau's death, he was appointed Oberjurist (“president”) of the three-man rabbinate council that also included Rabbi Samuel Landau, the son of Rabbi Ezekiel. When the Frankists made their appearance in the city in 1800, Rabbi Fleckeles headed the opposition to them. He was denounced by an informer and imprisoned, and on his release he wrote a pamphlet of thanksgiving entitled Azkir Tehillot. In his published sermons, that reflect his outstanding ability as a preacher, he expresses his vigorous opposition to various reforms resulting from the spread of the Haskala movement. He warns on the one hand against excessive pursuit of secular studies and on the other concurs with the study of Kabbalah, but only on the basis of a sound knowledge of Talmud. In the introductions to his works, he emphasizes the brotherhood of man and the duty of the Jews toward the Gentiles. In connection with the question put by the censor Karl Fischer, “whether there is any distinction between an Israelite swearing to his fellow Israelite and swearing to a Gentile,” Rabbi Fleckeles replied “that the force of an oath is great, and no distinction can be made between taking an oath to an Israelite and to a non-Jew” (Teshuva Me’Ahavah, pt. 1, no. 26). He was opposed to the hairsplitting methods of pilpul and to “labored solutions,” and emphasized that he was not prone to stringency in his rulings (ibid., pt. 3, no. 325), He was careful to make allowance for traditional customs and gave information in his responsa about special customs that existed in various communities.

הסכמות: ר' שאול [לעווענשטאם], אמשטרדם, כד סיון [תקל"ג]; ר' שלמה שלם, כו סיון תקל"ג; ר' רפאל ב"ר זיסקינד כץ, פינסק; ר' אברהם ב"ר י[יהודה], ראטרדם, ו תמוז תקל"ג; ר' יצחק ב"ר צ"ה [צבי הירש] רפרפורט [!], בונא; ר' שמואל זנויל מבראנדי בורג, ברלין; ר' אהרן ב"ר יוסף הלוי הורויץ, מורה צדק בק"ק שקוד, האזינפוט ומדינת קוהר לנד, ברלין, ה ניסן תקל"ב; ר' יוסף ב"ר מאיר [תאומים] מלבוב, ברלין, ב ניסן תקל"ב; ר' גדלי' משה לוי, יאנוא.