Mattityahu Strashun

Mattityahu Strashun (, also spelled Strassen; October 1, 1817 – December 13, 1885) was a Lithuanian Talmudist, Midrashic scholar, book collector, communal leader, and philanthropist. He amassed a significant private collection of books and rare manuscripts which formed the basis for the Strashun Library of Vilnius, which operated from 1892 to 1941.

Early life and education Mattityahu Strashun was born to Samuel Strashun (1794–1872), a prominent Talmudist and merchant, and his wife Sara Strashun, in Vilnius, Vilna Governorate. Coming from a well-to-do family, Mattityahu, at the age of 13, married the eldest daughter of the wealthy Joseph Elijah Eliasberg.

Strashun studied under Rabbi Menashe of Ilya, a disciple of the Vilna Gaon, and Rabbi Yitzhak of Volozhin (son of Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin). His home was a gathering place for educated community members and visitors from abroad. He maintained good connections with the government and was appointed to the city council of Vilnius and to the board of the Vilnius branch of the Russian Imperial Bank. the library was catalogued in the 1889 publication Likutei Shoshanim (A Bunch of Roses).

His collection formed the basis for the Strashun Library of Vilnius,