He became a talmid of his uncle, Rav Alexander, and of the Mekubol, Rav Yitzchok HaKohen ben Rav Yoel, the Rav of Koretz and later of Ostrog. Rav Efraim also studied under Rav Yechezkel Landau, the famed mechaber of the Noda BeYehuda.
He was known to be humble and modest, shunning all honors and running away from them; he did all he could not to serve in the rabbinate as a source of livelihood. In his youth he was appointed Rav of Ohanov, but he quickly gave up the position. He turned down the offer of the post of Rav in Frankfurt de Main, after Rav Tzvi Hirsh Horowitz passed away and left the position vacant. Instead he became a merchant selling coral. He also owned factories in Brody and Vienna. He studied Torah all his life and chose Brody as his hometown among her great scholars and sages. He opened his own Bais Medrash in his home and paskened and wrote responsa, corresponding with such Gedolim as the Noda BeYehuda, Rav Refoel HaKohen of Hamburg, the Shaagas Arye, the Chasam Sofer and Rav Akiva Eiger.
He was on good terms with the Chassidim and talmidim of the Mezritcher Maggid. He was counted among the famed Chachomim of the Kloiz in Brody and studied Kabbola in the shteibel with other Mekubolim, next to the kloiz. He passed away on 24 Av. תקפח
