Herman Hedwig Bernard (1785–1857) was an English

Hebraist A Hebraist is a specialist in Jewish, Hebrew and Hebraic studies. Specifically, British and German scholars of the 18th and 19th centuries who were involved in the study of Hebrew language and literature were commonly known by this designation, a ...

(a specialist in

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

and Hebraic studies), for many years a Hebrew teacher in the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. He died on 15 November 1857, aged 72. An apostate from Judaism, Bernard was born Hirsch Ber Hurwitz and hailed from Uman, Ukraine. He is purported to have played chess with and read German stories before Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. In his "''Biographical Notices of Some of the Most Distinguished Jewish Rabbies (sic) and Translations of Portions of Their Commentaries, and Other Works''" (New York: Stanford and Swords, 1847),

Samuel H. Turner Samuel Hulbert Turner (Philadelphia, 1790–1861) was an American Hebraist. He was professor of the Hebrew Language and Literature at the General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church in New York City from 1830. He was tutor and mentor to Jo ...

, professor of Biblical Learning and Interpretation of Scripture at the General Theological Seminary, commends the pedagogic quality of Bernard's work, writing: "The student will find this work very useful in facilitating the acquisition of Rabbinical Hebrew".p. 40, ''ibidem''.

Works

He was the author of: *''The main principles of the Creed and Ethics of the Jews exhibited in selections from the

Yad Hachazakah The ''Mishneh Torah'' ( he, מִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה, , repetition of the Torah), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' ( he, ספר יד החזקה, , book of the strong hand, label=none), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law (''ha ...

of Maimonides, with a literal English translation, copious illustrations from the

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

, &c., and a collection of the abbreviations commonly used in Rabbinical writings,'' Cambridge, 1832, 8vo, *''The Guide of the Hebrew Student, containing an Epitome of Sacred History,'' London, 1839, 8vo, ''Cambridge Free Thoughts and Letters on Bibliolatry,'' translated from the German of Lessing, Cambridge, 1862, 8vo, edited by J. Bernard, and *''The, Book of Job, as expounded to his Cambridge pupils, edited, with a translation and additional notes, by F. Chance,'' London, 1864, 1884, 8vo.

References

;Attribution 1785 births 1857 deaths Academics of the University of Cambridge Hebraists {{England-academic-bio-stub