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Samson Raphael Hirsch (; June 20, 1808 – December 31, 1888) was a German
Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...
rabbi best known as the intellectual founder of the ''
Torah im Derech Eretz ''Torah im Derech Eretz'' ( he, תורה עם דרך ארץ – Torah with "the way of the land"Rabbi Y. Goldson, Aish HaTorah"The Way of the World", Ethics of the Fathers, 3:21/ref>) is a phrase common in Rabbinic literature referring to vari ...
'' school of contemporary Orthodox Judaism. Occasionally termed ''neo-Orthodoxy'', his philosophy, together with that of
Azriel Hildesheimer Azriel Hildesheimer (also Esriel and Israel, yi, עזריאל הילדעסהיימער; 11 May 1820 – 12 July 1899) was a German rabbi and leader of Orthodox Judaism. He is regarded as a pioneering moderniser of Orthodox Judaism in Germany an ...
, has had a considerable influence on the development of Orthodox Judaism. Hirsch was rabbi in Oldenburg,
Emden Emden () is an independent city and seaport in Lower Saxony in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia and, in 2011, had a total population of 51,528. History The exact founding date of Em ...
, and was subsequently appointed chief rabbi of Moravia. From 1851 until his death, Hirsch led the secessionist Orthodox community in Frankfurt am Main. He wrote a number of influential books, and for a number of years published the monthly journal ''Jeschurun'', in which he outlined his philosophy of Judaism. He was a vocal opponent of Reform Judaism,
Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...
, and similarly opposed early forms of
Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generatio ...
.


Early years and education

Hirsch was born in Hamburg, which was then a part of Napoleonic France. His father, Raphael Arye Hirsch, though a merchant, devoted much of his time to Torah studies; his grandfather, Mendel Frankfurter, was the founder of the Talmud Torah schools in Hamburg and unsalaried assistant rabbi of the neighboring congregation of Altona; and his granduncle, Löb Frankfurter, was the author of several Hebrew works, including ''Harechasim le-Bik'ah'' (הרכסים לבקעה), a Torah commentary. Hirsch was a pupil of '' Chacham''
Isaac Bernays Isaac Bernays ( , , ; 29 September 1792 – 1 May 1849) was Chief Rabbi in Hamburg. Life Bernays was born in Weisenau (now part of Mainz). He was the son of Jacob Gera, a boarding house keeper at Mainz, and an elder brother of Adolphus Bernays. ...
, and the
Biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
and Talmudical education which he received, combined with his teacher's influence, led him to determine not to become a merchant, as his parents had desired, but to choose the rabbinical vocation. In furtherance of this plan, he studied Talmud from 1828 to 1829 in Mannheim under Rabbi
Jacob Ettlinger Jacob Ettlinger (17 March 1798 – 7 December 1871) ( he, יעקב עטלינגר) was a German rabbi and author, and one of the leaders of Orthodox Judaism. He is sometimes referred to as the ''Aruch la-Ner'' (ערוך לנר), after his best- ...
. He received '' semicha'' (ordination) from Rabbi Bernays in 1830, at the age of 22. He then entered the
University of Bonn The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine ...
, where he studied at the same time as his future antagonist,
Abraham Geiger Abraham Geiger (Hebrew: ''ʼAvrāhām Gayger''; 24 May 181023 October 1874) was a German rabbi and scholar, considered the founding father of Reform Judaism. Emphasizing Judaism's constant development along history and universalist traits, Gei ...
.


Career


Oldenburg

In 1830, Hirsch was elected
chief rabbi Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...
(''Landesrabbiner'') of the Principality of Oldenburg. During this period, he wrote his ''Neunzehn Briefe über Judenthum,'' ('' Nineteen Letters on Judaism'') which were published under the pseudonym of "Ben Usiel" (or "Uziel"), at Altona in 1836. This work made a profound impression in German Jewish circles because it was "something new — a brilliant, intellectual presentation of Orthodox Judaism in classic German, and a fearless, uncompromising defense of all its institutions and ordinances". One of the young intellectuals strongly influenced by the "Nineteen Letters" was
Heinrich Graetz Heinrich Graetz (; 31 October 1817 – 7 September 1891) was amongst the first historians to write a comprehensive history of the Jewish people from a Jewish perspective. Born Tzvi Hirsch Graetz to a butcher family in Xions (now Książ Wielkop ...
. Following a personal letter that Graetz wrote to Hirsch, Hirsch offered Graetz to host him at his own house for the continuation of his studies. Graetz then lived at Hirsch's house in Oldenburg from 1837 to 1840, as a pupil, companion, and amanuensis." Hirch's major works are discussed in further detail
below Below may refer to: *Earth * Ground (disambiguation) *Soil *Floor * Bottom (disambiguation) *Less than *Temperatures below freezing *Hell or underworld People with the surname *Ernst von Below (1863–1955), German World War I general *Fred Below ...
. In 1838, Hirsch published, "as a necessary concomitant" of the ''Letters'', his ''Horeb, oder Versuche über Jissroel's Pflichten in der Zerstreuung'', as a text-book on Judaism for educated Jewish youth. He had written ''Horeb'' first, but his publishers doubted that a work defending traditional Judaism would find a market in those times with reform in vogue. In 1839, he published ''Erste Mittheilungen aus Naphtali's Briefwechsel'', a polemical essay against the reforms in Judaism proposed by Geiger and the contributors to the latter's ''Wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift für jüdische Theologie'' (such as Michael Creizenach); and in 1844, he published ''Zweite Mittheilungen aus einem Briefwechsel über die Neueste Jüdische Literatur'', also polemical in tendency and attacking Holdheim's ''Die Autonomie der Rabbinen'' (1843).


Emden

Hirsch remained in Oldenburg until 1841 when he was elected chief rabbi of the Hanoverian districts of
Aurich Aurich (; East Frisian Low Saxon: ''Auerk'', West Frisian: ''Auwerk'', stq, Aurk) is a town in the East Frisian region of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Aurich and is the second largest City in East Frisia, both ...
and Osnabrück, with his residence in
Emden Emden () is an independent city and seaport in Lower Saxony in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia and, in 2011, had a total population of 51,528. History The exact founding date of Em ...
. During this five-year post, he was taken up almost completely by communal work and had little time for writing. He did, however, found a secondary school with a curriculum featuring both Jewish studies and a secular program, for the first time employing his motto ''
Torah im Derech Eretz ''Torah im Derech Eretz'' ( he, תורה עם דרך ארץ – Torah with "the way of the land"Rabbi Y. Goldson, Aish HaTorah"The Way of the World", Ethics of the Fathers, 3:21/ref>) is a phrase common in Rabbinic literature referring to vari ...
'' ("The Torah is maximalized in partnership with worldly involvement"). In 1843, Hirsch applied for the post of
Chief Rabbi Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...
of the
British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
. Out of 13 candidates, mostly from Germany, he reached the shortlist of four:
Nathan Marcus Adler Nathan Marcus HaKohen Adler (13 January 1803 – 21 January 1890) (Hebrew name: Natan ben Mordechai ha-Kohen) was the Orthodox Chief Rabbi of the British Empire from 1845 until his death. Life A kohen by birth, Adler was born in Hanover, in pr ...
, Hirsch Hirschfeld, Benjamin Hirsch Auerbach, and Hirsch. Adler won the position on December 1, 1844. With 135 communities having one vote each, Adler received 121 votes, Hirschfeld 12, and Hirsch 2.


Nikolsburg

In 1846, Hirsch was called to the rabbinate of Nikolsburg in Moravia, and in 1847, he became chief rabbi of Moravia and Austrian Silesia. In Austria, he spent five years in the re-organization of the Jewish congregations and the instruction of numerous disciples; he was also, in his official capacity as chief rabbi, a member of the Moravian ''
Landtag A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in no ...
'', where he campaigned for more civil rights for Jews in Moravia. In Moravia, Hirsch had a difficult time, on the one side receiving criticism from the Reform-minded, and on the other side from a deeply traditional
Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...
element, which found some of his reforms too radical. Hirsch placed a much stronger emphasis on a deep study of the entire Hebrew Bible, rather than just the Torah and selected Bible readings, in addition to Talmud, as had been the custom of religious Jews up until then.


Frankfurt am Main

In 1851, he accepted a call as rabbi of an Orthodox separatist group in Frankfurt am Main, a part of the Jewish community of which had otherwise largely accepted classical Reform Judaism. This group, known as the "Israelite Religious Society" ("Israelitische Religions-Gesellschaft", or IRG), became, under his administration, a great congregation, numbering about 500 families. Hirsch remained rabbi of this congregation for the rest of his life. Hirsch organized the ''Realschule'' and the ''Bürgerschule'', in which thorough Jewish training was provided, along with those aspects of secular training deemed true according to the Torah (''
Torah im Derech Eretz ''Torah im Derech Eretz'' ( he, תורה עם דרך ארץ – Torah with "the way of the land"Rabbi Y. Goldson, Aish HaTorah"The Way of the World", Ethics of the Fathers, 3:21/ref>) is a phrase common in Rabbinic literature referring to vari ...
''). He also founded and edited the monthly magazine ''Jeschurun'' (1855–1870; new series, 1882 et seq); most of the pages of the Jeschurun were filled by himself. During this period he produced his commentaries on ''Chumash'' (Pentateuch), ''Tehillim'' (Psalms) and ''
siddur A siddur ( he, סִדּוּר ; plural siddurim ) is a Jewish prayer book containing a set order of daily prayers. The word comes from the Hebrew root , meaning 'order.' Other terms for prayer books are ''tefillot'' () among Sephardi Jews, ' ...
'' (prayer book).


''Austritt''

In 1876, Edward Lasker (a Jewish parliamentarian in the Prussian Landtag) introduced the "Secession Bill" (''Austrittsgesetz''), which would enable Jews to secede from a religious congregation without having to relinquish their religious status. The law was passed on July 28, 1876. Despite the new legislation, a conflict arose whether "''Austritt''" (secession) was required by Jewish law. Hirsch held this was mandatory, even though it involved a court appearance and visible disapproval of the Reform-dominated "Main Community" (''Grossgemeinde''). His contemporary Isaac Dov (Seligman Baer) Bamberger, Rabbi of
Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg ...
, argued that as long as the ''Grossgemeinde'' made appropriate arrangements for the Orthodox element, secession was unnecessary. The schism caused a terrible rift and many hurt feelings, and its aftershocks could be felt until the ultimate destruction of the Frankfurt community by the Nazis.


Final years

During the final years of his life, Hirsch put his efforts in the founding of the "''Freie Vereinigung für die Interessen des Orthodoxen Judentums''", an association of independent Jewish communities. During the 30 years after his death, this organization would be used as a model for the formation of the international Orthodox Agudas Yisrael movement. Hirsch had a great love for the Land of Israel, which is apparent from his writings, but was opposed to the proto- Zionist activities of
Zvi Hirsch Kalischer Zvi (Zwi) Hirsch Kalischer (24 March 1795 – 16 October 1874) was an Orthodox German rabbi who expressed views, from a religious perspective, in favour of the Jewish re-settlement of the Land of Israel, which predate Theodor Herzl and the Zionis ...
. He opposed any movement to wrest political independence for the Land of Israel before the Messianic Era. In later works, he makes it clear that Jewish sovereignty is dependent only on Divine Providence. From reports of his family members, it seems likely that Hirsch contracted malaria while in Emden, which continued to plague him during the rest of life with febrile episodes. Hirsch died in 1888 in Frankfurt am Main, and is buried there. Hirsch's son Mendel Hirsch (1833–1900) was a scholar and writer; his granddaughter Rahel Hirsch (1870–1953) became the first female professor of medicine in
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...
.


Works


Commentary on the Torah

Hirsch's innovative and influential commentary on the Pentateuch (''Uebersetzung und Erklärung des Pentateuchs'', "Translation and explanation of the Pentateuch"; 5 volumes published 1867–78), has been "hailed as a classic" since the publication of the first volume, ''
Bereshit Bereshit or Bereishith is the first word both of the Jewish Torah, and of the Christian New Testament of John, which alludes to the Torah. It is typically translated as "In the beginning...", and may refer to: *In the beginning (phrase) *Book of Ge ...
''. According to Hirsch, the goal of the commentary was to expound the text by ascertaining the exact meaning of the words, their etymology, philology, and origin, and, this achieved, "to establish, on the basis of
halakhic ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
and
aggadic Aggadah ( he, ''ʾAggāḏā'' or ''Haggāḏā''; Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: אַגָּדְתָא ''ʾAggāḏəṯāʾ''; "tales, fairytale, lore") is the non-legalistic exegesis which appears in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, ...
interpretations, the Jewish ''Weltanschauung''". A feature of the commentary is its analysis of the meanings and symbols in the religious precepts ( ''mitzvot''), as below; this, again, as consistent with its discussion of the Hebrew. The commentary gained worldwide popularity for its scope of insight and information offered to scholar and layman alike, and is still widely referenced. provides further context; and see also and .


Nineteen Letters

Hirsch's ''Nineteen Letters on Judaism'' (''Neunzehn Briefe über Judenthum''), published in 1836 under the pseudonym "Ben Uziel", offered an intellectual presentation of Orthodox Judaism in classic German, and a "fearless, uncompromising defense" of all its institutions and ordinances. See under Oldenburg above. It was written in the form of a fictional correspondence between a young rabbi / philosopher and a youthful intellectual. The first letter, the intellectual's, outlines the challenges that emancipation created for modern Jews, and questions the continued relevance of Judaism. The Rabbi responds in the subsequent letters, discussing, in a structured sequence, God, Man, and Jewish History; leading to a discussion of the ''Mitzvot'' and their classification (as employed in ''Horeb''). This work made a profound impression in German Jewish circles, and has been republished and translated several times; it is still influential, and often taught. ''Nineteen Letters'' was translated to English by Bernard Drachman in 1899, and in 1960 by Jacob Breuer based on Drachman's translation. The latest translation to English was prepared by Karin Paritzky and revised by Joseph Elias who states that they "benefited greatly from the two earlier editions." Elias glosses Breuer's edition as "very readable" while panning it as an achievement reached "by the omission or simplification of a good many passages, so that the reader does not obtain the full meaning that the author intended."The Nineteen Letters
(Second, corrected edition 1996), p. xxvi.


''Horeb''

''Horeb'' (subtitled ''Versuche über Jissroel's Pflichten in der Zerstreuung'', “Essays on the Duties of the Jewish People in the Diaspora”), published 1838, is Rabbi Hirsch's presentation of Jewish law and observances, with particular emphasis on their underlying ideas, capturing the "unifying ideological threads"; these discussions are still regularly taught and referenced. The title is a reference to the (Ten) Commandments; Mount Horeb, , is another name for
Mount Sinai Mount Sinai ( he , הר סיני ''Har Sinai''; Aramaic: ܛܘܪܐ ܕܣܝܢܝ ''Ṭūrāʾ Dsyny''), traditionally known as Jabal Musa ( ar, جَبَل مُوسَىٰ, translation: Mount Moses), is a mountain on the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. It is ...
. ''Horeb'' is organized into six sections, according to Hirsch's classification of the commandments. As for the ''Letters'', its historical background is the enlightenment, and particularly the beginnings of Reform Judaism, and it thus constituted an attempt "to lead the young generation of Jewry back to the Divine law." See also
below Below may refer to: *Earth * Ground (disambiguation) *Soil *Floor * Bottom (disambiguation) *Less than *Temperatures below freezing *Hell or underworld People with the surname *Ernst von Below (1863–1955), German World War I general *Fred Below ...
. In it Hirsch shows that the Torah's ''mitzvot'', are not mere "ceremonies", but "duties" of Israel. It was then, to some extent, "a necessary concomitant of the Letters". It was conceived, also, to deal with the practical observances of Judaism - providing summarised Halachot relevant to each sub-section.


Commentary on the ''Siddur'' and Psalms

Rabbi Hirsch left in manuscript at the time of his death a translation and explanation of the prayer-book, which was subsequently published. His commentary on Pirkei Avot here, has been republished separately. His commentary on the book of Psalms (''Uebersetzung und Erklärung der Psalmen'', 1882) is still widely read; it underpins much of his ''siddur'' commentary.


Works of activism

Works here (besides similar mentioned above) include: * Pamphlet: ''Jüdische Anmerkungen zu den Bemerkungen eines Protestanten'' (anon.), Emden, 1841- response to a provocative and anti-Semitic pamphlet by an anonymous Protestant * Pamphlet: ''Die Religion im Bunde mit dem Fortschritt'' (anon.), Frankfurt am Main, 1854 - response to provocations from the side of the Reform-dominated "Main Community" * Pamphlets during the Secession Debate: ** ''Das Princip der Gewissensfreiheit'' (The principle of freedom of conscience), 1874 ** ''Der Austritt aus der Gemeinde'' (Leaving the community), 1876 * ''Ueber die Beziehungen des Talmuds zum Judenthum'' (On the Talmud's Relationships with Judaism), 1884 - a defense of Talmudic literature against anti-Semitic slanders in Russia


Translations and collections

Most of Hirsch's writings have been translated into English and
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 ...
by his descendants, starting with "Horeb" in the 1950s (by Dayan
Isidor Grunfeld Isidor Grunfeld (1900–1975), also known by his Hebrew name Yeshaya Yishai ha-Kohen Grunfeld, was a '' dayan'' (rabbinical judge) and author who was associated with the London Beth Din (rabbinical court). He is best known for several popular work ...
of London) and his Torah commentary in the 1960s (by his grandson Isaac Levi, also of London). Horeb was translated into Hebrew already in 1892. The publication, in several volumes, of his collected writings (''Gesammelte Schriften'' or ''Nachalath Zwi'') was begun in 1902. The bulk of these, that had previously been published in German in 1902-1912 under the title ''Nachalath Zwi'', were translated between 1984 and 2012 by the "Rabbi Dr.
Joseph Breuer Joseph Breuer, also known as Yosef Breuer (March 20, 1882 – April 19, 1980) was a rabbi and community leader in Germany and the United States. He was rabbi of one of the large Jewish synagogues founded by German-Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi op ...

Foundation
(established to perpetuate the memory of Breuer, Hirsch's grandson, via publication of Hirsch's (and Breur's) writings). Many of the ''Collected Writings'' are available online and linke


Themes in his work

Hirsch lived in the post- Napoleonic era, an epoch when Jews had been granted civil rights in a large number of European countries, leading to a call for reform. A large segment of his work focuses on the possibilities for Orthodox Judaism in such an era, when freedom of religion also meant the freedom to practice Torah precepts without persecution and ridicule. The principle of "''Austritt''", an independent Orthodoxy, flows naturally from his view on the place of Judaism in his epoch: If Judaism is to gain from these civil liberties, it has to be able to develop independently — without having to lend implicit or explicit approval to efforts at reformation. His other major work involves the symbolic meaning of many Torah commandments and passages. Indeed, his work "Horeb" (1837) focuses to a large degree on the possible meanings and symbols in religious precepts. This work was continued in his Torah commentary and his articles in the Jeschurun journal (''Collected Writings'', vol. III, is a collation of these articles). A final area of his work, which has only recently been re-discovered, was his etymological analysis of the Hebrew language. Most of this work is contained in his Torah commentary, where he analyses and compares the ''shorashim'' (three-letter root forms) of a large number of Hebrew words and develops an etymological system of the Hebrew language. This approach is based on the idea that letters that share a phonetic similarity, have similar meaning. For example, the words Zohar (light), Tzohar (translucent window), and Tahor (purity) are related words because the letters Zayin, Tzadie, and Tet are phonetically similar. This is an approach used in many places by the renowned biblical commentator Rashi as well. Although this effort was, in his own words, "totally unscientific", it has led to the recent publication of an "etymological dictionary of the Hebrew language". Although Hirsch does not mention his influences (apart from traditional Jewish sources), later authors have identified ideas from the
Kuzari The ''Kuzari'', full title ''Book of Refutation and Proof on Behalf of the Despised Religion'' ( ar, كتاب الحجة والدليل في نصرة الدين الذليل: ''Kitâb al-ḥujja wa'l-dalîl fi naṣr al-dîn al-dhalîl''), also k ...
( Yehuda Halevi),
Nahmanides Moses ben Nachman ( he, מֹשֶׁה בֶּן־נָחְמָן ''Mōše ben-Nāḥmān'', "Moses son of Nachman"; 1194–1270), commonly known as Nachmanides (; el, Ναχμανίδης ''Nakhmanídēs''), and also referred to by the acronym Ra ...
, and the
Maharal of Prague Judah Loew ben Bezalel (; between 1512 and 1526 – 17 September 1609), also known as Rabbi Loew ( Löw, Loewe, Löwe or Levai), the Maharal of Prague (), or simply the Maharal (the Hebrew acronym of "''Moreinu ha-Rav Loew''", 'Our Teacher, Rabbi ...
in his works. Nevertheless, most of his ideas are original. In a 1995 edition of Hirsch' Nineteen Letters, commentator Rabbi Joseph Elias makes an extensive effort to show Hirsch' sources in Rabbinic literature, parallels in his other works and those of other post-Talmudic Jewish thinkers. Elias also attempts to refute particular interpretations of his philosophy, such as the notion that much of his thinking was rooted in Kantian secular philosophy. While the Zionist movement was not founded during his lifetime, it is clear from his responses to Rabbi
Zvi Hirsch Kalischer Zvi (Zwi) Hirsch Kalischer (24 March 1795 – 16 October 1874) was an Orthodox German rabbi who expressed views, from a religious perspective, in favour of the Jewish re-settlement of the Land of Israel, which predate Theodor Herzl and the Zionis ...
, and in several places in his commentary to the Bible and Siddur, that although he had a deep love for the Land of Israel, he opposed a movement to wrest political independence for the Land of Israel before the Messianic Era. In later works, he makes it clear that Jewish sovereignty is dependent only on Divine Providence.


Influence and controversy

There is considerable controversy over Hirsch's legacy; this is a matter of debate amongst three parties: Haredi (sometimes called Ultra-Orthodox), Modern Orthodox, and Hirsch's descendants. While it is undisputed that his ''
Torah im Derech Eretz ''Torah im Derech Eretz'' ( he, תורה עם דרך ארץ – Torah with "the way of the land"Rabbi Y. Goldson, Aish HaTorah"The Way of the World", Ethics of the Fathers, 3:21/ref>) is a phrase common in Rabbinic literature referring to vari ...
'' was his real innovation, the exact implementation has been greatly debated. Those on Orthodoxy's right wing hold that Hirsch himself approved of secular studies as a "Horaas Sha'ah", or temporary dispensation, only in order to save Orthodox Jewry of the nineteenth century from the threat posed by assimilation. While a '' yeshiva'' student in Eastern Europe, Rabbi
Shimon Schwab Shimon (Simon) Schwab (December 30, 1908 – February 13, 1995) was an Orthodox rabbi and communal leader in Germany and the United States. Educated in Frankfurt am Main and in the ''yeshivot'' of Lithuania, he was rabbi in Ichenhausen, Bavaria, ...
obtained the opinions of various
Poskim In Jewish law, a ''Posek'' ( he, פוסק , pl. ''poskim'', ) is a legal scholar who determines the position of ''halakha'', the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities a ...
(authorities in Jewish law) to this effect (see Selected Writings, "These and Those", where Schwab himself disagrees). At the other end of the Orthodox continuum, some Modern Orthodox Jews understand Hirsch in the sense of
Torah Umadda ''Torah Umadda'' ( he, תּוֹרָה וּמַדָּע, "Torah and secular knowledge") is a worldview in Orthodox Judaism concerning the relationship between the secular world and Judaism, and in particular between secular knowledge and Jewish rel ...
, meaning a synthesis of Torah knowledge and secular knowledge - each for its own sake (this view is propagated in several articles in ''Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Thought'', published by the Rabbinical Council of America). In this view, Hirsch thought that it was permissible, and even productive, for Jews to learn Gentile philosophy, music, art, literature, and ethics for their own sake. In contrast, a third, middle opinion is proposed. It is held by Hirsch's descendants (his son-in-law and successor Rabbi Solomon Breuer, his grandson Rabbi
Joseph Breuer Joseph Breuer, also known as Yosef Breuer (March 20, 1882 – April 19, 1980) was a rabbi and community leader in Germany and the United States. He was rabbi of one of the large Jewish synagogues founded by German-Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi op ...
, and the latter's successor Rabbi Shimon Schwab), Rabbi Joseph Elias, in his commentary to ''The Nineteen Letters'', and some Jewish historians that both of these understandings of Hirsch's philosophy are misguided, and improper historical revisionism. * In response to the "temporary dispensation" theory: Hirsch in ''Collected Writings'' continually stresses the philosophical and religious imperative of ''Torah im Derech Eretz'' for all times. Hirsch himself directly addressed this contention: "''Torah im Derech Eretz'' ... is not part of troubled, time bound notions; it represents the ancient, traditional wisdom of our sages that has stood the test everywhere and at all times." * In response to the "
Torah Umadda ''Torah Umadda'' ( he, תּוֹרָה וּמַדָּע, "Torah and secular knowledge") is a worldview in Orthodox Judaism concerning the relationship between the secular world and Judaism, and in particular between secular knowledge and Jewish rel ...
" theory: Hirschian philosophy demands the domination of Torah over secular knowledge, not a separate synthesis. On this basis, then, many adherents of Hirsch's philosophy have preferred the natural sciences over the humanities as a subject of secular study, seemingly because they are easier to judge through the prism of Torah thought than the more abstract humanities.See Ch 31 in
Yehuda Levi Yehuda Levi ( he, יהודה לוי; born June 29, 1979) is an Israeli actor and model. His breakthrough role was in the TV series ''Lechayey Ha'ahava'' (''Here's To Love'', 2001). Early life Levi was born in Petah Tikva, Israel. His father Y ...
(1988). ''Mul Ethgarei HaTekufah''
Sinai Publishers
/ref>


Bibliography

*''The Nineteen Letters'', Prepared by Jacob Breuer in a new edition based on the translation by Rabbi Dr. Bernard Drachman. Feldheim, 1960. *''The Nineteen Letters'', Newly translated by Karin Paritzky; revised and with a comprehensive commentary by Joseph Elias. Feldheim Publishers. Second, corrected edition 1996. . *''Horeb: A Philosophy of Jewish Laws and Observances'', Translated from the German original with Introduction and Annotations by Dayan Dr. I. Grunfeld. Soncino Press, 1962. Volum
I
& II. . *''The Pentateuch - with Translation and Commentary'', Judaica Press, 1962. . Reissued in a new translation by Daniel Haberman as ''The Hirsch Chumash'', Feldheim/Judaica Press, 2009. . *''The Hirsch Siddur''. Philipp Feldheim, 1978. . *''Collected Writings of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch''. Philipp Feldheim, 1984–2012 (9 volumes). . *''The Psalms - with Translation and Commentary''. Philipp Feldheim, 1960. Revised edition published 2014. .
The Jewish Sabbath
Translated by Ben Josephussoro. Mullock and Sons, 1911. *''Jewish Symbolism- The Collected Writings Volume III''. Philipp Feldheim, 1984. . *''Timeless Torah : an anthology of the writings of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch.'' Edited by Jacob Breuer. Philipp Feldheim, 1957.


See also

* Orthodox Judaism * Isaac Breuer *
Joseph Breuer Joseph Breuer, also known as Yosef Breuer (March 20, 1882 – April 19, 1980) was a rabbi and community leader in Germany and the United States. He was rabbi of one of the large Jewish synagogues founded by German-Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi op ...
* Mordechai Breuer * Salomon Breuer *
Kaufmann Kohler Kaufmann Kohler (May 10, 1843 – January 28, 1926) was a German-born Jewish American biblical scholar and critic, theologian, Reform rabbi, and contributing editor to numerous articles of ''The Jewish Encyclopedia'' (1906). Life and work Kauf ...
, a student of Hirsch *
Yeshiva Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch Yeshiva Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (YRSRH, also known as Breuer's, after its creator) was founded in New York City in 1944, as a means of reestablishing the Orthodox Jewish community of Frankfurt, Germany in the United States. The school, found ...
, New York City * Torah Lehranstalt *
Moses Samuel Zuckermandl Rabbi Moses Samuel Zuckermandl, also Zuckermandel (24 April 1836, Uherský Brod, Moravia 27 January 1917, Breslau (now Wrocław), Silesia) was a Czech- German rabbi, Talmudist, and Jewish theologian. Biography Zuckermandl was a student of Samson ...
, a student of Hirsch


References


External links

*
Works by and about Samson Raphael Hirsch in University Library JCS Frankfurt am Main: Digital Collections Judaica


in Collected Writings of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch
Hirsch, Samson Raphael
jewishencyclopedia.com
Video Lecture on Samson Raphael Hirsch
by Dr. Henry Abramson of Touro College South
Hirsch / Breuer genealogy
(GIF file) *
Natan Slifkin Natan Slifkin (also Nosson Slifkin) ( he, נתן סליפקין; born 25 June 1975 in Manchester, England), popularly known as the "Zoo Rabbi," is a British-born Israeli Modern Orthodox community rabbi and the director of the Biblical Museum of N ...

Rav Hirsch: Hero or Heretic?

A variety of articles and resources
including two biographies of Rabbi Hirsch and other materials.
A catalogue of print and online resources focusing on the teachings of Rabbi Hirsch.
*
Digitized works by Samson Raphael Hirsch
at the
Leo Baeck Institute, New York The Leo Baeck Institute New York (LBI) is a research institute in New York City dedicated to the study of German-Jewish history and culture, founded in 1955. It is one of three independent research centers founded by a group of German-speaking J ...

The Torah Im Derech Eretz Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirsch, Samson Raphael 1808 births 1888 deaths 19th-century German rabbis Czech Orthodox rabbis German biblical scholars 19th-century German theologians German Orthodox rabbis Chief rabbis of Moravia Rabbis from Nikolsburg 19th-century Jewish biblical scholars German Jewish theologians Rabbis from Hamburg Philosophers of Judaism University of Bonn alumni 19th-century Jewish theologians Burials at the Old Jewish Cemetery, Frankfurt German male non-fiction writers 19th-century male writers Jewish translators of the Bible Rabbis from Frankfurt 19th-century translators