Tobias Tal (June 16, 1847 – October 24, 1898) was a Dutch rabbi who served as Chief Rabbi of the Hague.

Life

Tal was born on June 16, 1847 in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, son of Z. T. Tal. Tal studied at the rabbinical seminary of Chief Rabbi

Joseph Hirsch Dünner Joseph Hirsch Dünner ( (also known as (הריצ״ד)); 11 January 1833 – 13 October 1911) was a Dutch Jewish leader and scholar, who served as Chief Rabbi of North Holland (including Amsterdam). Biography Dünner was born in Cracow, Poland, i ...

from 1862 to 1874 and received a

D.D. A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ra ...

from the

University of Utrecht Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...

in 1874. He was rabbi in Amsterdam for a short time. He then became

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 ...

Gelderland Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...

, with his residence in

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of ...

, from 1881 to 1895. In 1895, he became Chief Rabbi of

the Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

to succeed Chief Rabbi Samuel Berisch Berenstein. As Chief Rabbi, he worked to further the Jewish community's religious life, although his more modern views led to clashes with several members of the synagogue board. In 1880 and 1881, Tal was engaged in controversy with Professor van Oort of the

University of Leyden Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, as a reward to the city of Le ...

regarding the ethical value of 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 ...

. In 1887, he edited the

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

periodical ''Choreben Jedidjah'' and published several articles under the pseudonym "Jotham." In 1898, he published ''Oranjebloesems'', a history of the Jews of the Netherlands that used unpublished documents from the private archives of Queen Wilhelmina. Tal's son Justus was also a rabbi who became chief rabbi of

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...

in 1915. Tal died in the Hague on October 24, 1898. People from all over the Netherlands attended the funeral at the principal synagogue in the Wagen Straat. The Portuguese congregation showed its sympathy when the cortege passed by opening its doors and lighting its chandeliers (which were draped in black). A number of people spoke at the cemetery, including Acting Chief Rabbi of the Hague I. L. Sohlberg, Jewish community president D. Polak Daniels, and Chief Rabbis Joseph Hirsch Dünner, Abraham van Loen, and Lion Wagenaar.

References

1847 births 1898 deaths Rabbis from Amsterdam Chief rabbis 19th-century Dutch rabbis Utrecht University alumni People from Arnhem Clergy from The Hague Burials in South Holland {{DEFAULTSORT:Tal, Tobias