Isaac Hirsch Weiss

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I.H. Weiss
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Portrait of Isaac Hirsch Weiss, from 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia.

Isaac (Isaak) Hirsch Weiss, also Eisik Hirsch Weiss (

Habsburg Moravia
.

After having received elementary instruction in

Ḥayyim Joseph Pollak, and in that of Eisenstadt, Hungary
under Isaac Moses Perles, returning to his home town in 1837.

Early abilities

From an early age, Weiss began to study Talmud and

Abba Arika
) deserves special notice. In the Jeschurun he published several articles on the origin of prayer.

Activity at Vienna

In 1858 Weiss settled in

Abraham ben David of Posquières; to this work he added a historical and linguistic introduction in nine chapters, and he provided the text with critical and exegetical notes entitled Masoret ha-Talmud, giving the variants of different manuscripts as well as an index showing the parallel passages in both Talmudim
.

In 1864 Weiss took a prominent part in the

Messiah. This work called forth a reply by Nissan Schidhoff, entitled Nesheḳ Bar (Fürth, 1864). See Heinrich Graetz #The Kompert Affair
.

In the same year Weiss edited the

Aggada
, and a critical commentary entitled Middot Soferim.

After the publication of his Mishpaṭ Leshon ha-Mishnah (1867), an essay on the mishnaic language, Weiss began to prepare his stupendous work, the Dor Dor we-Dorshaw (1871–91; see below). Although Weiss had not been successful with his Bet ha-Midrash, he was more fortunate with the Bet Talmud, a monthly magazine which he founded in 1881 with

Isaac Campanton
's Darke ha-Gemara, a methodology of the Talmud. His last work in book form was his Zikronotai (Warsaw, 1895), a collection of his reminiscences from his childhood to his eightieth year.

He continued to contribute to various Hebrew periodicals, writing mostly biographies, of which may be mentioned that of Saadia Gaon (in Ha-Asif, ii. 275-293), published before Weiss had attained his thirtieth year, and that of Mannheimer (in Mi-Mizraḥ umi-Ma'Arab, iii. 17 et seq.). In his lectures Weiss was rather free with regard to the text of the Talmud and the Midrashim. He did not hesitate to declare the text faulty when it seemed so to him; but, on the other hand, he was very careful in making corrections. He held also that the words of the ancient rabbis should not be interpreted according to modern conception, such interpretation being liable to result in error.

Isaac Hirsch died in Vienna on 1 June 1905.

His Dor Dor we-Dorshaw

Weiss's most important production, through which he acquired great renown, is his Dor Dor we-Dorshaw, (דור דור ודורשיו; "Each generation and its Scholars") a work in five volumes. As its German title, Zur Geschichte der Jüdischen Tradition, shows, it is a history of the

Shulḥan 'Aruk
.

As the oral law is in reality the interpretation of the

Leviticus, and many others) are due only to different interpretations of the Pentateuch in different epochs. It will be seen that Weiss defended the unity of the Pentateuch and vindicated the authorship of Moses. But he believed that Moses himself followed certain traditions current in his time, as it is said that Abraham observed God's commandments and laws (Gen.
xxvi. 5). He asserted also that while the Pentateuch contains no simple repetitions of the laws, it contains additions which amplify or limit the commandments laid down in the earlier books.

In the second volume Weiss gives the history of the

Aggada
and the aggadists, and the author does not endeavor to find apologies for those seemingly strange passages in this part of the Talmud which serve as pretexts for those who seek to detract from its value. But he points out the many edifying sentences that are scattered throughout the Aggada, and quotes a great number of them.

As was to be expected, this work, adopted by the majority of

Chareidi figures such as Chaim Ozer Grodzinski
.

Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography

References

  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "Weiss, Isaac Hirsch". The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.

External links

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