Nehemiah Brüll
Encyclopedia
Nehemiah Brüll was a rabbi
and versatile
scholar.
, having at the same time a good opportunity to continue his Talmudic studies at the Vienna bet ha-Midrash, then under the direction of men like I. H. Weiss, M. Friedmann, and Adolf Jellinek
. Here, too, Brüll, the son of a conservative rabbi, and the grandson of the arch-Orthodox chief rabbi of Moravia, Nahum Trebitsch
, developed into a decided Reformer and a disciple of Abraham Geiger
.
Brüll was called as rabbi to Bzenec
, one of the Reform communities of Moravia, an office that be resigned in 1870 in order to take charge of the rabbinate of Frankfurt am Main. He owed this appointment to Geiger, who drew the attention of his native community to the young Moravia
n rabbi. Brüll remained with this ancient community until his death, although his position was fraught with disappointment.
As a result of the movement inaugurated by Samson Raphael Hirsch
at Frankfurt, even the circles that were not Orthodox tended gradually toward the conservative party. Brüll cared as little for compromise as did his opponent Hirsch. An enthusiastic representative of the Reform movement
, for religious as well as scientific reasons, he was decidedly opposed to any attempts at reconciliation between Reform and Orthodoxy.
Yet he was not the man to influence the masses: his sermons, less effective from the pulpit, had to be read in order to be appreciated. Not until he saw that all his efforts were in vain, and he had been personally attacked, did he retire to devote himself to his studies, greatly to the honor and advantage of Jewish learning.
, Biblical Halakah, casuistics, response
, general history, philology, poetry, Jewish-German literature; and he contributed to all these by original investigation. Adolf Jellinek says of Brüll: His range of reading in Jewish literature was hardly paralleled, and he evinced a peculiar acumen found in no other scholar of modern times (in Adolf Brüll's Monatsblätter, xi. 50).
His Jahrbücher contain 183 reviews, all of which illuminate more or less the subjects with which they deal. In 1890 Brüll undertook a continuation of the Hebräische Bibliographie, edited by Moritz Steinschneider
, under the title Central-Anzeiger für Jüdische Literatur; but only one volume appeared (Frankfurt am Main, 1891), as the undertaking was cut short by Brüll's death. At the instance of Steinschneider, the Zunz-Stiftung had commissioned Brüll to add a supplement to Leopold Zunz
's Gottesdienstliche Vorträge, the basic work of modern Jewish science. Steinschneider remarked in his preface to the second edition of the work in question (xvi.): "Dr. Brüll appeared to me to possess the rare combination of ability and leisure, zeal and perseverance, requisite for editing such a supplement.'"
Brüll had intended to devote his whole scholarship to this undertaking. The scattered notes that were found in his papers after his death were in part incorporated in the second edition of the Gottesdienstliche Vorträge (ib. 1892).
Brüll was among the few German scholars who also wrote in Hebrew, as may be seen by his many contributions to the Hebrew periodicals Bet-Talmud, Bet ha-Midrash, Ha-Karmel, and Oẓar ha-Sifrut. Of these, Toledot Shabbethai Ẓebi (Wilna, 1879) and Ner la-Maor, a biography of Aaron Worms, in Ozar ha-Sifrut, ii. 20-31, deserve special mention.
Brüll also printed his sermons (1869) and addresses (1878). Grabreden (Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1895) and Trauungsreden (ib. 1891) were published posthumously.
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
and versatile
Versatile
Versatile is a Canadian brand of agricultural equipment that has produced augers, swathers and combine harvester.In the 1970s, it was an independent operation, founded by Peter Pakosh and Roy Robinson, that had 70% of the 4WD tractor market and then was later owned by Ford and Fiat's New Holland,...
scholar.
Life
Brüll received his rabbinic-Talmudic education from his father, Jakob Brüll (de), who combined wide Talmudic knowledge with acute historical perception. He then studied classical and Oriental languages and history at the University of ViennaUniversity of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
, having at the same time a good opportunity to continue his Talmudic studies at the Vienna bet ha-Midrash, then under the direction of men like I. H. Weiss, M. Friedmann, and Adolf Jellinek
Adolf Jellinek
----Adolf Jellinek |Drslavice]], nearby Uherské Hradiště, Moravia - December 28, 1893, Vienna) was an Austrian rabbi and scholar...
. Here, too, Brüll, the son of a conservative rabbi, and the grandson of the arch-Orthodox chief rabbi of Moravia, Nahum Trebitsch
Nahum Trebitsch
Menahem Nahum Trebitsch was a Czech rabbi.He was a son of Selig Trebitsch, ḥazzan at the Old New Synagogue, and he received a thorough Talmudical training at the yeshiva of Jacob Günsberg...
, developed into a decided Reformer and a disciple of Abraham Geiger
Abraham Geiger
Abraham Geiger was a German rabbi and scholar who led the founding of Reform Judaism...
.
Brüll was called as rabbi to Bzenec
Bzenec
Bzenec is a town in the southeast of Moravia, in the Czech Republic. It lies in the South Moravian Region. The population is 4,305 . Bzenec was first mentioned in 1015 . In 1330 it became a town.- Districts :* Bzenec* Domanín...
, one of the Reform communities of Moravia, an office that be resigned in 1870 in order to take charge of the rabbinate of Frankfurt am Main. He owed this appointment to Geiger, who drew the attention of his native community to the young Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
n rabbi. Brüll remained with this ancient community until his death, although his position was fraught with disappointment.
As a result of the movement inaugurated by Samson Raphael Hirsch
Samson Raphael Hirsch
Samson Raphael Hirsch was a German rabbi best known as the intellectual founder of the Torah im Derech Eretz school of contemporary Orthodox Judaism...
at Frankfurt, even the circles that were not Orthodox tended gradually toward the conservative party. Brüll cared as little for compromise as did his opponent Hirsch. An enthusiastic representative of the Reform movement
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
, for religious as well as scientific reasons, he was decidedly opposed to any attempts at reconciliation between Reform and Orthodoxy.
Yet he was not the man to influence the masses: his sermons, less effective from the pulpit, had to be read in order to be appreciated. Not until he saw that all his efforts were in vain, and he had been personally attacked, did he retire to devote himself to his studies, greatly to the honor and advantage of Jewish learning.
Brüll's scholarly importance
Brüll's researches ranged over almost all the branches of Jewish science, including Bible exegesis and grammar, Jewish history and literature, the ApocryphaApocrypha
The term apocrypha is used with various meanings, including "hidden", "esoteric", "spurious", "of questionable authenticity", ancient Chinese "revealed texts and objects" and "Christian texts that are not canonical"....
, Biblical Halakah, casuistics, response
Response
Response may refer to:*Response , a line answering a versicle*Response or antiphon, a response to a psalm or other part of a religious service* Output or response, the result of telecommunications input...
, general history, philology, poetry, Jewish-German literature; and he contributed to all these by original investigation. Adolf Jellinek says of Brüll: His range of reading in Jewish literature was hardly paralleled, and he evinced a peculiar acumen found in no other scholar of modern times (in Adolf Brüll's Monatsblätter, xi. 50).
Books
Brüll collected the results of his scholarship in the ten volumes of his Jahrbücher (Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1874–90). He contributed almost the entire material to these Jahrbücher—the longer and shorter essays as well as the numerous criticisms on new books. Many of these essays have also been printed separately.Bible
- Beiträge zur Erklärung des Buches Hosea (Jahrb. v.-vi. 1-62)
- Historische Basis des Buches Ruth (v.-vi. 63-70)
- Das Apokryphische Susannabuch (iii. 1-69)
- Die Epistolischen Apokryphen und die Apokryphischen Zusätze zum Buche Daniel.
Talmud
- Die Talmudischen Tractate über Trauer um Verstorbene (i. 1-57)
- Fremdsprachliche Wörter in den Talmuden und Midraschim (i. 123-210)
- Die Entstehungsgeschichte des Babylonischen Talmuds als Schriftwerkes (ii. 1-123)
- Verschollene Baraitas und Midraschim (ii. 124-133)
- Entstehung und Ursprünglicher Inhalt des Tractates Abot (vii. 1-17)
- Eingeschaltete Partien im Babylonischen Talmud (viii. 59-60).
History
- Adiabene (i. 58-86)
- Das Geschlecht der Treves (i. 87-122)
- Die Polemik für und gegen Maimuni im Dreizehnten Jahrhundert (iv. 1-33)
- Zur Gesch. der Jüdisch-Ethischen Literatur des Mittelalters (v.-vi. 71-93)
- Sprüchwörter in der Nachtalmudischen Literatur des Judenthums (vii. 18-30).
Bibliographical works
Brüll's range of reading and critical insight constituted him an important reviewer of new books in the field of Jewish science.His Jahrbücher contain 183 reviews, all of which illuminate more or less the subjects with which they deal. In 1890 Brüll undertook a continuation of the Hebräische Bibliographie, edited by Moritz Steinschneider
Moritz Steinschneider
Moritz Steinschneider was a Bohemian bibliographer and Orientalist. He received his early instruction in Hebrew from his father, Jacob Steinschneider , who was not only an expert Talmudist, but was also well versed in secular science...
, under the title Central-Anzeiger für Jüdische Literatur; but only one volume appeared (Frankfurt am Main, 1891), as the undertaking was cut short by Brüll's death. At the instance of Steinschneider, the Zunz-Stiftung had commissioned Brüll to add a supplement to Leopold Zunz
Leopold Zunz
Leopold Zunz was a German Reform rabbi and writer, the founder of what has been termed "Jewish Studies" or "Judaic Studies" , the critical investigation of Jewish literature, hymnology and ritual...
's Gottesdienstliche Vorträge, the basic work of modern Jewish science. Steinschneider remarked in his preface to the second edition of the work in question (xvi.): "Dr. Brüll appeared to me to possess the rare combination of ability and leisure, zeal and perseverance, requisite for editing such a supplement.'"
Brüll had intended to devote his whole scholarship to this undertaking. The scattered notes that were found in his papers after his death were in part incorporated in the second edition of the Gottesdienstliche Vorträge (ib. 1892).
Brüll was among the few German scholars who also wrote in Hebrew, as may be seen by his many contributions to the Hebrew periodicals Bet-Talmud, Bet ha-Midrash, Ha-Karmel, and Oẓar ha-Sifrut. Of these, Toledot Shabbethai Ẓebi (Wilna, 1879) and Ner la-Maor, a biography of Aaron Worms, in Ozar ha-Sifrut, ii. 20-31, deserve special mention.
Brüll also printed his sermons (1869) and addresses (1878). Grabreden (Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1895) and Trauungsreden (ib. 1891) were published posthumously.