Rav samson raphael hirsch biography

19th century German Jewish theologian

Samson Raphael Hirsch (Hebrew: שמשון רפאל הירש; June 20, 1808 – December 31, 1888) was a German Orthodoxrabbi best known as the intellectual founder of the Torah im Derech Eretz school of contemporary Orthodox Judaism.

Samson raphael hirsch psalms

Occasionally termed neo-Orthodoxy, his philosophy, together with that of Azriel Hildesheimer, has had a considerable influence on the development of Orthodox Judaism.^[2]

Hirsch was rabbi in Oldenburg, Emden, 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, and similarly opposed early forms of Conservative Judaism.^[2][3]

Early years and education

Hirsch was bor