413:(Schwerin and Berlin, 1843). In this, he pleads for the abolition of the antiquated Jewish marriage and divorce regulations mainly on the ground that the Jews do not constitute a political nation. The Jewish religious institutions must be rigidly kept distinct from the Jewish national ones, to which the latter belong the laws of marriage and divorce. The laws of the modern states are not in conflict with the principles of the Jewish religion; therefore these modern laws, and not the Jewish national laws of other days, should regulate Jewish marriages and divorces (see
25:
373:, 1841, Nos. 45, 46). He hailed the new movement as an important augury of the quickening influences of modern views. He defended the Hamburg program as thoroughly founded in Judaism and in the very line of the synagogue's own history, though he was not blind to its inconsistencies. Yet, even though authority of tradition was denied and recognized at one and the same time, the movement stood for the differentiation of the Jewish national from the Jewish religious elements. He also wrote an opinion (
212:. Before he was able to speak German with even moderate correctness, he had become a master of Talmudic argumentation, and his fame had traveled far beyond the limits of his native place. This reputation secured for him employment as teacher of young boys in private families both in Kempen and in larger cities of his native province. It was while thus engaged that he began to supplement his store of rabbinical knowledge by private studies in the secular and classical branches.
500:(Schwerin and Berlin, 1845). He shows the inconsistency of Talmudism, which, assuming the inviolability of all biblical laws, still recognizes the suspension of many. Hence the Talmudic insistence on the restoration of the Jewish state. Some ceremonial laws were meant to assure the holiness of the people; others to assure that of the priests. These ceremonies lose their meaning and are rendered obsolete the moment Israel no longer requires special protection for its
727:
668:
421:, 1843, No. 44). The importance of this book is attested by the stir it created among German Jewish communities, many members of which found in its attitude the solution of the problem of how loyalty to Judaism could be combined with unqualified allegiance to their German nationality. Evidence of its incisive character is furnished also by the
227:
of Prague he continued also his
Talmudical studies. While still a young man it became his ambition to occupy a rabbinical position in a larger German town; for he desired to show the older rabbis that secular and philosophical scholarship could well be harmonized with rabbinical erudition. But he had
504:
distinctness. As soon as all men have become ethical monotheists, Israel is nowhere in danger of losing its own monotheism; nor is its distinctness further required. Hence in the
Messianic time, the ceremonies will lose all binding or effective force. This book, too, called forth much discussion, in
317:
1839, Nos. 30-32) treats of the oath demanded of Jewish witnesses in criminal procedures. In the former of these papers
Holdheim formulates the principle which is basic to his position and that of other Reformers: Judaism is not a religion of dead creed, but of living deeds. In the latter essay he
509:
took a stand opposed to
Holdheim's. Answering some of his critics' objections, Holdheim insisted upon being recognized as an adherent of positive historic Judaism. The doctrines, religious and ethical, of biblical Judaism are, he claimed, the positive contents of Judaism; and a truly historical
492:
assumed unlimited possibilities of development, according to
Holdheim the Mosaic element, after the elimination of the national, is eternal. Religion must be placed above all temporal needs and desires. To yield to the spirit of the age would make that spirit the supreme factor and lead to the
93:
738:
232:. Here he remained until 1840, encountering many difficulties, due both to the distrust of those within the congregation who suspected the piety of a rabbi able to speak grammatical German, and who was a graduate of a German university, and to the peculiar legislation which in
625:
Holdheim died suddenly at Berlin on 22 August 1860. Sachs objected to his interment in the row reserved for rabbis in the Jewish cemetery, but
Oettinger granted permission for the burial. Holdheim was laid to rest among the great dead of the Berlin congregation,
223:; and his keen intellect, combined with his eagerness to learn, made it possible for him to reach his goal in an incredibly short time, though the lack of preliminary systematic preparation left its imprint upon his mind, to a certain degree, to the last. Under
260:(ritual questions) and inquiries concerning dietary laws. He insisted upon the recognition of the rabbi as preacher and teacher, who at the same time gives attention to the practical requirements of his office as the expert in Talmudical law.
586:, ib. 1848). Though engaged in many ways in the development of his society and in the organization of its institutions, during the thirteen years of his stay in Berlin he wrote a text for schools on the religious and moral doctrines of the
534:, 1846, Nos. 46-48). The debates at these conferences had touched on vital subjects. Holdheim felt prompted to treat some of these at greater length, and therefore in quick succession he published the following essays:
267:. In his pulpit discourses belonging to this period the intention is plain to steer clear of mere rationalistic moralizing, on the one hand, and dry legalizing and unscientific speculation (in the style of the old
569:, and instead moved its observance to Sunday to keep the behavior of Reform Jews in line with Christian thought. Under his rule, the observance of the second days of the holy days (except the second day of
330:
has been taught, in accordance with the changing conditions of succeeding ages; but this progress he holds to be a gradual development, never a noisy opposition to recognized existing standards.
252:(Frankfurt (Oder), 1839) he appealed both to the government to accord the modern rabbinate the dignity due to it, and to the congregations to cease regarding the rabbi as an expert in Jewish
289:'s project of founding a Jewish theological faculty. Judaism even then had ceased for Holdheim to be an end unto itself. He had begun to view it as a force in the larger life of humanity.
496:
Mosaism as contained in the Bible is the continuous religion of
Judaism. The belief in this revelation is the constant factor in all variants of Judaism. This is also the main thesis of
561:
was founded in Berlin, was called to be its rabbi and preacher in 1847, leaving
Mecklenburg. As leader of the Reformgenossenschaft he had a share in the editing of its
318:
utilizes his
Talmudic juridical erudition to demonstrate the injustice done to the Jews by the Prussian courts. Another of his Frankfurt publications bears the title
526:
did not satisfy him. He rightly held it to be a weak compromise. For him the essential element of a true
Sabbath was not worship, but rest (see his
484:, and pleads for its retention. Indeed, he was not unreservedly an adherent of the program of the Frankfurt Reform Verein. This is clear from his
224:
377:) on the prayer-book of the Hamburg Temple (Hamburg, 1841), justifying its departures from the old forms by appealing to Talmudical precedents (
313:
ii, Nos. 4-9) discusses the essential principles of Judaism, arriving at the conclusion that Judaism has no binding dogmas; the other (Jost's
787:
777:
702:
480:, a sacrament of initiation, but is merely a command like any other. Nevertheless, he classifies it not as a national but as a
322:(Leipzig, 1840). The occasion which called forth this booklet was the controversy raging around Geiger's election as rabbi in
767:
802:
792:
782:
639:
68:
46:
39:
797:
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271:), on the other. Holdheim thus deserves to be remembered as one of the pioneers in the field of modern Jewish
772:
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led to another agitation in German Jewry. Einhorn, Stein, Samuel Hirsch, and others deplored the rise of the
365:
In his new field Holdheim gave his first attention to the founding of schools for Jewish children. The
281:
and other Jewish writings. He also repeatedly took pains to arouse his congregation to help carry out
713:
Redefining Judaism in an Age of Emancipation: Comparative Perspectives on Samuel Holdheim (1806–1860)
522:(1844), Frankfurt am Main (1845), and Breslau (1846). The stand taken by the last with regard to the
33:
681:
493:
production of a new 19th century Talmud as little warranted as was the Talmud of the 5th century.
686:
366:
337:, and had come to be looked upon by congregations as well as by Jewish scholars as a leader (see
696:
401:
of this prayer-book evoked, Holdheim's deserves to be ranked as the most thorough and incisive.
345:, 1840, No. 39). Frankfurt having become too restricted a sphere for him, he accepted a call to
591:
248:
Holdheim's purpose was to bring about a change in this state of affairs. In the preface to his
50:
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to wait until 1836, when, after several disappointments elsewhere, he was called as rabbi to
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reform must, for the sake of these positive doctrines, liberate Judaism from Talmudism.
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While in Frankfurt, Holdheim scrupulously decided every question according to the
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in 1806. The son of rigidly traditional parents, Holdheim was early inducted into
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582:, Berlin, 1850). He had to defend his congregation against many attacks (see his
472:
was the focal issue discussed by no less than forty-one rabbis. Holdheim, in his
398:
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as a step toward schismatic separation. The obligatory character of the rite of
297:
Holdheim now became a contributor to the Jewish periodicals (e.g., Philippson's
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476:(Schwerin and Berlin, 1844), takes the position that circumcision is not, like
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literature that grew out of it. In these discussions such men as A. Bernstein,
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Prinzipien eines dem gegenwärtigen Religionsbewusstsein entsprechenden Cultus
506:
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Die religiöse Stellung des weiblichen Geschlechts im talmudischen Judenthum
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Soon after, the most important work by Holdheim appeared under the title
671: This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
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326:. Holdheim pleads for progress, on the ground that at all times the
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606:, ib. 1857). He also wrote a history of the Reformgenossenschaft (
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Ueber die Beschneidung zunächst in religiös-dogmatischer Beziehung
194:
111:
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565:. He instituted the radical rejection of keeping Saturday as the
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In the meantime Holdheim had received the degree of PhD from the
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Vorschläge zu einer zeitgemässen Reform der jüdischen Ehegesetze
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and author, and one of the more extreme leaders of the early
170:
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Vorträge über die mosaische Religion für denkende Israeliten
309:). Two of his articles are especially noteworthy. One (in
578:
He officiated at so-called "mixed" marriages (see his
584:
Das Gutachten des Herrn L. Schwab, Rabbiner zu Pesth
518:
Holdheim took part in the rabbinical conferences at
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literature according to the methods in vogue at the
219:and subsequently to Berlin to study philosophy and
706:. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 583.
240:regulated the status of the Jewish congregations.
536:Was lehrt das Rabbinische Judenthum ĂĽber den Eid?
528:Offene Briefe ĂĽber die Dritte Rabbinerversammlung
320:Der Religiöse Fortschritt im deutschen Judenthume
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514:At rabbinical conferences and his sudden death
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243:
369:led him to take part in the discussion (see
275:, who showed what use should be made of the
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580:Gemischte Ehen zwischen Juden und Christen
557:Holdheim, consulted among others when the
256:mainly charged with the duty of answering
91:
393:, xi.9). Among the many rejoinders which
69:Learn how and when to remove this message
357:, leaving Frankfurt on August 15, 1840.
32:This article includes a list of general
608:Geschichte der JĂĽdischen Reformgemeinde
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618:interpretations of the marriage laws (
610:, 1857) and a more ambitious work (in
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169:(1806 – 22 August 1860) was a German
788:Humboldt University of Berlin alumni
778:People from the Grand Duchy of Posen
498:Das Ceremonialgesetz im Messiasreich
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18:
16:German rabbi and author (1806-1860)
13:
739:Digitized works by Samuel Holdheim
640:Rabbinical Conference of Brunswick
604:JĂĽdische Glaubens- und Sittenlehre
596:Ueber Stahl's Christliche Toleranz
38:it lacks sufficient corresponding
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680:; et al., eds. (1901–1906).
299:Allgemeine Zeitung des Judenthums
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690:. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.
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181:, he was often at odds with the
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630:preaching the funeral oration.
590:(Berlin, 1854), a criticism of
341:1840, No. 35 et passim; Jost's
711:Wiese, Christian, ed. (2006).
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177:. A pioneer in modern Jewish
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743:Leo Baeck Institute, New York
658:(History of the Jews, p. 565)
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559:JĂĽdische Reformgenossenschaft
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540:Ueber Auflösbarkeit der Eide
488:(Schwerin, 1844). While the
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411:Die Autonomie der Rabbinen
367:Hamburg Temple controversy
361:Hamburg Temple controversy
250:Gottesdienstliche Vorträge
244:Attitude toward government
175:Reform Movement in Judaism
803:German Jewish theologians
793:Leipzig University alumni
783:Charles University alumni
505:which Reform rabbis like
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768:People from Kępno County
697:"Holdheim, Samuel"
614:) on the rabbinical and
798:Philosophers of Judaism
703:Encyclopædia Britannica
687:The Jewish Encyclopedia
53:more precise citations.
592:Friedrich Julius Stahl
456:The foundation of the
734:at Wikimedia Commons
431:Samson Raphael Hirsch
335:University of Leipzig
307:Israelitische Annalen
238:Frederick William III
230:Frankfurt an der Oder
193:Holdheim was born at
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355:Mecklenburg-Schwerin
311:Allg. Zeit. des Jud.
598:, ib. 1856), and a
682:"Holdheim, Samuel"
575:) were abolished.
546:, Schwerin, 1845;
405:More controversies
730:Media related to
542:, Hamburg, 1845;
462:Frankfurt am Main
439:Raphael Kirchheim
435:Zecharias Frankel
385:. 10a, 27b, 33a;
293:Progressive views
287:Ludwig Philippson
215:Holdheim went to
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563:prayer-book
453:took part.
447:Leopold Löw
427:Mendel Hess
185:community.
155:Nationality
51:introducing
752:Categories
646:References
482:Jewish law
387:Maimonides
273:homiletics
221:humanities
207:Talmudical
203:rabbinical
189:Early life
179:homiletics
34:references
622:, 1860).
600:catechism
423:polemical
389:, "Yad",
375:Gutachten
278:Midrashim
254:casuistry
59:July 2013
634:See also
554:, 1846.
532:Israelit
391:Tefillah
347:Schwerin
315:Annalen,
269:derashah
258:she'elot
210:yeshivas
183:Orthodox
159:Prussian
145:Religion
100:Personal
741:at the
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616:Karaite
588:Mishnah
524:Sabbath
478:baptism
381:vii.1;
371:Annalen
343:Annalen
324:Breslau
285:'s and
265:halakha
234:Prussia
149:Judaism
138:Prussia
47:improve
612:Hebrew
538:1844;
490:Verein
466:Verein
449:, and
236:under
217:Prague
195:Kempen
134:Berlin
112:Kempen
36:, but
530:, in
379:Soáąah
328:Torah
171:rabbi
303:Jost
301:and
123:Died
108:1806
105:Born
460:in
417:in
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353:of
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