The Mantle of Elijah Gaon Rested Well on His Scion Prof. Louis Ginzberg

By DAVID WEISS
Of that galaxy of brilliant young
savants who formed the famous
first faculty of "Schechter's Sem-
inary" no star shone more brightly
than that of Louis Ginzberg. No
scholar of our day has possessed
the extraordinary intellectual pcw-
er, the vast range of scholarship
and phenomenal memory that was
the inheritance of this lineal de-
scendant of the Vilna Gaon.
For 50 years, until his death in
1953, Ginzberg reigned indisput-
ably as the foremost Jewish scholar
in America. There is hardly a
scientific study on. a Jewish sub-
ject published during this period

DR. LOUIS GINZBERG

Ginsberg was invited to take

charge of the project. Formally,

his title was that of Editor of
Rabbinic Literature, but in fact a
large part of the first volume
and much of the latter work was
planned, edited or written by
Ginzberg himself.
In 1902, when the Jewish Theo-
logical Seminary of America was
being reorganized and the new
president was carefully selecting
the great academic team which, he
prophetically foresaw, would with
its own lustre build the reputation
of the Seminary, Louis Ginzberg
was selected to be its professor of
Talmud—a post he held for the
rest of his life.
Seldom has any one scholar
achieved such pre-eminence in
both Haggadah and Halachah as
did Ginsberg, or made to both
fields historical contributions of
the calibre of his "Legends of
the Jews" and his "Commentary
on the Jerusalem Talmud."
Ginzberg's presentation of the
Haggadah brought a revolutionary
change of attitude towards Jewish
post-exilic history and creativity.
His research proved irrefutably
that even after the fall of Jerusa-
lem in 70 C.E., rabbinic thought
was still a living and dynamic
force. In his massive "Legends of
the Jews," published in 1928, the
Talmudist created the first compre-
hensive and cogent anthology of
the entire Haggadah, virtually all
material relating to biblical char-
acters and events, presented within
a lucid and logical framework. He
traced this material even beyond
the Talmudic-Midrashic sources to
its pre-biblical origins. With his
knowledge of Latin and Greek,
and exploiting Western methods !
of critical analysis, he was able to
detect in the Patristic and Hellen-
istic literature materials borrowed
from Jewish sources and reflecting
rabbinic ideas.
Even more significant and far-
reaching in affecting the thinking
of scholars about Jews and Juda-
ism were Ginzberg's achievements
in the field of Halachic research.
His work on the Talmud, its com-
mentaries and codes were spurred
by , the burning awareness of its
relevance, the knowledge that
could be molded into a philosophy
of life capable of guiding the mod-
ern world.
In 1937, after years of prepara-
tory study, he commenced his
magnum opus, the superb "Com-
mentary on the Talmud of Pales-
tine." Purported to be primarily
a commentary on the Yerushal-

that did not draw from his well of
wisdom. His knowledge was en-
cyclopaedic—there was no field of
Jewish learning that he did not
master. He was an authority on
Judaica in all its aspects, excelling
equally in Halakhah and Aggadah
and producing major definitive
works on both Jewish Law and
Lore.
Solomon Schechter, who was
endowed with almost prophetic
vision, recognized in the young
Lithuanian a trail-blazing intel-
lectual force, one that would pro-
vide dramatic impetus to the
development of a dynamic tradi-
lion
of Jewish scholarship on
•
these shores. And he foresaw
that Ginsberg would fulfill a
major role in his dreams for the
Seminary. Schechter's extraord-
inary foresight was borne out by
history.
Louis Ginzberg was the descend-
ant of a long line of scholars and
saints, the most famous of whom
was the pride of Lithuanian Jewry,
Elijah, Gaon of Vilna. And it was
the influence of that intellectual
colossus, his great-uncle that dom-
Mated Ginzberg's life, that from Einstein Medical College
infancy governed his aims, his Honors First Chairman
ideals, his actions. Stories of the
Gaon's prodigious achievements
served to spur the child's own nat-
ural fervor for knowledge. Learn-
i n g that at 3 years of age
Elijah was already steeped in the
study of the Torah, the infant
Louis Ginzberg likewise foresook
his playthings for lessons.
Even as a young child his intel-
lectual prowess and remarkable
memory had become famous. Be-
fore he attained Bar Mitzvah he
had established his reputation as
scholar and was engaging in
learned discussions with the out-
standing Talmudists of the day,
including the great Isaac Elhanan
Spektor; rabbi of Kovno. At the
yeshivot of Slobodlca and Telshe,
where Lithuanian scholarship
flourished at its highest peak,
Ginzberg received his early educa-
tion. At the age of 22 he left for
Germany and for the next three
Nathaniel L. Goldstein, former
Years continued to study voracious-
attorney general of the State of
IY at the Universities of Berlin, New York, will be honored by the
Strasburg and Heidelberg.
Society of Founders of the
It was clear to Ginsberg that
Albert Einstein College of Medi-
the next great center of Jewish
cine of Yeshiva University at
learning would be founded in
its Tenth Anniversary dinner
the New World and he recog-
celebration, Sunday at the wa-
nized that it was here that his
dorf-Astoria. A chair in forensic
life's work would lie. Ginzberg
medicine will be established at
arrived in the United States in
the College of Medicine in Gold-
1898. It was at this time that
stein's name, in recognition of
plans were being developed for
his pioneer leadership as the
the Jewish Encyclopaedia-- des
first chairman of both the Col-
tined to be the first major eon-
lege of Medicine's Board of
tibution of the American cony-. ,Overseers. and its national de-
munity to Jewish scholarship.
velopment fund.

mi, this work actually is dedi-
cated to the whole problem of
Jewish traditional law.
Whilst engaged in these exeget-
ical studies Ginzberg continued to
conduct research into the sociolog-
ical factors that helped to form.
Halachic decisions at different pe-
riods. It is largely due to his pene-
trating studies, for example, that
we have discovered that many of
the differences between the schools
of Shammai and Hillel stemmed
apparently from their different
social backgrounds:
Shammai
scholars, it is revealed, were mem-
bers of the upper strata of Jerusa-
lem society, the Hillelites, of less
privileged groups. Thus, whilst ad-
vancing the study of the legal code,
Ginzberg also succeeded in shed-
ding light on many of its historico-
literary problems.
His Legends and Yerushalmi,
both monumental works of epic
proportions and historical impact,
tend to overshadow the fact that he
produced many other major studies.
Amongst his important books were
his Studies of the Church Fathers,
Works on the Origin of the Mish-
nah, his Ginze Schechter, studies
of genizah fragments, Scholars,
Students and Saints, biographies
of - Jewish leaders throughout the
ages, and .a two-volume work on
The Geonim and Their Halachic
Writings, based on response recov-
ered from the genizah mass. Ginz-
berg's work on the geonica has
been considered a milestone in the
study of the evolution of the Tal-
mud. He traced the development
of the Halachah from the Talmud
to geonic times and showed that
the geonim were not only the
heads of scholastic institutions but
the representatives of authorita
tive bodies wih power to pass cer-
tain legal judgments. Ginzberg
was' the first to emphasize the im-
portance of the geonic period for
later Judaism. by showing how
abundantly the greatest medieval

Jews in Poland Hold

National Conference to
Promote Jewish Books

LONDON, (JTA) — A national
conference to promote Jewish
books and periodicals among Po
lish Jews was attended by 224 dele-
gates representing all 26 branches
of the Jewish Social and Cultural
Association of Poland, it was re-
ported here from Warsaw.
Leib Dornb, chairman of the
association, which convened the
conference in Breslau, said the
event celebrated the 20th anniver-
sary of the Jewish press and liter-
ature in postwar Poland, a period
in which 350 Yiddish books had
been published in Poland. They
included 150 original works pub-
lished for the first time, 100 prose
and 50 poetry.
Other speakers reporttd that
the total distribution of Jewish
books in the 20 years was 1,500
copies, a large number sent to
Yiddish readers in other coun-
tries. Another achievement cited
at the conference was the publi-
cation of 211 issues - of the liter-
ary magazine, Yiddishe Schrif-
ten.
A recurring theme of the ad-
dresses was that despite all
achievements, including the four-
times-a-week Folkstimme. there
were still many Polish Jews,
particularly the younger ones, who
lacked 'interest in Yiddish writings
and ignored what was being pub-
lished.
- This was attributed to the -fact
that the younger generation of
Polish Jewry was not as much at
home with Yiddish as were their
forebears and also to some slack-
ness in the promotion of Yiddish
publications.

`No Smoking' on Sabbath
Shortly after his arrival in the
U. S., Yossele Rosenblatt, "King
of the Cantors," remarked to a
friend, "What a wonderful coun-
try is -America. Even its streetcars
observe the Sabbath. I saw with
my own eyes a sign in one . of
them, which said: "No Smoking!"

authorities, including Alfasi, Rashi
and the Rambam, had reaped of
what the geonim had sown.
Dr. Ginzberg was the scholar
and author whom Harvard chose to
honor on the occasion of her ter-
centenary, amongst the intellectual
giants of the nation. This was the
professor with the tender sensitive
soul of the poet. A wise, warm-
hearted and compassionate person-
ality, rigorously loyal to tradition,
yet charitably cognizant of the
problems this posed for others. He
had an easy and spontaneous wit,
with a repertoire of witty anec-
dotes with which he would regale
his guests at the Sabbath table.
Perhaps his personality shone most
brilliantly in the synagogue. After
the . death of Solomon Schechter,
the task of guiding the Seminary
synagogue devolved upon Louis
Girizberg and he continued to be
its parnas until his death. His dig-
nity, dedication and profound love
for Jewish ritual communicated
themselves to all present.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, January II, 1965-24

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