Heilbronn, Joseph ben David of Eschwege

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HEILBRONN, JOSEPH BEN DAVID OF ESCHWEGE

HEILBRONN, JOSEPH BEN DAVID OF ESCHWEGE (d. 1771), masoretic scholar. He was a private tutor in Frankfurt and later moved to The Hague. He is the author of Mevin Ḥidot (Amsterdam, 1765), on the masorah. It contains a lengthy four-part prologue and is arranged according to the weekly portions of the Pentateuch. The book received the endorsements of the Ashkenazi and Sephardi chief rabbis of Amsterdam. In reply to an accusation by Asher Worms, author of Seyag la-Torah, that Heilbronn had either plagiarized his own work or was negligent in textual research, Heilbronn issued a pamphlet in defense of his position. Heilbronn also composed a prayer book on the liturgy of Simḥat Torah (Amsterdam, 1769). He died in Amsterdam.

bibliography:

Fuenn, Keneset, 491; S. Seeligman, Het geestelijk leven der Hoogduitsche Joodsche Gemeente te's Gravenhage (1914).

[Marvin Tokayer]

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Heilbronn, Joseph ben David of Eschwege

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