R. Samson b. Raphael Hirsch (1808–1888) was the leader and foremost exponent of Orthodoxy in Germany in the 19th century. Born in Hamburg, Hirsch studied Talmud there with his grandfather R. Mendel Frankfurter. His education was also influenced by rabbis Jacob Ettlinger and Isaac Bernays, and by his father, R. Raphael (who had changed his surname from Frankfurter to Hirsch). R. Hirsch's importance as a religious spiritual leader, his wide influence as a preacher and teacher, organizer and writer, made him a dedicated champion of Orthodoxy in its controversy with the Reform-liberal Judaism. While advocating strict adherence to halakhah, R. Hirsch tried to find a solution to the political and cultural challenges presented in modern life to Judaism. He considered his view of Judaism not as a system of philosophical speculation but as an explication of the Sinaitic revelation. Despite widespread opposition to his ideas from many circles in German Jewry his personal qualities won their respect and admiration.

עמ' [V]-XII: הקדמת המתרגם: אמרתי ... להוציא את תמצית ספריו הרבים ... בשיטה שלמה ... ובלה"ק ... רק במקומות מועטים העתקתי את דבריו בהעתקה מכוונת ... חלק זה הראשון ... כולל: 'ידיעת היהדות המקורית'" (עמ' X). חלק ב-ג שהמתרגם הבטיח להוציא לא נדפס. מכתב תהלה [הסכמה]: ר' חיים עוזר גראדזענסקי, ווילנא, ט ניסן תרע"ג.