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Hebrew grammar for school children by R. Isaac Eisig ben Isaiah Auerbach (Reis). As the title suggests (Girsa de-Yenuka, Schoolboy's Study) it consists of excerpts from grammar books and the principles of grammar. This is detailed on the title page whichstates that it is as its name, to instruct children, consisting of material excerpted from books on grammar that is easy and has general but concise and necessary rules to enable children to understand which letter is from the root of a word. Also essential grammatical rules well explained in Ashkenaz (Yiddish). It is dated with the verse, “hat the Lord’s Torah may be in your mouth” (Exodus 13:9). There is an approbation from R. Baruch Kahana Rapa Port av bet din Feurth. There is an introduction in both prose and a page of verse from R. Auerbach. The text, in a single column, is comprised of Hebrew in square vocalized letters with accompanying explanations in rabbinic type. There are also pages of conjugations of nouns and verbs.
R. Isaac Eisig ben Isaiah Auerbach, (Reis, early 18th century) was a German grammarian and commentator. His father was known as “ha-kadosh” (the martyr). Ignorant of grammar, R. Auerbach was unable to understand Rashi's commentary and as a result became interested in philology. The scholars of Fuerth (his place of residence) ridiculed this interest. R. Auerbach thereupon went to Amsterdam where he studied Hebrew grammar under R. Samuel Posen and wrote this work, Girsa de-Yenuka. The popularity of Girsa de-Yenuk in Frankfort, whereR. Auerbach had settled, encouraged him to write another Hebrew grammar, Shuta de-Yenuka ("Schoolboy's Talk," 1725). Having meanwhile devoted himself "to interpreting and explaining... Rashi's grammatical comments on the Pentateuch," he published his, Be'er Rehovot (Sulzbach, 1730; a supercommentary on Rashi's commentary on the Pentateuch). In his introduction, Auerbach states that he followed in the footsteps of Elijah Mizrahi and that his purpose was not "to criticize the great scholars but rather to comprehend and understand the literal and true meaning of Rashi's grammatical comments." He also translated into Yiddish Jedaiah ha-Penini's Behinat Olam under the title of Zafenat Pa'ne'ah (1743). |
