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American Judaica. A review of rabbinic dialetics by R. Aaron Hahn, rabbi of the Tifferet Israel Congregation in Clevaeland, Ohio. The title page describes it as a history of the dialecticians and dialectics of the Mishnah and Talmud. There is a preface from the author who states that, “The sea of Jewish literature has been crossed in all directions, and in the diving bells of inquiry pearls of knowledge have been elevated and deposited in monthlies, pamphlets . . . but, the sea of Jewish literature has been too vast, a great many branches are entirely neglected and unnoticed.” It is his intention to issue a series of small volumes on subjects Jewish science not “as yet treated in any modern language.” He begins with this volume, entitled in Hebrew Oker Harim, because that is the Talmudic term for a dialectician. R. Hahn describes this as the first book ever written on Rabbinical Dialectics from an historical standpoint. Next is the introduction, in which he revews the subject and gives historical background, comparing Jewish dialecticians to Greek Sophists, noting that the kind of sophistry that flourished in Greece could not have flourished among the Israelites. He provides a list in Hebrew of rabbinic terms with English translations, names of the most important works and their authors. The text follows, in English with occasional Hebrew. The Rabbinical Dialectics begins with the Tannaim, starting with Hillel and continues to the editing of the Talmud, conluding with the Antagonists of the Rabbinical Dialectics. The text is followed by an appendix of Dialectical Schematism, this primarily in Hebrew.
Tifereth Israel was an important Reformed congregation in Cleveland. By 1879 the synagogue had an organ, choir, family pews, and bareheaded worship. Its early leaders were Isidor Kalisch, 1850-55; Wolf Fassbinder, 1855-57; Jacob Cohen, 1857-66; G. M. Cohen, 1866-1867; Jacob Mayer, 1867-74; and Aaron Hahn, 1874-92, who was succeeded by Moses J. Gries., the present incumbent, from 1892. |
