Horeb: A Philosophy of Jewish Laws and Observances

by Samson Raphael Hirsch, Isidore Grunfeld (Translator)

The deep meaning of the mitzvoth as revealed by Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch! Horeb is Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch's masterful presentation of Jewish laws and observances, with particular emphasis on their underlying ideas. It has proven in many ways to be Hirsch's most decisive work, representing a milestone in the return to halacha (Jewish law) as the pivot of Jewish life. Hirsch won back the Jewish youth of his day by introducing them to the underlying ideas of Torah laws. He showed them that the Torah's religious commandments, or mitzvoth, are not mere "ceremonies" to be discarded at will, but Divine rules of life for the people of G-d, eternal and inviolable, that they are religious power-stations which create a spirit of holiness among the people of Israel. Hirsch's words still ring true today. Horeb can serve to re-kindle your commitment to the Torah and mitzvoth. It is an important book for any thinking Jew.

Genres: Judaism, Jewish

800 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Samson Raphael Hirsch (June 20, 1808 – December 31, 1888) was a German rabbi best known as the intellectual founder of the Torah im Derech Eretz school of contemporary Orthodox Judaism. Occasionally termed neo-Orthodoxy, his philosophy, together with that of Azriel Hildesheimer, has had a considerable influence on the development of Orthodox Judaism.

Hirsch was rabbi in Oldenburg, Emden, was subsequently appointed chief rabbi of Moravia, and from 1851 until his death led the secessionist Orthodox community in Frankfurt am Main. He wrote a number of influential books, and for a number of years published the monthly journal Jeschurun, in which he outlined his philosophy of Judaism. He was a vocal opponent of Reform Judaism and similarly opposed early forms of Conservative Judaism.

Reviews

[Craig Bolton]

Horeb: A Philosophy of Jewish Laws and Observances by Samson Raphael Hirsch (2002)