David ben Naphtali Fränkel

David Hirschel Fraenkel (* 1707 in Berlin, † April 4, 1762 ) was a German jeweler and rabbis. Fraenkel was longtime Chief Rabbi of Berlin, Talmudist, teacher and promoter of Moses Mendelssohn.

Life

David Fraenkel came from the distinguished family Mirels ( and was therefore also called David Mirels ), first lived as a jeweler in Hamburg and Berlin and was appointed because of his great Talmudic scholarship as rabbi to Dessau. From 1743, he served until his death as a top country and city rabbis in Berlin.

He turned away from the ruling pilpul method and returned to sachgemäßeren, "simple" explanation, the older Talmud boom back. In addition, he studied intensively the Jerusalem Talmud and caused a small renaissance of study of this hitherto neglected work.

Fraenkel turned against the excesses of the so-called Jew envy and thus contributed to his later completely abolished.

Works (selection)

• Schejare korban ( order Moed of Jer. Talmud plus commentary and explanations ), Dessau 1743
• Schejare korban ( order Nashim ), Berlin 1757
• Schejare korban ( order Nesikin ), Berlin 1760 (not complete)