Herxheimer, Salomon

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HERXHEIMER, SALOMON

HERXHEIMER, SALOMON (1801–1884), German rabbi. Born in Dotzheim, Herxheimer attended the yeshivah of R. Herz Scheyer in Mainz, studied secular subjects under Michael *Creizenach, and later graduated from the University of Goettingen. While teaching in Eschwege, he wrote Yesodei ha-Torah (1831), a popular work on religious and moral instruction, which was translated into English and reached 36 editions by 1916. Later he became the rabbi of Anhalt-Bernburg. At the rabbinical conferences of the 1840s Herxheimer, an exponent of moderate Reform, especially supported the idea of confirmation (see *Bar Mitzvah). His singular achievement was the publication of a translation of the Bible into German with commentary (1841–48), a third edition of which appeared in 1863. He also published a book on Hebrew grammar (1834) and an edition of his sermons (1838, 1857).

bibliography:

S. Salfeld, Dr. Salomon Herxheimer (Ger., 1885).

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