Harry Mordecai Freedman (17 October 1901 – 4 December 1982) was a rabbi, author, translator, and teacher. Among his more famous contributions are his translations done for several tractates of the

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabba or Midrash Rabbah can refer to part of or the collective whole of specific aggadic midrashim on the books of the Torah and the Five Megillot, generally having the term "Rabbah" (), meaning "great," as part of their name. These midra ...

, and

Encyclopedia Talmudit The ''Encyclopedia Talmudit'' ( ''entsiyklopediah talmudiyt'') is a Hebrew language encyclopedia that aims to summarize the halakhic topics of the Talmud in alphabetical order. It began in 1942 and is still an active project as of 2023, with 5 ...

Biography

Freedman was born in

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Vitsyebsk (, ; , ; ) is a city in northern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Vitebsk Region and Vitebsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it has 358,927 inhabitants, m ...

, Russia in 1901. His family moved to England and he grew up in London. He studied at the

Etz Chaim Etz Hayim, also transliterated as Eitz Chaim ( , meaning "Tree of Life"), is a common term used in Judaism. The expression can be found in , referring to the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. It is also found in the Book of Proverbs, where it i ...

Yeshiva, received a BA from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

, semicha from Jews College, and a PHD from the university of London (in 1923, 1924, and 1930 respectively). He served in pulpit positions in England, Australia, and the United States, and served as a teacher at

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.

Family

Freedman was father in law to prominent Melbourne lawyer, Arnold Bloch.

Published works

Translations

Freedman made several significant contributions as a translator. * Eight volumes of the

Babylonian Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the centerpiece of Jewi ...

as part of the Soncino English edition of the Talmud. * Midrash Rabbah (10 volumes), with Maurice Simon. * Several volumes of

Menachem Mendel Kasher Menachem Mendel Kasher (; March 7, 1895 – November 3, 1983) was a Polish-born Israeli rabbi and prolific author who authored an encyclopedic work on the Torah entitled ''Torah Sheleimah''. Early life Kasher was born in 1895 in Warsaw, Poland ( ...

's Torah Sheleimah, called The Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation in English. * Encyclopedia Talmudica, the English edition of

. * Israel Passover Haggadah, an English Translation of Kasher's הגדה ארצישראלית

Books

* One Hundred Years: The Story of the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation 1841-1941 (1941) * He wrote the commentary for the biblical books of Genesis, Joshua and Jeremiah for the Soncino Books of the Bible * A commentary on the Pentateuch, published posthumously in 2001.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freedman, Harry 1901 births 1982 deaths 20th-century English rabbis English Orthodox rabbis Australian Orthodox rabbis Alumni of the London School of Jewish Studies Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom British emigrants to Australia 20th-century Australian rabbis 20th-century American rabbis