Naḥman ben Simḥah Berlin (; ) was a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

polemical Polemic ( , ) is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called polemics, which are seen in arguments on controversial to ...

writer from Lissa,

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

. Although he was originally a supporter of the Haskalah movement, he grew to view it as morally corrupt. His primary literary activity was devoted to the cause of

orthodoxy Orthodoxy () is adherence to a purported "correct" or otherwise mainstream- or classically-accepted creed, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical co ...

, opposing steadfastly and systematically all attempts at the reform of Judaism.

Biography

Nahman was once a member of the

Maskilim The ''Haskalah'' (; literally, "wisdom", "erudition" or "education"), often termed the Jewish Enlightenment, was an intellectual movement among the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe, with a certain influence on those in Western Europe and th ...

, living in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, his hometown, and working in the Jewish Free School as an inspector. He believed that the school could serve as a means of creating a balanced European-Jewish identity for the

youth, but would later acknowledge that it became an avenue for assimilation much to his dismay. At first he attempted to salvage the Haskalah movement, arguing that it was only possible through traditional

Jewish Education Jewish education (, ''Chinuch'') is the transmission of the tenets, principles, and religious laws of Judaism. Jews value education, and the value of education is strongly embedded in Jewish culture. Judaism places a heavy emphasis on Torah ...

while conceding that it was morally bereft

tutors Tutoring is private academic help, usually provided by an expert teacher; someone with deep knowledge or defined expertise in a particular subject or set of subjects. A tutor, formally also called an academic tutor, is a person who provides assis ...

who were corrupting youths who had not yet learned necessary morals which led to

heresies Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Christianity, Judai ...

and immorality. He, along with other Jews, who saw Enlightenment thinkers increasingly becoming morally degenerate and

licentious Lascivious behavior is sexual behavior or conduct that is considered crude and offensive, or contrary to local moral or other standards of appropriate behavior. In this sense, "lascivious" is similar in meaning to "lewd", "indecent", "lecherous", ...

left the city in the late 1790s to criticize the movement they once supported. In the midst of this diaspora, Nahman moved to Lissa in the Posen district in 1801, completely rejecting the movement he previously advocated for. It was easy for Nahman to move to Lissa due to his personal wealth and the fact that his grandfather had been a doctor in the town. He would marry the only daughter, Chaje, of the community rabbi, Seeb Wolf Jacob Guhrauer, in 1801 and would work closely with his new

father in law A parent-in-law is a person who has a legal affinity with another by being the parent of the other's spouse. Many cultures and legal systems impose duties and responsibilities on persons connected by this relationship. A person is a child-in-law ...

. While in

, he would continue to keep contact with the Jewish community in Berlin and make a name for himself as an advocate for reaffirming

Orthodox Judaism Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Torah, Written and Oral Torah, Oral, as literally revelation, revealed by God in Ju ...

while integrating it with a society that allowed for

Jewish Emancipation Jewish emancipation was the process in various nations in Europe of eliminating Jewish disabilities, to which European Jews were then subject, and the recognition of Jews as entitled to equality and citizenship rights. It included efforts withi ...

. Nahman's literary activity was wholly devoted to the cause of orthodoxy, opposing steadfastly and systematically all the attempts of

Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish religious movements, Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its Jewish ethics, ethical aspects to its ceremo ...

. He argued that the Reform were in opposition to both religious and political authorities, and that secular governments could be enlisted to help burn the works of reformer's like Eliezer Liebermann.

Bibliography

* Directed against the editors of the Hebrew periodical '' Ha-Meassef'', and especially against Aaron Wolfssohn. * An introduction to the ''Ḥavot Da'at'' of Jacob ben Moses of Lissa. * Against the innovators. * Against several works by different reform writers. * On the traditions of oral law, as well as on the necessity of having the prayers in Hebrew. * A call to unity in religious affairs.

References

18th-century German Jews 19th-century German Jews Jewish German writers German Orthodox Jews People from Leszno 18th-century Prussian people 19th-century Prussian people Writers from the Kingdom of Prussia {{Judaism-bio-stub Jews and Judaism in Berlin Writers from Berlin