Salomon Mandelkern ( he, שלמה מנדלקרן; 1846 in

Mlyniv Mlyniv ( uk, Млинів; pl, Młynów) is an urban-type settlement in Rivne Oblast ( province) in western Ukraine. Mlyniv was also formerly the administrative center of Mlyniv Raion, housing the district's local administration buildings, a ...

, now in Volhynian Governorate – March 24, 1902 in Vienna; pseudonym ''Mindaloff'') was a Russian-Jewish poet and author.Anton Bettelheim
1905, Biographisches Jahrbuch und Deutscher Nekrolog, Band 7, p. 5
/ref> He was educated as a Talmudist. After his father's death he went to Dubno (he was then fourteen), where he continued his Talmudical studies. He became associated with the

Ḥasidim Ḥasīd ( he, חסיד, "pious", "saintly", "godly man"; plural "Hasidim") is a Jewish honorific, frequently used as a term of exceptional respect in the Talmudic and early medieval periods. It denotes a person who is scrupulous in his observ ...

in that community and with their "rabbi," Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, with whose son David he spent some time studying Jewish philosophy and Cabala. After his marriage he went to Wilna, entered its rabbinical school, and graduated as a rabbi. Mandelkern subsequently studied Oriental languages at St. Petersburg University, where he was awarded a gold medal for an essay on the parallel passages of the Bible. In 1873 he became assistant rabbi at

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

, where he was the first to deliver sermons in Russian, and where he studied law at the university. The degree of Ph.D. was conferred upon him by the University of Jena. About 1880 he settled in Leipzig and occupied himself with literary work and with teaching. In 1900 he visited the United States; he returned to Leipzig in 1901, and was visiting Vienna when he suddenly became ill and died in the Jewish hospital of that city.

Works

Mandelkern was a prolific writer in several languages, especially in Hebrew, in which he produced poetical works of considerable merit. His literary career began in 1886 with "Teru'at Melekh Rav," an ode to

Alexander II of Russia Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Poland and Gra ...

, followed by "Bat Sheva'," an epic poem, "Ezra ha-Sofer," a novel (transl. from the German by

Ludwig Philippson Ludwig Philippson (28 December 1811 – 29 December 1889) was a German rabbi and author. Early life and education Ludwig Philippson was born in Dessau, the son of , a printer, writer, teacher, translator, publisher and a member of the Haskalah. ...

), and a satirical work entitled "Ḥiẓẓim Shenunim" (all published in Wilna). Other works of his are: * "Divrey Yemey Russya," a history of Russia (Warsaw, 1875; written for the Society for the Promotion of Culture Among Russian Jews; for this work he was presented by the czar with a ring set with brilliants) * "Shirey Sefat 'Ever," Hebrew poems (2 vols., Leipsic, 1882 and 1889) * and "Shirey Yeshurun," a translation of Byron's "Hebrew Melodies" (ib. 1890). He published also: "Bogdan Chmelnitzki," in Russian, a translation of Hanover's "Yewen Meẓulah" (St. Petersburg, 1878; Leipsic, 1883); a Russian edition of

Lessing Lessing is a German surname of Slavic origin, originally ''Lesnik'' meaning "woodman". Lessing may refer to: A German family of writers, artists, musicians and politicians who can be traced back to a Michil Lessigk mentioned in 1518 as being a lin ...

's fables (ib. 1885); and "Tamar," a novel in German (ib. 1885; really a translation of Mapu's "Ahavat Ẓiyyon," without any mention of Mapu as the author). Sermons by him in Russian, and Russian and German translations of his Hebrew songs and articles, have appeared in various periodicals; and most Hebrew journals and year-books published within the last thirty years (especially " Ha-Shaḥar," " Ha-Asif") contain articles, poems, and epigrams by him. Mandelkern's greatest work is the "Heykhal ha-Ḳodesh," or "Veteris Testamenti Concordantiæ," a Hebrew-Latin concordance of the Hebrew and Chaldaic words found in the Bible (Leipsic, 1896), which almost superseded all similar works of that nature. An abridged edition of this monumental work appeared under the title "Tavnit Hekhal" (ib. 1897; for the various criticisms which were made of Mandelkern in connection with the two editions of the concordance, and for lists of errata, see Bernhard Stade's "Zeitschrift," xviii. 165, 348; xix. 187-191, 350; xxii. 320; xxiii. 94, 352; xxiv. 146; etc.). In his last years Mandelkern was engaged in the composition of a Talmudic and Midrashic concordance, part of which, probably, was left in manuscript.

References

* ** Nahum Sokolow, ''Sefer Zikkaron'', p. 67, Warsaw, 1890; ** William Zeitlin, ''Bibl. Post-Mendels.''; ** Chaim David Lippe, ''Bibliographisches Lexicon'' ** ''Sistematicheski Ukazatel'' (an index to Russian literature upon the Jews); ** Wiernik, in Jewish Comment, Jan. 19, 1900; ** '' Illustrirte Zeitung'', Feb. 15, 1896; April 3, 1902; ** '' Allg. Zeit. des Jud.'' (May 16, 1902); ** ''

Jewish Exponent ''The Jewish Exponent'' is a weekly community newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the second-oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the United States. History ''The Jewish Exponent'' has been published continuously since Apri ...

'', April 11, 1902.

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mandelkern, Solomon 19th-century rabbis from the Russian Empire Jewish poets Talmudists Russian-language writers Ukrainian emigrants to Germany Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Germany Volhynian Jews 1846 births 1902 deaths 19th-century poets Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Austria-Hungary Volhynian rabbis Saint Petersburg State University alumni University of Jena alumni 19th-century German rabbis Clergy from Leipzig