Isserlein, Israel Ben-petachya

Isserlein, Israel ben-Petachya a Jewish Rabbi of great distinction among Jewish scholars in the 15th century, and one of the representatives of truly learned German synagogal teachers, flourished about 1427-1470. At first he was settled over a congregation at Marburg; later he removed to Neustadt, near Vienna. Isserlein was a very liberal-minded Jew, and did much by his influence to advance the standing of Jewish scholarship in his day. More particularly was his influence felt in the theological schools of his Hebrew brethren all over Germany. From the most distant parts of Europe students flocked to the schools at Erfurt, Nuremberg, Regensburg, and Prague, where the Talmud was expounded in a most masterly manner (comp. Zunz, Zür Gesch. u. Lit. p. 167 sq.). According to Jost (Gesch. d. Judenthums u. s. Sekten, 3, 116), Isserlein died obscurely in 1452, but this seems improbable, as Furst has evidence of Isserlein's activity in 1457, His works are שות תּרוּמִת הִדֶּשֶׁן, a collection of 354 opinions on the different fields of Rabbinism (Venice, 1519, 4to; Firth, 1778, 4to): — פּסָקַים וּכתָבַים, on the Halachoth (Venice, 1519, 4to, and often; Firth, 1778, 4to): — בַּאוּרַים לרשי עִל הִתּוֹרָה, or Expositions on Rashi's Commentary to the Pentateuch (Venice, 1519, 4to, and often): — בַּאוּרַים לסֵ שִׁעֲרֵי דוּרָא, or Commentary on the Book Sha'are Dura of Isaac Duran (Venice, 1548, 4to, and often); etc. See Gratz, Gesch. d. Juden, 8, 220 sq.; Furst.

Biblioth. Jud. 2, 154; Frankel, Israel Isserlein (Lib. d. Or. 1847), c. 675- 678. (J. H. W.)