The Denver Jewish news., 1924-09-25
PROF. LOUIS GINZ ERG
CALLED BY HEBREW UNI
NERSITY IN Palestine.
Greatest Living Jewish Scholar Invited
20 Teach Talmd on the Mount Of
Olives. Years Leave Granted Him
by Directors Of Jewish Theological
Seminary.


Seminary.
The Jewish Theological Seminary of
America announced yesterday that Dr.
Louis Ginzberg. Professor of Talmud
and dean of the Seminary faculty has
received call from the Hebrew Uni
verslty at Jerusalem to become its first
lecturer in Talmud. The directors of
the Seminary, Of which Louis Marshall
is chairman, have granted DR.. Ginz-
berg years leave of absence, with
pay, to make it possible for him to nc.
cept the honor which the Hebrew Uni
vorsity has conferred upon him. If he
accepts this call, he will be the first of
distinguished array of Jewish schol-
ars, including DIR. Albert Elnstein. dis.
coyerer of "relativity," and Prof. Sig
mund Fraud, the famous psychoanalyst,
who are to occupy chairs in the great
academy which is being erected on the
Mount of Olives.
Prof. Ginzberg, regarded by most Of
the Jewish world as its greatest living
scholar, has been associated with the
Jewish Theological Seminary for TWEEN
ty years.
At his birth In 1874 in Shawl. Lith-
uania, fifty years ago, DR.. Ginzberg,
descendant of long line of Rabbis was
dedicated by his father, also dis
tinguished Rabbi, to the same career.
He displayed such proficiency in his
study of the Bible and Talmud. that
even before he had reached his teens,
he was described as an -ilui" or won
der-child. But he did not content him
self with studying Hebrew lore alone.
At the age of fourteen, he left Russia
and went to Germany, winning few
years later, n doctorate in philosophy
at Heidelberg University. II has been
said of him that he combines to an
astounding degree the culture of the
Occident with the culture of the Orient
that he is at once an authority on
history, languages and literature. and
that his English and German diction
are as clear as the crystal waters Of an
unsullied brook At the same time he
is intimately familiar with the COM
plete Jewish literature writing his
"Responsas" and interpretations with
all the flavor of the Rabbis of old,
and is towering authority on Jewish
law.
Called to New York from Germany in
1900 by tire late Isaac NJ. Funk, to be
come one of the editors of the Jewish
Encyclopedia. published by Funk and
Wagnalls, he was invited year later
by the late Prof. Solomon Schechter,
then President of the Jewish Theo-
logical Seminary, to occupy that insti-
tution's chair in Talmud. Since then
he ras devoted all of his scant leisure
to writing n commentary on the Tai
mud Jerushalmi, which he describes ms
structure of post-biblical literature,
Asked by an interviewer recently when
he expected to publish his work he
answered: 81 don't know. Publishers
are interested only in best sellers and
this is not best seller. If it is ever
published, it will be what he calls a
big, unreadable book But the pOpu'
larly unreadable book must be writ
ten" he said in n recent interview. at
will not be read by many, but some of
the few who will read it will popularizc
its wealth of material and make it com
prehensible to the general mass. Thus
science finally seeps through to the
people and the sum Of human culture
| is enhanced"
But while his "mHgnum opus re-
mains Unpublished, the Jewish Publica
tion Society has published another
works from his pen, the Legends OF
the Jews" in five volumes. Others oi
his works have been published by tn,
Jewish Theological Seminary. Thes,
| include "Gaonica" and "Jcrushalm
Fragments" A work Of his in Ger
man Elm Unbekannte Sekte" has beer
published in Germany, and the Rab
binical Assembly has published his
"Responsa" of the question Of the usC
I of sacramental wine by Jews, in which
he proves that unrermented grape juice
is a proper substitute where Prohibi
| tion is the law of the land.
j., ... IL ~. :. -. .....