Harry Freedman (rabbi)

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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, Midrash Rabbah, and Encyclopedia Talmudit.

Biography[edit]

Freedman was born in Vitebsk, Russia in 1901. His family moved to England and he grew up in London. He studied at the Etz Chaim Yeshiva, received a BA from the University of London, semicha from Jews College, and a PHD from the university of London (in 1923, 1924, and 1930 respectively).[1] He served in pulpit positions in England, Australia, and the United States, and served as a teacher at Yeshiva University.[1][2][3]

Family[edit]

Freedman was father in law to prominent Melbourne lawyer, Arnold Bloch.[4]

Published works[edit]

Translations[edit]

Freedman made several significant contributions as a translator.

  • Eight volumes of the Babylonian Talmud as part of the Soncino English edition of the Talmud.
  • Midrash Rabbah (10 volumes), with Maurice Simon.[5]
  • Several volumes of Menachem Mendel Kasher's Torah Sheleimah, called The Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation in English.[6]
  • Encyclopedia Talmudica, the English edition of Encyclopedia Talmudit.[7]
  • Israel Passover Haggadah, an English Translation of Kasher's הגדה ארצישראלית[8]

Books[edit]

  • One Hundred Years: The Story of the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation 1841-1941 (1941)[1]
  • He wrote the commentary for the biblical books of Genesis, Joshua and Jeremiah for the Soncino Books of the Bible[1]
  • A commentary on the Pentateuch, published posthumously in 2001.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Rutland, Suzanne. "Freedman, Harry Mordecai (1901–1982)". Australian Dictionary of Biography, 1981-1990. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. pp. 406–407.
  2. ^ "The New Melbourne Synagogue". Archived from the original on 13 September 2009.
  3. ^ Apple, Raymond. "The Jewish Emigrant from Britain 1700-2000: Essays in Memory of Lloyd P Gartner".
  4. ^ "Connected for Life" (PDF).
  5. ^ Freedman, Harry (1939). Midrash Rabbah.
  6. ^ Marcus, Ralph (October 1953). "Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation: Torah Shelemah, a Millenial Anthology. Genesis: Volume I by Menachem M. Kasher". Classical Philology. 48 (4): 279. doi:10.1086/363714. JSTOR 266980.
  7. ^ Fuss, Abraham M. "Encyclopedia Talmudica". The Jewish Quarterly Review. JSTOR 1453560.
  8. ^ Kasher, Menachem M. Israel Passover Haggadah.