Binyamin Shlomo Hamburger
Encyclopedia
Binyamin Shlomo Hamburger (בנימין שלמה המבורגר) is a rabbi and author who is regarded as an expert on the subject of minhag
Ashkenaz
, the customs of German and Western European Jews, and their history. Born in Basel
, Switzerland
, to German parents, he currently lives in Bnei Brak, Israel
.
Having originally been educated in Eastern European Jewish and Hasidic institutions, he came to explore his family's heritage after learning more about the traditions observed by his ancestor, Moses Sofer
(1762–1839), the rabbinical authority better known as the "Chatam Sofer" after his writings. He commenced his research in the 1970s, and in the late 1980s founded the research institute מכון מורשת אשכנז (Machon Moreshes Ashkenaz, Center of Ashkenaz Heritage) to further these studies. A number of communities affiliated with the Institute, in Israel and the United States, now follow the Ashkenaz custom.
He is best known for a four-volume series of books titled שרשי מנהגי אשכנז (Shorshei Minhagei Ashkenaz, The Roots of Ashkenaz Customs) and an introductory volume on the importance of adhering to the Ashkenaz custom. An English synopsis of the work appeared in 2010.
He is also the author of the 1989 book משיחי השקר ומתנגדיהם (Meshichei Ha-Sheker U-Mitnagdeihem, False Messiahs and their Detractors), a historical work detailing many of the people who claimed to be the Jewish messiah, as well as a multi-volume work on the Yeshiva
in Furth
.
Minhag
Minhag is an accepted tradition or group of traditions in Judaism. A related concept, Nusach , refers to the traditional order and form of the prayers...
Ashkenaz
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
, the customs of German and Western European Jews, and their history. Born in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, to German parents, he currently lives in Bnei Brak, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Having originally been educated in Eastern European Jewish and Hasidic institutions, he came to explore his family's heritage after learning more about the traditions observed by his ancestor, Moses Sofer
Moses Sofer
Moses Schreiber, known to his own community and Jewish posterity as Moshe Sofer, also known by his main work Chasam Sofer, , , was one of the leading Orthodox rabbis of European Jewry in the first half of the nineteenth century...
(1762–1839), the rabbinical authority better known as the "Chatam Sofer" after his writings. He commenced his research in the 1970s, and in the late 1980s founded the research institute מכון מורשת אשכנז (Machon Moreshes Ashkenaz, Center of Ashkenaz Heritage) to further these studies. A number of communities affiliated with the Institute, in Israel and the United States, now follow the Ashkenaz custom.
He is best known for a four-volume series of books titled שרשי מנהגי אשכנז (Shorshei Minhagei Ashkenaz, The Roots of Ashkenaz Customs) and an introductory volume on the importance of adhering to the Ashkenaz custom. An English synopsis of the work appeared in 2010.
He is also the author of the 1989 book משיחי השקר ומתנגדיהם (Meshichei Ha-Sheker U-Mitnagdeihem, False Messiahs and their Detractors), a historical work detailing many of the people who claimed to be the Jewish messiah, as well as a multi-volume work on the Yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
in Furth
Furth
Furth is the name of several communes in Germany and Austria*Furth im Wald, Bavaria*Furth, Lower Bavaria, Bavaria*Furth an der Triesting, Lower Austria*Furth bei Göttweig, Lower Austria...
.
External links
- Machon Moreshet Ashkenaz
- Personal homepage (French, some German and English)
- Excerpts from משיחי השקר ומתנגדיהם
- List of topics discussed in Shorshei Minhagei Ashkenaz