How the face of German Orthodoxy— and perhaps Orthodoxy worldwide— was changed forever
Rev. Sampson Raphael Hirsch, ordained by Rabbi Isaac Bernays… Provincial rabbi of Oldenburg from 1830 to 1841; at present provincial rabbi of the province of Ostfriesland, from 1841. Testimonials. 1. Letter… to Messrs. De Rothschild, London, testifying to his high moral character, and literary and scientific attainments. 2. Certificate of Rabbi Isaac Bernays, dated Hamburg, July 1830, stating that Rabbi Hirsch had attended his lecture on the Talmud and on Jewish Theology. … 7. Certificate of having attended lectures at the University of Bonn on philosophy and history, and of Rabbi Hirsch’s scientific knowledge and moral character…. Letters of application, wherein Rabbi Hirsch states that from his earliest youth he has cultivated English literature; see letters dated 26th May 1844, which are written in the English Language. Has published several works (among others), “Chorab” (Digest of Jewish Law), and Critical Letters on Judaism.
—Excerpted from the official report of the Committee Appointed for the Selection of Candidates for the Office of Chief Rabbi
With the passing of England’s chief rabbi, Rabbi Solomon Hirschell, in 1842, a committee was formed to hire a replacement. The 35-year-old rabbi of Emden, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, submitted his candidacy for the position, with the encouragement of his rebbi, Rav Yaakov Ettlinger, the Aruch Laner. The committee selecting the chief rabbi stipulated that the candidates must have served in senior rabbinic positions for at least six months, possess proficiency in classical, modern, and Hebrew literature, and be prepared to deliver sermons in English soon after appointment. Thirteen candidates in all submitted applications, mostly from Germany.
On August 5, 1844, Rav Hirsch’s name appeared as one of the four finalists to be voted upon by all membership synagogues in England. The other three were Rev. Dr. Nathan Marcus Adler of Hanover, Rev. Dr. Benjamin Auerbach of Darmstadt, and Rev. Dr. Hirsch Hirschfeld of Wollstein. Rabbi Auerbach ultimately withdrew his candidacy, and following a bitter dispute between the supporters of Rabbi Adler and of Rabbi Hirschfeld, the local Jewish newspaper Voice of Jacob proposed that Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch be elected as a compromise candidate. This proposal didn’t materialize, and Rav Hirsch’s vocal opposition to Reform was one of the reasons cited.
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