Salomon Mandelkern


Salomon Mandelkern was a Ukrainian Jewish poet and author.
He was educated as a Talmudist. After his father's death he went to Dubno, where he continued his Talmudical studies. He became associated with the Ḥasidim in that community and with their "rabbi," Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, with whose son David he spent some time studying Jewish philosophy and Cabala.
After his marriage he went to Wilna, entered its rabbinical school, and graduated as a rabbi.
Mandelkern subsequently studied Oriental languages at St. Petersburg University, where he was awarded a gold medal for an essay on the parallel passages of the Bible. In 1873 he became assistant rabbi at Odessa, where he was the first to deliver sermons in Russian, and where he studied law at the university. The degree of Ph.D. was conferred upon him by the University of Jena.
About 1880 he settled in Leipzig and occupied himself with literary work and with teaching. In 1900 he visited the United States; he returned to Leipzig in 1901, and was visiting Vienna when he suddenly became ill and died in the Jewish hospital of that city.

Works

Mandelkern was a prolific writer in several languages, especially in Hebrew, in which he produced poetical works of considerable merit. His literary career began in 1886 with "Teru'at Melekh Rav," an ode to Alexander II of Russia, followed by "Bat Sheva'," an epic poem, "Ezra ha-Sofer," a novel, and a satirical work entitled "Ḥiẓẓim Shenunim".
Other works of his are:
He published also: "Bogdan Chmelnitzki," in Russian, a translation of Hanover's "Yewen Meẓulah" ; a Russian edition of Lessing's fables ; and "Tamar," a novel in German. Sermons by him in Russian, and Russian and German translations of his Hebrew songs and articles, have appeared in various periodicals; and most Hebrew journals and year-books published within the last thirty years contain articles, poems, and epigrams by him.
Mandelkern's greatest work is the "Heykhal ha-Ḳodesh," or "Veteris Testamenti Concordantiæ," a Hebrew-Latin concordance of the Hebrew and Chaldaic words found in the Bible, which almost superseded all similar works of that nature. An abridged edition of this monumental work appeared under the title "Tavnit Hekhal".
In his last years Mandelkern was engaged in the composition of a Talmudic and Midrashic concordance, part of which, probably, was left in manuscript.