Jacob J. Rabinowitz

Who was Jacob J. Rabinowitz?

Jacob J. Rabinowitz was a professor of law, notable for his English translation of one of the Mishneh Torah books.

Rabinowitz was born in Russia and at a young age immigrated with his family to the United States. His father, Rabbi Moshe Zvi Rabinowitz, was a rabbinical leader in Brooklyn, New York.

Rabinowitz studied law at Columbia University and New York University, later working under Commissioner of Investigation of New York City William Herlands. He was also a lecturer at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, publishing articles and books on Hebraic law and its relation to modern-day judicial systems. His translation of the book of Kinyan in the Mishneh Torah was published by Yale University Press.

Rabinowitz immigrated to Israel, becoming the first member of the law faculty in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to teach Hebrew law. His publications, both in English and Hebrew, researched the Torah and Talmud.