Jacob Raphael Fürstenthal

Who was Jacob Raphael Fürstenthal?

Jacob Raphael Fürstenthal was a German Jewish poet, translator, and Hebrew writer.

Fürstenthal's attention was directed chiefly toward the modernization of Jewish religious services, both in and out of the synagogue, and to this end he translated into German the most important liturgical books. These versions became very popular among the German Jews; and, in spite of many subsequent translations, they have retained their popularity to the present time. To some of them, as, for instance, the Penitential Prayers, he added Hebrew commentaries.

He did much work in philosophical and exegetical literature. His German translations of and Hebrew commentaries to the Moreh Nebukim of Moses Maimonides and the Ḥobot ha-Lebabot of Baḥya ibn Paḳuda, and especially his large Hebrew commentary to the whole Bible, evidence his great versatility in Talmudic and Midrashic literature.

Fürstenthal's main importance, however, lies in his Hebrew poetry. His poetic productions have a classic ring, and are distinguished by diction, richness of thought, and feeling. His power shows itself in his "Song on Zion", which is considered the best of his poems.