12 Facts About Wolf Heidenheim

Benjamin Wolf ben Samson Heidenheim was a German exegete and grammarian.

Besides Talmudic literature, Wolf Heidenheim devoted himself to the study of Hebrew grammar, and particularly of the Masorah.

In 1782 he left Furth, probably on account of Janow's opposition to Mendelssohn's translation of the Pentateuch, of which Wolf Heidenheim was an admirer.

Wolf Heidenheim went to Frankfurt, where he made the acquaintance of the most prominent scholars, among them Wolf Breidenbach and Solomon Dubno.

Wolf Heidenheim, encouraged by Dubno, conceived the idea of issuing a revised edition of the Pentateuch, with a commentary of his own.

Seven years later Wolf Heidenheim began his critical edition of the Pentateuch, which he titled Sefer Torat Elohim.

Wolf Heidenheim based his commentary chiefly on the accents, adding numerous grammatical notes.

Wolf Heidenheim next entered into partnership with Baruch Baschwitz, an energetic business man; through the assistance of Breidenbach they obtained from the Count of Solms-Rodelheim, under favorable conditions, a license to establish a printing-press at Rodelheim, where they relocated in 1799.

Wolf Heidenheim immediately began an edition of the Mahzor, with a Hebrew commentary by himself and a German translation by himself and Breidenbach.

Ten years later Wolf Heidenheim recommenced his edition of the Pentateuch, but with a larger scope.

Wolf Heidenheim added valuable notes to various works which issued from his press, among them being the Mebo ha-Mishnah of Maimonides, and Solomon Papenheim's Yeri'ot Shelomoh.

Wolf Heidenheim left more than a dozen unpublished works, mostly on Hebrew grammar.