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Jonah Frankel

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(Redirected from Yonah Fraenkel) Israeli author and scholar of Hebrew literature For another person, see Jonah Frankel (businessman).
Jonah Frankel
Born(1928-08-03)August 3, 1928
Munich, Germany
DiedSeptember 2, 2012(2012-09-02) (aged 84)
Jerusalem, Israel
Nationality Israel
Occupation(s)Author, Professor of Hebrew literature
Known forHe specialized in the study of Midrash and Aggadah in the Talmud.
Awards
Academic background
EducationHebrew University of Jerusalem
Academic work
DisciplineHebrew Literature
Sub-disciplineAggadah and Midrash
InstitutionsHebrew University of Jerusalem

Jonah Frankel, also spelled Yonah Frankel, (1928–2012) was an author, Hebrew literature professor and Israel Prize laureate.

Biography

Jonah Frankel was born in Munich in 1928 and emigrated to Israel in 1937 to escape the Nazis. In high school, he studied at the Yeshiva of Kfar Haroeh. He then went on to study Hebrew Literature and Talmud at the Hebrew University, and in 1968, he completed his PhD in Talmud. He was a Professor Emeritus of Aggadah and Midrash in the Department of Hebrew Literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has been described as "an expert in the study of Midrashic Aggadah".

Professor Frankel's main contribution to research was the innovative approach he introduced to the study of the Aggadot of the Talmud. Until his time, these stories were typically viewed either as historical sources or as folklore. Frankel established a new school of thought, treating the Talmudic Aggadah through the methods of literary criticism, independent of the historical or cultural context in which they were written. He focused on the idea and message behind each Aggadah, conducting a scholarly comparison of different versions of Aggadic texts found in various sources. His influence has been immense, and to this day, Talmudic Aggadot are studied in literature departments at universities.

He was also a scholar of piyyut, and he continued the project of the Goldschmidt-Fraenkel Machzor, started by his father-in-law, Professor Daniel Goldschmidt [he].

Published works

  • Darkhei Ha-Aggadah VeHa-Midrash (The Ways of the Midrash and the Aggadah), a two volume set, is an encyclopedic guide to the study of Midrash and Aggadah in broader Jewish culture.
  • Time and its role in the aggadic story (Jewish civilization university series)
Jonah Frankel Death Notice Poster

Awards and honors

  • In 1993, Jonah Frankel received the Bialik Prize for significant accomplishments in Hebrew literature.
  • In 2000, Jonah Frankel won the Israel Prize in Talmudic research, for his work on interpreting midrash and aggada.
  • In 2006, Magnes Press published a volume of studies in honor of Jonah Frankel, titled Higayon L'Yona: New Aspects in the Study of Midrash, Aggadah and Piyut, In Honor of Proffessor Yona Fraenkel. The book Edited by Galit Hasan-Rokem and others, and features contributions from prominent scholars, including Daniel Boyarin, Ezra Fleischer, Moshe Halbertal and others.

References

  1. ^ Gvaryahu, Amit (2012-09-02). "Postscript: Jonah Frankel, 1928-2012". The Talmud Blog. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  2. ^ Ettinger, Ya'ir (September 3, 2012). "Professor Yonah Frankel, laureate of the Israel Prize in Talmud, passed away". Haaretz.
  3. "Midrash and Aggadah". www-e.openu.ac.il. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  4. "Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features » Story Master from Ashkenaz". www.jewishideasdaily.com. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  5. "Israel Prize Winner Yonah Frenkel Passes Away". Israel National News. 2 September 2012. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  6. Levinson, Joshua; Elbaum, Jacob; Hasan-Rokem, Galit, eds. (2006). Higayon L'Yona: New Aspects in the Study of Midrash, Aggadah and Piyut, In Honor of Proffessor Yona Fraenkel (in Hebrew). Jerusalem: Hwṣaʾat spariym ʿA"Š Y"L Maʾgnes, haʾWniybersiyṭah haʿibriyt = the Hebrew university Magnes press. ISBN 978-965-493-286-8.

Further reading

External links

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