The Legends Of The Jews Volume 1

Louis Ginzberg (November 28, 1873 - November 11, 1953) was a Russian-born American rabbi and Talmudic scholar of Lithuanian-Jewish descent who was a contributing editor to numerous articles in The Jewish Encyclopedia (1906) and a leader in the Conservative movement of Judaism in the early twentieth century. He was born in the Vilna Governorate's Kaunas (then known as Kovno) and died in New York City. Ginzberg was born into a pious Lithuanian-Jewish family recognized for their devotion and erudition. The family claimed descent from the famed Talmudist, halakhic scholar, and kabbalist master Gaon of Vilna. Ginzberg attempted to emulate the Vilna Gaon's incorporation of "academic knowledge" into Torah studies under the banner of "historical Judaism"; for example, in his book Students, Scholars, and Saints, Ginzberg quotes the Vilna Gaon's instruction, "Do not regard the views of the Shulchan Aruch as binding if they do not agree with those of the Talmud." In his memoirs, he expressed regret that he had grieved his father, as he knew that his religious father was disappointed that his son had chosen a more liberal route in terms of Jewish law than his forebears. Ginzberg arrived in America in 1899, unaware of where he belonged or what path he should take.