Fränkel, David Ben Naphtali (Known Also As David Mirles)

German rabbi; born at Berlin about 1704; died there April 4, 1762. For a time he was rabbi of Dessau, and became chief rabbi of Berlin in 1742. Fränkel exercised a great influence as teacher over Moses Mendelssohn, who followed him to the Prussian capital. It was Fränkel who introduced Mendelssohn to Maimonides' "Moreh Nebukim," and it was he, too, who befriended his poor disciple, procuring for him free lodging and a few days' board every week in the house of Ḥayyim Bamberger.

As a Talmudist Fränkel was almost the first to devote himself to a study of the Jerusalem Talmud, which had been largely neglected. He gave a great impetus to the study of this work by his "Ḳorban ha-'Edah," a commentary in three parts (part 1, on the order Mo'ed, Dessau, 1743; part 2, on Nashim, Berlin, 1757; part 3, on Neziḳin, ib. 1760). His additional notes on the Jerusalem Talmud and on Maimonides were published, together with the preceding work, under the title "Shiyyure Ḳorban," Dessau, 1743.

Bibliography:

  * Azulai, Shem ha-Gedolim, ii. 94;
  * E. Carmoly, Notices Biographiques, in Revue Orientale, iii. 315;
  * Steinschneider, Cat. Bodl. col. 882;
  * G. Karpeles, Gesch. der Jüdischen Litteratur, pp. 1060, 1071, 1100;
  * J. H. Dessauer, Gesch. der Israeliten, p. 498;
  * Graetz, Hist. v. 293-294;
  * Landshuth, Toledot Anshe ha-Shem, pp. 35 et seq., Berlin, 1884;
  * Kayserling, Moses Mendelssohn, pp. 9 et seq., Leipsic, 1862.



S. S. A. R.