Kohn, Gabriel Ben Reuben Israel

Hungarian Talmudist; born at Vagujhely about 1765; died at Rechnitz Dec. 29, 1850, where he became rabbi in 1822. The family adopted the name of Engelsmann. Kohn was strictly Orthodox, and opposed to the slightest change of ritual usage, as, for instance, the removal of the almemar from the center of the synagogue ("Allg. Zeit. des Jud." 1847, pp. 545, 657). He wrote: "'Ene Yisrael," in two parts: (1) "Me'or 'Enayim" (Vienna, 1822), annotations to Baba Batra and Shebu'ot; and (2) "Pene Moshe" (ib. 1825), to Ḥullin; "Derashot Gabri" (Frankfort-on-the-Oder, 1826), in two parts: (a) thirty-two derashot; and (b) "Teshubot Gabri," thirty-seven responsa; "Geburot Adonai" (Krotoschin, 1835), a commentary on the Passover Haggadah, with a German translation. Among his disciples was Abraham Placzek, acting "Landesrabbiner" of Moravia.

Bibliography:

  * Benjacob, Oẓar ha-Sefarim, pp. 92, 121, 440;
  * Fürst, Bibl. Jud. i. 312;
  * Steinschneider, Cat. Bodl. col. 996;
  * Zedner, Cat. Hebr. Books Brit. Mus. p. 262.



D. S. Man.