Bruell, Jacob
BRUELL, JACOB
BRUELL, JACOB (1812–1889), talmudic scholar. Born in Neu-Raussnitz, Moravia, he was ordained by his father-in-law Nehemiah *Trebitsch. From 1843 until his death, he served as rabbi in *Kojetin. Among his disciples were his sons Adolf and Nehemiah *Bruell, and David *Kaufmann, all of whom became renowned Jewish scholars. Bruell developed his own distinctive, scientific, critical approach. His first scholarly work was an annotated and revised edition of Ẓevi Hirsch *Chajes' Iggeret Bikkoret on the Targums and Midrashim (1853). His own "addition, corrections, and criticism," were named Misgeret. The influence of Zunz's Gottesdienstliche Vortraege is noticeable in Bruell's critical notes. His Doresh le-Ẓiyyun ("Interpreter of Signs," Ger. Die Mnemotechnik des Talmuds, 1864) deals with the mnemotechnical signs in the Babylonian Talmud. Bruell's largest and most important work is his Mevo ha-Mishnah ("Introduction to the Mishnah," 2 vols., 1876–85). The first volume deals with the biographies and methods of sages from the time of Ezra to the end of the mishnaic period, and the second, with the method used by Judah ha-Nasi in the arrangement and editing of the Mishnah. Bruell's last work was Ben Zekunim (studies in talmudic literature, 1889). He also contributed extensively to the periodicals Ben Chananja (ed. by L. Loew) and Beit Talmud (ed. by I.H. Weiss).
bibliography:
Zeitlin, Bibliotheca, 43, 54.
[Moshe David Herr]