Duschak, Mordecai
DUSCHAK, MORDECAI
DUSCHAK, MORDECAI (Moritz ; 1815–1890), rabbi, teacher, and writer. Duschak was born in Triesch, Moravia. He studied under Moses *Sofer in Pressburg, and later was appointed rabbi in Aussee and in Gaya, both in Moravia. From 1877 he occupied the post of preacher and teacher in Cracow. Toward the end of his life he moved to Vienna, where he remained until his death. Duschak published many studies on talmudic topics and Jewish scholarship in both Hebrew and German.
His noteworthy books in German are Umriss des biblisch-talmudischen Synagogen-Rechtes (1853), Das mosaischtalmudische Eherecht (1864), Geschichte und Darstellung des juedischen Cultus (1866), Das mosaisch-talmudische Strafrecht (1869), Zur Botanik des Talmud (1870), Die biblisch-talmudische Glaubenslehre (1873), and Tor Esier (against the Blood *Libel, 1883). In Hebrew he published Yerushalayimha-Benuyah (1880, combining the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds in order to explain the mishnayot of tractates Eruvin, Pesahim, Megillah, and Yoma).
bibliography:
Zeitlin, Bibliotheca, 39, 71; M. Schwab, Répertoire des Articles… (1914–23), 106f., s.v.; A. Bauminger et al. (eds.), Sefer Cracow (1959), 103f.; Kressel, Leksikon, 1 (1965), 546, s.v.
[Yehoshua Horowitz]