Baer, Israel Baer of Meseritz
THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA
the " Southern Christian Advocate " in 1848, in year, too, he joined the Methodist Church.
which Baer
taught German, French, and general topics in
pri-
vate families, and in 1852 became a teacher in the preparatory department, of Woffard College (Methodist), at Spartanburg, S. C, from which institution he himself graduated in 1858. In 1861 he took the degree of M.D. from the Charleston Medical College, and served as surgeon through the Civil war, on the close of which he engaged in business as a wholesale druggist in Charleston. Throughout his life Baer never lost his taste for literature, and he was a frequent contributor to. church papers. Although a foreigner, he early acquired such a mastery of English as to be considered in his neighborhood an authority on English style. He was thrice married. In 1888 the Methodist Church Publishing House produced a book by Baer, entitled "Jewish Ceremonials." a. F. db S. M.
BAER, ISRAEL. See Ashkenazi, Baermann. BAER, ISSACHAR B. BLHANAN Rabbi
at Eibenschtitz; born at Frankfort-on-the-Oder in the second half of the seventeenth eentuiy. He was
the author of a collection of cabalistic homilies and
commentaries, entitled " Arba' Harashim " (Four Skilful Artificers), divided into four parts: (1) "Kisse David " (The Throne of David), concerning the things of Judah (39 chapters) (2) " Kinat Ephraim " (The Jealousy of Ephraim), regarding the kings of Israel (42 chapters); (3) "Ruah Hen" (The Spirit of Grace), commentaries upon the prophets mentioned in the First Prophets (4) " Rab Berakot " (Abundance of Blessings), concerning the priests. Only the first two volumes were published (Frankfort-on-the-Oder,
430
Wilna gaon, and like him was distinguished for simplicity and lucidity in commenting on Biblical and rabbinical topics. Besides Bible and Talmud, Baer studied mathematics and geography. His commentary on the Pentateuch, the manuscript of which was. burned a few years ago, followed a double method: explaining first the simple, literal meaning of the text, like Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and Nahmanides; secondly, giving to it a philosophical and sometimes a mystical interpretation. He left also a commentary on the Talmud and Shulhan 'Aruk. Bibliography
Fuenn, Kirnah Neilmanah,
p.
201
I.
H.
'Aliifot Eliyahu, ed. 1889, p. 40 compare also Keneset Yisrael, i. 46, part Orot Me-Ofel, where a work, Mine Targima (on foreign terms in Talmud), is ascribed to him, the manuscript of which is in possession of Dr. Berliner.
Lewin,
M. B.
L. G.
BAER, ISSACHER B. LETSER.
See Eilkkt-
BTJRG.
BAER, JOSEPH
Founder of a firm of bookFrankfort-on-the Main born in the last half of the eighteenth century died in 1851. small sec:
sellers of
A
ond-hand bookseller's stall was established by Baer
at
After encountering many obstacles.he succeeded in obtaining citizenship at Frankfort, and settled thereupon in that city, carrying on a trade in second-hand books. The business subsequently developed, and became one of the greatest in Germany. Many of the great European libraries, among them the Imperial Public Library of St. Petersburg, are largely dependent on it for their supply of rare works. On the occasion of its centenary (1885) the firm published a jubilee catalogue of 10,000 works in its second-hand department.
Bockenheim
in 1785.
Bibliography: Fuenn, Keneset Yisrael, Ozar ha-Sefarim, p. 48. k.
p.
178; Benjacob,
Be.
I.
BAER, ISSACHAR BEN PETHAHIAH
BEN MOSES
Cabalist lived at Kremnitz, Hungary, at the beginning of the seventeenth century. He seems to have traveled in the East and sojourned
some time at Safed and he frequently refers in his writings to the cabalistic school established in that place. Baer is the author of the following works (1) "Pithe Yah" (The Gates of God)— divided into ten chapters, containing an introduction to the Cabala, on the basis of Cordovero's " Pardes Rimonim," Prague, 1609; (2) "Yesh Sakar" (There Is Reward), containing all the ritual laws found in the Zohar, Prague, 1609; (3) " Mekor Hokmah " (Source of Wisdom) explanations of the difficult words and expressions of the Zohar, with an appendix containing all the legends found in the Zohar, Prague, 1610; (4) " Yod'e Binah " (They Who Have Understanding), a large work on the Zohar that does not seem to have
—
been printed. Bibliography: Wolf, Biblintheca Hehrwa, in Ltberaturhlattides Orients, vii. 254 Bocll. cols. 1064-65.
k.
111. 638; Jellmek-, Steinscbneider, Cat.
I.
Br.
BAER, ISSACHAR BEN SOLOMON: 1807.
Bib-
and rabbinical commentator; died at Wilna
He was
in
the brother of Elijah b. Solomon, the
p. 15, Oct. 30, 1885.
B. B.
s.
BAER
1710).
lical
Bibliography Jewish Chronicle,
(DOB) OF
MESERITZ
(known
also as the "Maggid [Preacher] of Meseritz "): First apostle of Hasidism and its most important propagator; born in Volhynia in 1710; died in Meseritz, Dec. 15, 1772. Little is known of Baer's youth, and scarcely more of the interval preceding his conversion to Hasidism. In all probability he was educated, according to the custom then prevalent in Poland, in Talmudical and rabbinical lore. He preached in Rownoand Meseritz. Though never a rabbi, Baer was an accomplished Talmudist so far as is known, despite the contrary assertions of his opponents. dreamy and speculative nature such as his was sure, however, to realize that it could find no satisfaction in Talmudicrabbinical dialectics. Accordingly he became a
A
convert to Luna's system of Cabala, then popular. At the same time he was an enthusiastic admirer of Moses Hayyim Luzzatto (see Walden, "Shem ha-Gedolim," s.v. "M. H- Luzzatto"), whose writings, then only in manuscript, had considerable renown among the Polish mystics of that day. Baer followed the precepts of the Lurian school with intense earnestness, and in consequence lived the life of an ascetic. He fasted a great deal, denied himself both the necessaries and comforts of life, His Early and prayed with copious tears and Asceticism, self-abasement. He sought to impart his ideals to others, and, as a preacher, dilated in glowing periods to the people upon the horrors of a material hell, certain to be the reward of
