Today is the yarzheit of Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Rabinowitz, most famous as the author of Dorot Harishonim. He was also the founder of Agudas Yisroel.
Dorot Harishonim is a history of the Jewish people which was written as a response to the historians (e.g. Graetz) who claimed that the Torah was not from Sinai, the Mishna was not from Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi, the Talmud was much later etc. The Doros Harishonim countered by making all the dates much earlier. He claimed that the basis of the Mishna is from the time of Hilllel and Shammai, and that the proto-Talmud was written by Rava and Abaye etc.He also claims that not only rules alone were given at Sinai but every possible range of opinion and every Halachic possibility were disclosed to Moses.
He had a tremendous wealth of knowledge, and brings a huge list of sources for everything. His history is basically the basis of modern ‘frum’ history (e.g. Artscroll). However, his sefer (actually it is 8 volumes in some editions) is out of print and almost completely unreadable. He writes with a clear agenda, and does not usually bring any outside historical sources to back up what he says. His ideas are controversial, and not really taken all that seriously by secular historians.
But it is a brilliant work of scholarship and worth having a look at if you can get your hands on it. There are some amazing ideas in the sefer that haven’t been popularised.
May his Soul be Bound in the Bonds of Eternal Life
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