ABSTRACT
The Jewish People were energized by their encounter with modernity, stepping forward to meet its challenges by trying to refashion themselves and their faith to suit the demands of changing times. In the process of refashioning themselves, Jews also contributed to the creation of modern sensibilities. Radically divergent policies across eighteenth-century Europe also left a deep impact on the character of various Jewish communities. One of the most subversive was Frankism, named after its leader, Jacob Leibowitz, a Jew from the Polish province of Podolia who, during a sojourn in the Ottoman Empire, took on the name Yakov Frenk or Frank. Mendelssohn’s translation project was part of a larger literary trend, for the eighteenth century saw a flowering of translations of canonical Hebrew works into vernacular languages. The chapter offers subjects in Hebrew grammar, clarify problems of phraseology and rhetoric, chart a path in Hebrew poetry, and teach the reader to recognize the meaning of the individual root words.
