Nachman Krochmal

Born in Brody and living most of his life in Zólkiew (Zhovkve), Nachman Krochmal was a major, self-taught figure of the Haskalah in Galicia. He was a historian and biblical critic who emphasized the oral transmission of Jewish law. Studying Kabbalah and philosophical works by Maimonides, Nahmanides, and Ibn Ezra, he also embraced the teachings of Kant, Hegel, and other German thinkers. Krochmal’s magnum opus was his Moreh nevukhe ha-zeman (Guide for the Perplexed of Our Time), which in the spirit of Maimonides addressed questions of the modern age. Despite his scholarship, Krochmal was not a prolific writer.