Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch

Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch (June 20, 1808 – December 31, 1888) is best know for his Torah Im Derech Eretz approach to observant Judaism. At the young age of twenty one, he became Chief Rabbi of Oldenburg, Germany. Since the community was small, he was able to devote his time to learning Torah. During these years, he prepared himself for the great battle with the reform movement that was destroying Jewish life in Germany.

Rav Hirsch saw his life's task as being to demonstrate that traditional Judaism is fully compatible with Western culture. He authored two works, "The Nineteen Letters" and "The Chorev," in which he responds to the reform movement and argues passionately for how to maintain a fully observant lifestyle in keeping with the times. His philosophy of Torah Im Derech Eretz is an insistence that the Torah continues to provide the guide to every aspect of life, even after the fall of the ghetto walls.