ALTSCHULER, DAVID

ALTSCHULER, DAVID (18th century), Bible exegete. Altschuler lived in Jaworow, Galicia. In order to promote the study of the Bible, he planned an easy-to-read commentary on the Prophets and Hagiographa, based on earlier commentators. Altschuler's commentary on Psalms, Proverbs, and Job was published in Zolkiew in 1753–54. JEHIEL HILLEL (18th century), continued his father's work. He visited Jewish communities in Germany, Holland, and Italy. In 1770 he published in Berlin his father's commentary on the Latter Prophets, which he had completed (two vols.). Five years later his own work, Binyan ha-Bayit, appeared in Zolkiew. It describes Ezekiel's vision of the future Sanctuary. The treatise contains a poem by Solomon dubno and talmudic novellae by the author. In 1780–82 he printed in Leghorn the entire completed commentary on the Prophets and Hagiographa together with a new edition of his own Binyan ha-Bayit (five vols.). The commentary consists of two parts, called respectively Meẓudat Ẓiyyon ("Fortress of Zion") and Meẓudat David ("Fortress of David"). The former explains individual words. The latter elucidates the meaning of the text. The commentary attained great popularity and has been reprinted frequently. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Azulai, 2 (1852), 18, no. 100; M.Z. Segal, Parshanut ha-Mikra (19522), 110–1. (Tovia Preschel)