Epigraph
And the “Maskilim” shall shine
As the brightness of the firmament...
Many shall run to and fro,
And knowledge shall be increased.
—Dan. xii. 3-4
Tobias Cohn, 1652-1759, From the Frontispiece of his Ma’aseh Tobiah
Note
Your name, dear father, will not be found in the following pages, for, like “the waters of the Siloam that run softly,” you ever preferred to pursue your useful course in unassuming silence. Yet, as it is your life, devoted entirely to meditating, learning, and teaching, that inspired me in my effort, I dedicate this book to you; and I am happy to know that I thus not only dedicate it to one of the noblest of Maskilim, but at the same time offer you some slight token of the esteem and affection felt for you by
Your Son,
JACOB S. RAISIN