ALEXANDER ÜSSKIND BEN MOSES OF GRODNO:
A great cabalist of the eighteenth century; died at Grodno, Lithuania, in 1794. He wrote "Yesod we-Shoresh ha-'Abodah" (The Essence and Root of Worship), Novydvor, 1782, a work frequently republished. It contains directions for the right use and comprehension of the ritual, the daily prayers, and those for the Sabbath and holy days; also divers exegetical articles on Rashi's commentary on the Prophets and Hagiographa, and articles on the Holy Land and the Temple. Alexander left also an ethical will to his sons, which contains admonitions regarding divine service. This work was published in Grodno in 1794.
Bibliography:
- Friedenstein, 'Ir Gibborim, pp. 62, 63;
- Fuenn, Keneset Yisrael, i. 313.
