German rabbi; born at Berlin about 1704; died there April 4, 1762. For a time he was rabbi of Dessau, and became chief rabbi of Berlin in 1742. Fr�nkel exercised a great influence as teacher over Moses Mendelssohn, who followed him to the Prussian capital. It was Fr�nkel who introduced Mendelssohn to Maimonides' "Moreh Nebukim," and it was he, too, who befriended his poor disciple, procuring for him free lodging and a few days' board every week in the house of ?ayyim Bamberger.
As a Talmudist Fr�nkel was almost the first to devote himself to a study of the Jerusalem Talmud, which had been largely neglected. He gave a great impetus to the study of this work by his "?orban ha-'Edah," a commentary in three parts (part 1, on the order Mo'ed, Dessau, 1743; part 2, on Nashim, Berlin, 1757; part 3, on Nezi?in, ib. 1760). His additional notes on the Jerusalem Talmud and on Maimonides were published, together with the preceding work, under the title "Shiyyure ?orban," Dessau, 1743.