[2] The Malbim showed talent from his early childhood, and his works indicate that he had considerable knowledge of secular sciences and history.

He had disagreements with the upper class and educated Jews there; some of them Austrian citizens (called in Romanian sudiţi) led by the noted Dr. Iuliu Barasch.

He rejected almost all suggestions to edit the Siddur, give up beards or other distinctions of exterior appearance, or make other changes in observance.

Malbim opposed the construction of the Choral Temple which would be equipped with a choir and organ similar to the Great Synagogue of Leopoldstadt in Vienna.

He also condemned the founding (before he arrived) of the first two elementary schools in Bucharest for Jewish children to offer a general knowledge curriculum.

Malbim's insistence on adhering to the halakha, such as daily inspection of butcher's knives,[2] resulted in portions of the religious personnel (e.g., shochtim and dayanim) becoming hostile toward him.

After staying six months in Paris, he went to Lunshitz, in Russian Poland, as successor to his deceased father-in-law, Hayyim Auerbach (1866).

There, too, he was a staunch supporter of Judaism and was resented by the richer Jews; they denounced him as a political criminal, and the governor of Moghilev forced him to leave the town.

His commentary on the Bible is based most notably upon his principle that there are no true synonyms in the Tanakh; apparent stylistic repetitions are not that, but rather each introduces a distinct idea.

His approach is described as follows: According to his method, there is no repetition or duplication in the verses, and no expression comes to the "glory of reading" (as claimed, for example, by Ibn Ezra).