The Fundraising Campaign to Print

the Letters of Rabbi Shmuel Ashkenazi (1922-2020)

By Eliezer Brodt

Over Shabbos one of the hidden giants of the seforim world, both within ultra-orthodox and academic circles, was niftar; a man known as Rabbi Shmuel Askenazi. He was 98 and lived in Batei Ungarin in Meah Shearim.

(seen here with Rav Yechiel Goldhaber)

R. Ashkenazi authored many books and hundreds of articles in dozens of journals – both academic and charedi. Besides for authoring so much, he assisted many people in both circles helping in many areas of the Jewish literature.

Just a few hours ago a beautiful hesped tribute for R. Ashkenazi was published by my close friend (and Seforim Blog co-editor) Menachem Butler at Tablet Magazine, available here.

I hope to write a proper article about him in the very near future as I was privileged to get to know him very well for many years. Indeed, for the past number of years I have joined together with a group of friends to raise the necessary funds to print his writings, and would like to share with you details about our project this week.

Brief Background

A few years ago a partial bibliography of his writings was printed in a work called Alfa Beta Kadmita de-Shmuel Zeira. The background to the publication of this volume is that R. Askenazi had been writing and collection information on thousands of topics for over eighty years. Unfortunately, he did not print much of what he gathered. The main reason for this was R. Ashkenzi’s “weakness” for incredible levels of perfection.

More than a dozen years ago, several people began to try to prepare his writing for print, and an effort was painstakingly undertaken by Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Stahl and colleagues. Three volumes have already printed, for example see here and more are ready to go, with several sample chapters appearing at the Seforim Blog several years ago (see here).

The topics that these works deal with are virtually everything on some level, sources on expressions, minhaghim, dininm, evolution of famous stories, bibliography, corrections of authors’ errors, encyclopedic style information on thousands of topics culled from thousands of seforim many of them very rare or unknown. In addition, there are R. Askenazi’s notes on tefilah, piyut, Chumash, Shas, Zohar, and from other seforim that he annotated on the side.

It is so painful to say that the current delay of publication is funding.

As we are still within the week of mourning of our teacher R. Shmuel Ashkenai, we seek assistance to help print his collection of letters. There are nearly one thousand letters from R. Ashkenazi to people all over the world, beginning from 1942 (!) and continuing onward including to all types of noted authors, scholars, and professors. The topics of these letters range from tracing expressions, sources for numerous statements in Chazal or piyut, minhaghim, the evolution of famous stories, bibliography and much much more.

It’s a work that anyone interested in the Jewish Book will find many things to enjoy. We cannot underestimate the significance of this collection of letters, which provide a window into his world of interlocutors and correspondents.

To quote just one of the many testimonies found in Menachem Butler’s article from Seforim Blog contributor Professor Shnayer Leiman, who writes:

Reb Shmuel was “bibliographer, bibliophile, and book collector, and his encyclopedic knowledge of all of Hebrew and Yiddish literature remains unparalleled in our time.” His collected writings are an intellectual treasure trove, “covering a wide range of topics in the field of Jewish Studies. Aside from his scholarly distinction, R. Shmuel Ashkenazi wrote in an elegant Hebrew with its own special charm. Not only did he advance discussion, but he did so in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Let it be said openly: this… set will enlighten every reader and will significantly advance scholarship. Anyone concerned with advancing the cause of quality Jewish scholarship will take special delight in the publication of these volumes…During his lifetime [Ashkenazi] corresponded with the greatest Jewish scholars and bibliographers the world over. They wrote to him, for only he could solve the countless historical and literary problems that stumped them. Suffice to list among those who consulted him: Gershom Scholem (distinguished Jewish historian); S.Y. Agnon (Nobel Prize laureate); Judah Leib Maimon Fishman (Minister of Religions, Israel); and a stellar list of prominent Jewish historians, rabbinic scholars, and bibliographers, much too long to list here (e.g., Simha Assaf; Israel Ta-Shma; Meir Benayahu; A.M. Habermann; Avraham Yaari; and Naftali Ben Menahem).

The volumes are ready to be typeset and then ready to go to print right – 1,000 pages, printed in two volumes, and will be issued in a very limited edition. It will be available for purchase in several weeks. (The only lines missing from the book are those of the benefactors for the project.) We are looking for sponsors to assist in defraying the cost of publication, and we hope that you can help contribute. Tax deductions for sums over $250 are available, and every patron who pledges $250 or greater will receive a complimentary copy of the two-volume set with shipping. American tax deductions available for those who contribute for the sponsorship levels of $250, $500, $1,000, or $2,500.

Upon the publication of the volumes in several weeks, full details with ordering information will be made available at the Seforim Blog, and the books will possibly be available in select bookstores, while supplies last.

(We know that financial times are very difficult, and so even a little bit can assist this project move forward. For more information please email me at eliezerbrodt@gmail.com.)

Book sale

At the same time due to requests worth mention is that some of his earlier works are still available for purchase.

His first work titled *Alfa Beta Kadmita de-Shmuel Zeira* (844 pp.) there are still a very limited amount of copies left, the price is $52.

The second work (two volumes) is being greatly reduced for a short time only, for $32.

His third work *Assufah* is available for $13.

(For more information about anything related to this project or purchasing his works contact me at eliezerbrodt@gmail.com).