R. Zevin, R. Ovadia Yosef, Pras haRav Kook and a Minor Case of Censorship
R. Zevin, R. Ovadia Yosef, Pras haRav Kook and a Minor Case of
Censorship
Censorship
by Jacob D.
At the
end of R. Zevin’s introduction to his Sofrim u-Sefarim [1] we read –
end of R. Zevin’s introduction to his Sofrim u-Sefarim [1] we read –
In R.
Zevin’s footnote we see that one of the works that he wanted to review but
didn’t yet get to was R. Ovadia Yosef’s two volumes of Yabia Omer. As someone
who enjoys R. Zevin’s pen immensely (both his style and substance, especially
the way he analyzes books and their authors) [2], and as someone that studies
from R. Ovadia Yosef’s prolific halakhic literature quite often, I was curious
to know if R. Zevin ever ended up writing a review on any of R. Ovadia
Yosef’s works. For this I turned to R. Zevin’s grandchildren.[3] In a phone
conversation with R. Nahum Zevin (of Kiryat Eliyahu,Haifa) I was told that
although he has some unpublished R. Zevin material, and also existing are
some highly critical book reviews that R. Zevin felt should remain unpublished,[4]
he doesn’t think anything was written about R. Ovadia Yosef.
Zevin’s footnote we see that one of the works that he wanted to review but
didn’t yet get to was R. Ovadia Yosef’s two volumes of Yabia Omer. As someone
who enjoys R. Zevin’s pen immensely (both his style and substance, especially
the way he analyzes books and their authors) [2], and as someone that studies
from R. Ovadia Yosef’s prolific halakhic literature quite often, I was curious
to know if R. Zevin ever ended up writing a review on any of R. Ovadia
Yosef’s works. For this I turned to R. Zevin’s grandchildren.[3] In a phone
conversation with R. Nahum Zevin (of Kiryat Eliyahu,Haifa) I was told that
although he has some unpublished R. Zevin material, and also existing are
some highly critical book reviews that R. Zevin felt should remain unpublished,[4]
he doesn’t think anything was written about R. Ovadia Yosef.
In R.
Ovadia Yosef’s Yabia Omer we find among the numerous approbations this –
Ovadia Yosef’s Yabia Omer we find among the numerous approbations this –
Not
exactly an approbation but an explanation why the work deserved the R. Kook
prize of Torah literature for the year 5715 (1955). I have no doubt that
although R. Zevin signs his name along with two other judges, the explanation
was penned by R. Zevin himself. From the three periods before these few
sentences it seemed to me that more had been written than the few lines which
were printed in the book. I wanted to find the rest of the story (although I
wasn’t expecting a full review essay because R. Zevin wrote in his Sofrim u-Sefarim published in 1959 that he
hadn’t gotten around to reviewing this work) and I spoke with the department
in the Tel Aviv municipality that handles these prizes (see here).
They said that they don’t have any additional information or documents that
pertain to this but that I should contact the Tel Aviv city archive (here) and they should be able to help. After speaking with the kind staff of that
archive I receive an email with two documents and a short message-
exactly an approbation but an explanation why the work deserved the R. Kook
prize of Torah literature for the year 5715 (1955). I have no doubt that
although R. Zevin signs his name along with two other judges, the explanation
was penned by R. Zevin himself. From the three periods before these few
sentences it seemed to me that more had been written than the few lines which
were printed in the book. I wanted to find the rest of the story (although I
wasn’t expecting a full review essay because R. Zevin wrote in his Sofrim u-Sefarim published in 1959 that he
hadn’t gotten around to reviewing this work) and I spoke with the department
in the Tel Aviv municipality that handles these prizes (see here).
They said that they don’t have any additional information or documents that
pertain to this but that I should contact the Tel Aviv city archive (here) and they should be able to help. After speaking with the kind staff of that
archive I receive an email with two documents and a short message-
אנו שולחים לך סריקה של ההחלטה על הענקת הפרס לרב עובדיה יוסף וכן
סריקה של מכתבו של ראש העיר חיים לבנון לרב עובדיה המודיע לו על זכייתו ומברך אותו
עליה. אין בידינו נימוקים מפורטים יותר
סריקה של מכתבו של ראש העיר חיים לבנון לרב עובדיה המודיע לו על זכייתו ומברך אותו
עליה. אין בידינו נימוקים מפורטים יותר
בברכה,
רבקה פרשל-גרשון
הארכיון העירוני
By now I
kind of gave up, and forgot about the matter.
kind of gave up, and forgot about the matter.
A short
while later I get a call from my friend Israel Mizrahi of Judaicaused.com (and the Musings of a Jewish Bookseller blog). He
tells me that I’m not going to believe it but in a recent shipment from Israel
of some old books he found a little booklet printed for one years Pras haRav
Kook. Upon opening it he sees that it was the booklet printed in the year
5715 (Summer 1955), the year that Yabia Omer was awarded the prize!
while later I get a call from my friend Israel Mizrahi of Judaicaused.com (and the Musings of a Jewish Bookseller blog). He
tells me that I’m not going to believe it but in a recent shipment from Israel
of some old books he found a little booklet printed for one years Pras haRav
Kook. Upon opening it he sees that it was the booklet printed in the year
5715 (Summer 1955), the year that Yabia Omer was awarded the prize!
For a
small fee I purchased the booklet and although I found it quite
interesting, unfortunately nothing really more had been written about Yabia
Omer that hadn’t been printed in the book. Nothing really I say, aside for
one small surprise.
small fee I purchased the booklet and although I found it quite
interesting, unfortunately nothing really more had been written about Yabia
Omer that hadn’t been printed in the book. Nothing really I say, aside for
one small surprise.
In the beginning of the
little piece written about Yabia Omer we read-
little piece written about Yabia Omer we read-
רגילים לחשוב שהתורה
הלכה ונתדלדלה מהעדה הספרדית, ירד קרנה ופנה זיוה הודה והדרה. ולא היא. על כל פנים
לא באותה מידה שחושבים
הלכה ונתדלדלה מהעדה הספרדית, ירד קרנה ופנה זיוה הודה והדרה. ולא היא. על כל פנים
לא באותה מידה שחושבים
These
last seven words-
last seven words-
על כל פנים לא באותה מידה שחושבים
may seem
offensive to the level of Sephardic scholarship at that time and were therefore
censored out of Yabia Omer volume one. Interestingly they were printed in
Yabia Omer volume two. This is consistent in the numerous later editions of the
books as well, including the latest re-typset edition (5775-2015).
offensive to the level of Sephardic scholarship at that time and were therefore
censored out of Yabia Omer volume one. Interestingly they were printed in
Yabia Omer volume two. This is consistent in the numerous later editions of the
books as well, including the latest re-typset edition (5775-2015).
We now
learn that Artscroll’s “The Festivals in Halacha” was not the
only, nor the earliest case of R. Zevin censorship (see here).
learn that Artscroll’s “The Festivals in Halacha” was not the
only, nor the earliest case of R. Zevin censorship (see here).
It should
be mentioned that in R. Ovadia Yosef’s first volume of responsa Teshuvot Hazon
Ovadia, he receives a nice close to page long approbation by R. Zevin, but
still not the full review essay I was hoping for.
be mentioned that in R. Ovadia Yosef’s first volume of responsa Teshuvot Hazon
Ovadia, he receives a nice close to page long approbation by R. Zevin, but
still not the full review essay I was hoping for.
[1] I thank Eliezer Brodt for finding me the full three volume set. This set
doesn’t turn up in used bookstores too often. It’s an exception from most of
R. Zevin’s other books that have been reprinted many times over. I remember
the special morning I received his email informing me that he found them like
yesterday.
doesn’t turn up in used bookstores too often. It’s an exception from most of
R. Zevin’s other books that have been reprinted many times over. I remember
the special morning I received his email informing me that he found them like
yesterday.
[2] R. Zevin’s Ishim ve-Shitot includes ten long essays on more famous Torah
personalities , and his three volumes of Sofrim u-Sefarim includes about
a hundred and seventy-five (!) short essays.
personalities , and his three volumes of Sofrim u-Sefarim includes about
a hundred and seventy-five (!) short essays.
[3] I had previously spoken to one grandson Eliyahu who’s an attorney living in Tel
Aviv about having Sofrim u-Sefarim added to Hebrewbooks.org. In the course of
our conversations Eliyahu mentioned that he heard Hebrewbooks.org had already
scanned and posted some of R. Zevins’s other books, and that was
done without permission. He asked me to send them a message that the family
will take legal action if the issue isn’t straightened out. Upon Hebrewbooks
hearing that, they seemed uninterested in dealing with the family to obtain
permission to keep the books on their site, and all of R. Zevin’s
books were instantly removed. Also included in the books removed was the essay
whose true author is still in question about Yeshiva boys serving in the
Israeli Army. See my comment here and see
this post here.
Aviv about having Sofrim u-Sefarim added to Hebrewbooks.org. In the course of
our conversations Eliyahu mentioned that he heard Hebrewbooks.org had already
scanned and posted some of R. Zevins’s other books, and that was
done without permission. He asked me to send them a message that the family
will take legal action if the issue isn’t straightened out. Upon Hebrewbooks
hearing that, they seemed uninterested in dealing with the family to obtain
permission to keep the books on their site, and all of R. Zevin’s
books were instantly removed. Also included in the books removed was the essay
whose true author is still in question about Yeshiva boys serving in the
Israeli Army. See my comment here and see
this post here.
[4] That
came to me a little bit as a surprise because in the three volumes worth of
essays that R. Zevin chose to publish in his Sofrim u-Sefarim, we do find some
highly critical reviews. See for example in volume one (Geonim, Rishonim,
u-Teshuvot) his review on the third volume of Teshuvot Yaskil Avdi by R.
Ovadia Hedaya (pg. 258), and in volume two (Pesakim, Pirushim, ve-Hidushim), a
highly critical review of R. Aryeh Pomoranchik’s first volume of Torat Zera’im
(pg. 221). Also in this same volume a pretty serious charge leveled
(delicately) at his friend and colleague R. Yehezkel Abramsky’s Hazon Yehezkel
Hullin (pg. 114). However, upon looking through some old issues of Ha-Tzofeh
from the 1930’s and 40’s (where most of the material in Sofrim u-Sefarim first
appeared, see here), I was able to come across some of the
extremely critical reviews that R. Zevin chose not to publish in his
books. None of the reviews that R. Zevin published in his books were nearly as
critical as these.
came to me a little bit as a surprise because in the three volumes worth of
essays that R. Zevin chose to publish in his Sofrim u-Sefarim, we do find some
highly critical reviews. See for example in volume one (Geonim, Rishonim,
u-Teshuvot) his review on the third volume of Teshuvot Yaskil Avdi by R.
Ovadia Hedaya (pg. 258), and in volume two (Pesakim, Pirushim, ve-Hidushim), a
highly critical review of R. Aryeh Pomoranchik’s first volume of Torat Zera’im
(pg. 221). Also in this same volume a pretty serious charge leveled
(delicately) at his friend and colleague R. Yehezkel Abramsky’s Hazon Yehezkel
Hullin (pg. 114). However, upon looking through some old issues of Ha-Tzofeh
from the 1930’s and 40’s (where most of the material in Sofrim u-Sefarim first
appeared, see here), I was able to come across some of the
extremely critical reviews that R. Zevin chose not to publish in his
books. None of the reviews that R. Zevin published in his books were nearly as
critical as these.
See Ha-Tzofeh
Fri. Aug 5th 1938
Fri. Aug 5th 1938
and Ha-Tzofeh
Fri. Sep. 27th 1940
Fri. Sep. 27th 1940
