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How to Read Hasidic Texts: A Quick Guide

How to Read Hasidic Texts: A Quick Guide

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Ariel Evan Mayse is completing his doctorate in Jewish Studies at Harvard University, where he is working with Professors Arthur Green and Bernard Septimus. He has been a student of Jewish mysticism for many years, and he teaches Hasidic thought and theology in Jerusalem, where he lives with his wife and son. Ariel’s forthcoming dissertation, entitled “Beyond the Letters: The Question of Language in the Teachings of R. Dov Baer of Mezritch,” explores the philosophy of language of one of…

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Saying “Lishana Tova T’Kasev…” and Eating the “Simanim” on the Second Night of Rosh Hashanah

Saying “Lishana Tova T’Kasev…” and Eating the “Simanim” on the Second Night of Rosh Hashanah

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This article originally appeared in Yeshurun 25 (2011) אמירת ‘לשנה טובה תכתב’, ואכילת ה’סימנים’ בליל שני של ראש השנה מאת אליעזר יהודה בראדט א. ר’ יוסף יוזפא הלוי כותב בספרו נהג כצאן יוסף: “מותר לישון ביום שני דראש השנה, דהא כבר נגמר דינו” . וככל הנראה, כך גם סובר הגר”א מווילנא הכותב, שהמעשה באותו חסיד שהלך ללון בבית הקברות ושמע מה נגזר על אותה שנה , היה בליל שני דראש השנה . היינו, בליל שני כבר נסתיים הדין ונפסק מה…

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New book announcement

New book announcement

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תשובות רבינו אלעזר מורמייזא ה’רוקח’, שיר מחורז בהנהגת התשובה ודרכיה, מנוקד מפורש ומבאור בתוספות מביא עיונים ובירורים ומפתחות, ע”פ כתב יד, מהדיר: ר’ יעקב ישראל סטל, רח עמודים דרשות לימי התשובה, מבית מדרשם של חסידי אשכנז, ע”פ כתב יד, עד עמודים I am happy to announce two new works by Rishonim from the Beis Medrash of Chasidei Ashkenaz, related to Teshuvah, a subject closely related to the months of Elul and Tishrei. Here is a short description of the work:…

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New Book Announcement: A critical edition of R’ El‘azar HaKalir’s Piyyutim of Rosh Hashanah, by Shulamit Elizur and Michael Rand

New Book Announcement: A critical edition of R’ El‘azar HaKalir’s Piyyutim of Rosh Hashanah, by Shulamit Elizur and Michael Rand

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רבי אלעזר בירבי קליר, פיוטים לראש השנה, ביארה והוסיפה מבוא, שולמית אליצור, התקין מכתבי היד מיכאל רנד, האיגוד העולמי למדעי היהדות, ירושלים תשע”ד, [מקורות לחקר תרבות ישראל, כרך יח], 718 עמודים. I am very happy to announce the publication of an important work out just in time for Rosh Hashanah, a critical edition of all of R’ El‘azar HaKalir’s Piyyutim for Rosh Hashonah, by Shulamit Elizur and Michael Rand. The importance of studying the Piutim before Yom Tov has been…

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R. Isaac Arama, R. Kook, Mordecai Kaplan, and more

R. Isaac Arama, R. Kook, Mordecai Kaplan, and more

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1. In the last post I discussed R. Isaac Arama. In his Conversos, Inquisition and the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain, p. 53, Norman Roth states that Arama was not a “great scholar.” If he means to say that Arama wasn’t a great talmudist (as has been stated about Ibn Ezra and Abarbanel), then perhaps he has a point (although I am sure this would be debated). But I don’t see how the title “great scholar” can be denied…

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Book Review: Rav Aharon Lichtenstein’s Minchat Aviv

Book Review: Rav Aharon Lichtenstein’s Minchat Aviv

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Minchat Aviv: Studies in Talmudic Topics (Hebrew) HaRav Aharon Lichtenstein Editor: Rav Elyakim Krumbein Jerusalem: Maggid Books and Yeshivat Har Etzion, 2014 xvi + 659 pages; source and subject indexes Available here. A person must exert considerable effort before producing words of Torah and wisdom. Toiling in Torah can be compared to toil in working the land: one must plow and sow, irrigate and fertilize, hoe and aerate, develop and cultivate, harvest and gather. Only after one completes all these…

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New Book Announcement: Amudim be-Toldot ha-Sefer ha-Ivri (Volume Three)

New Book Announcement: Amudim be-Toldot ha-Sefer ha-Ivri (Volume Three)

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I am very happy to announce the recent publication of an important work, which will be of great interest to readers of the Seforim blog. The third volume of, Amudim be-Toldot ha-Sefer ha-Ivri by Professor Yaakov Shmuel Spiegel, of Bar-Ilan University’s Talmud department. As I have written in the past, Professor Spiegel is one of the most prolific writers in the Jewish academic scene, authoring of over 160 articles and 18 books (16 of those are publications for the first…

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The Creative Craftsman: Adorning The Torah, One Crown At A Time

The Creative Craftsman: Adorning The Torah, One Crown At A Time

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received her M.A. in Bible from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies. Based in Chicago, she is a Judaic Studies teacher, tutor, writer, and lecturer and can be reached at oliviafried-at-gmail-dot-com. It’s not surprising that there are many overlooked biblical commentators. However, R’ Zalman Sorotzkin’s is one who ought to be rescued from relative obscurity. Sorotzkin’s biography and tumultuous history helped shape his unique outlook upon Tanakh. His vision and appreciation for cultural context allows readers access to…

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An Incident of “Pilegesh B’Givah” in 19th Century Germany

An Incident of “Pilegesh B’Givah” in 19th Century Germany

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I recently purchased an antique Hebrew book for less than the price of a dinner at a moderately priced restaurant. This particular edition is what some would call a “common” — meaning it is the 36th edition (the fourth edition of a revised version) of this book and it was printed in the mid-19th century. Generally, the market does not assign a high price for books like these, but they can be a treasure trove of knowledge and information. The…

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David Sassoon, Bibliophile Par Excellence

David Sassoon, Bibliophile Par Excellence

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The article below is an annotated version of an article that appeared in the Inyan Magazine of HaModia, dated July 16, 2014. Harav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski addressed him as “Hanaggid” (The Prince). The Michtav MeEliyahu (Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler) came to his home to privately tutor his only son. Named after his grandfather, the founder of the Sassoon dynasty, David Sassoon was an outstanding Talmid Chochom, whose tremendous collection of sefarim and manuscripts, on which he expended much time and money,…

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Book Review: The House of Twenty Thousand Books by Sasha Abramsky

Book Review: The House of Twenty Thousand Books by Sasha Abramsky

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For many Seforim blog readers, the name ‘Abramsky’ will instantly be associated with the personality of Rav Yechezkel Abramsky (1886-1976), the author of Hazon Yechezkel on the Tosefta. Born in Russia, imprisoned by the Soviets, released in the 1930’s after diplomatic intervention by the U.S. and Britain, he was for years the head of the London Beth Din before his retirement to Israel. But other readers will also know his son, Chimen (1916-2010), whose life followed a very different path,…

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