Editions, Reprints & Publishing – Page 7 – The Seforim Blog

Marc B. Shapiro – Responses to Comments and Elaborations on Previous Posts

November 7, 2007 admin Comments 68 comments

Marc B. Shapiro holds the Weinberg Chair in Judaic Studies, Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Scranton. He is a frequent contributor to the Seforim blog and his most recent posts are “Forgery and the Halakhic Process” and “Forgery and the Halakhic Process, part 2.” The post below was written as part of “Forgery and the Halakhic Process, part 2,” which the baale ha-blog have split up for the convenience of the readers of the Seforim blog. As…

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Towards A Reappraisal of the Recent Works of Rabbi Shelomoh Luriah (Maharshal)

November 2, 2007 admin Comments 0 Comment

Towards A Reappraisal of the Recent WorksOf Rabbi Shelomoh Luriah (Maharshal)By Rabbi Eliezer Brodt As previously mentioned on the Seforim blog by myself and others, our generation is privileged to something no previous generation has seen, a sheer volume of Jewish books being printed and reprinted. Many of these works are seeing print for the first time – works of Rishonim and Achronim on all sorts of topics brought to the public eye from manuscript form. Some of these printings…

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Chaim Rapoport – From Ma’adanei Eretz to Kitvei Ma’adanei Eretz (5704-5767)

October 23, 2007 admin Comments 0 Comment

From Ma’adanei Eretz to Kitvei Ma’adanei Eretz (5704-5767)Rabbi Chaim Rapoport (London, England) As Rabbi Eliezer Brodt has recently noted in a post at the Seforim blog the advent of the sabbatical year has been blessed with a plethora of new books and pamphlets related to the laws of shemitah. Prominent amongst these is a publication entitled Kitvei Ma’adanei Eretz on Masechet Shevi’it, from the writings of the world renowned halachic authority, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (1910-1995), published by Zehav haAretz…

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R. Yaakov Lipshitz and Heter Mechirah

October 11, 2007 admin Comments 25 comments

R. Yaakov Lipshitz and Heter Mechirahby R. Eliezer Brodt As per Sheuy R’s request a short post on shemitah: It is virtually impossible to write up a review of the literature out there on shemitah seforim as the seforim keep on coming out. For some odd reason people out there feel this is their place to contribute to our vast torah literature. As of last shemitah in the middle of the year I inquired at a local seforim store how…

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Where’s Shai Agnon?

October 11, 2007 admin Comments 0 Comment

In the latest issue of Yeshurun (a fuller review will be coming shortly), they published a letter from R. Y.M. Gordon to Shai Agnon. In light of this, an erudite reader, Yisroel Rottenberg, was kind enough to provide another instance where Agnon is quoted and in this instance, where Agnon’s name was then removed from a later edition. In the Pirush Ba’al HaTurim al HaTorah by Y. Reinetz, in his introduction (p. 10) he relates the well-known story that R….

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A New Book Collecting Commentaries on Targum Yonason

August 31, 2007 admin Comments 1 comment

The Targum Yonason is a fairly standard commentary on the Torah (we are only discussing the Torah one). Now, as most are aware, in fact this is not from Yonason but instead is more correctly called Targum Yerushalmi (Jerusalem Targum). In academic circles it is referred to as Pseudo-Jonathon. In all likelihood, the original name was in fact Targum Yerushalmi but was abbreviated as ת”י and thus mistakenly expanded to be תרגום יונתן and not the correct תרגום ירושלמי. Various…

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Midrash Lekah Tov, part Deux

August 28, 2007 admin Comments 1 comment

In a follow-up to Professor Carmi Horowitz’s recent post at the Seforim blog, I wanted to discuss, in a bit more detail, the new reprint of the Midrash Lekah Tov and further bolster Prof. Horowitz’s conclusion that this new reprint falls short of expectations as well as the Makhon who did this. In the world of Hebrew books there are many books published almost daily, while there is much quantity should not be mistaken for quality. In truth this is…

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Carmi Horowitz: A Critique of Two New Reprints

August 27, 2007 admin Comments 52 comments

A Critique of Two New Reprints by Carmi Horowitz * Two new works have recently appeared on the market: a new edition of Midrash Lekah Tov and a new edition of the Perush on Sefer Yezirah of R. Yehudah b. Barzilai Barceloni. The following is based on an initial perusal of the two works. I have not read through the entire volumes. I. The new edition of Lekah Tov consists of three volumes published by Zikhron Aharon Jerusalem with a…

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Critique of the Oz VeHadar Edition of the Arukh HaShulhan

July 10, 2007 admin Comments 0 Comment

In some of the recent posts we have discussed various new publications of Rabbi Yehiel Mihel Epstein, author of Arukh HaShulhan. Recently, Makhon Oz VeHadar reprinted the Arukh HaShulhan, and that reprint has been the subject of some harsh criticisms. The critique points to two major problems. First, this edition includes the Piskei Mishnah Berurah which, in the reviewer’s mind, unconscionable. His reasoning is as the Arukh HaShulhan is a “piskei” work in its own right, there is no need…

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god or God: A Review of Two Works on the Names of God

July 10, 2007 admin Comments 0 Comment

god or God: A Review of Two Works on the Names of GodEliezer Brodt Last week I picked up a new sefer titled Nekadesh es Shimcha. What caught my attention was that it included not only Nekadesh es Shimcha but also the work Meleches haKodesh from R. Eleazar Fleckeles (most well-known for his Teshuva m’Ahava). What follows is a short biography of R. Fleckes, a review of Meleches haKodesh, and a review of the new sefer – Nekadesh es Shimcha….

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Printing of the Arukh HaShulhan: The Missing Line About Rabbi Epstein’s Daughter

July 9, 2007 admin Comments 0 Comment

In the prior post, R. Brodt discussed the new work of R. Yechiel Michal Epstein. R. Epstein is most famous for his Arukh HaShulhan a comprehensive halakhic work. Although the work itself is very well-known there is one point about the work that is not as well known. Today, the Arukh HaShulhan is sold as a set, a set which covers most of Shulhan Arukh. However, when it was orignally published, R. Epstein did not put out all the volumes…

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Review of a new edition of the Sefer Chasidim

May 16, 2007 admin Comments 0 Comment

Review of a new edition of the Sefer Chasidimby R. Eliezer Brodt As recently mentioned on this blog this generation is privileged to have many seforim especially rishonim being reprinted in critical editions based on manuscripts etc. One of the publishing houses which has been involved in publishing such works is Mechon Otzar haPoskim. A few years ago they released a few volumes of a critical edition of the Mahzhor Vitri which to date its still not complete. And now,…

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Eliezer Brodt: A Behind The Scenes Look at Two New Editions: Part One

April 23, 2007 admin Comments 0 Comment

A Behind The Scenes Look at Two New Editions: Part Oneby Rabbi Eliezer Brodt A few weeks ago, while perusing through the new Seforim at the Girsa Seforim store in Jerusalem, I noticed a new מנחת פתים from ר’ מאיר אריק. At first I thought it was another plain old reprint of the original one. But a few friends tipped me off to it being much more than a reprint. So off I went to purchase the seforim. This is…

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Eliezer Brodt – A Lively History of Reprinting Rabbeinu Yeruchem

April 17, 2007 admin Comments 21 comments

A Lively History of Reprinting Rabbeinu YeruchemRabbi Eliezer Brodt In recent years, a host of critical editions of works on various rishonim have been published on all topics – some seeing the light of day for the very first time – on topics related to halakha, kabbalah, and chiddushim on the Talmud. These works have been made available via the major printing presses such as Mossad HaRav Kook, Machon Yerushalyim, Machon Talmud Yisraeli, Machon Harry Fischel and others.[1] However, one…

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Important New Book from the Ba’alei haTosafot

March 28, 2007 admin Comments 33 comments

What follows is a press release from Ofeq Institute regarding their new book תוספות ר”י הזקן ותלמידו וראשוני בעלי התוספות על מסכת שבת Tosafot R. Isaac b. Samuel of Dampierre (Ri the Elder) and early Tosafists on tractate Shabbat edited for the first time from MS Guenzburg, Mos 636 with references, notes and comments by Rabbi Avraham Shoshana Rabbi Yehuda Amitai Shoshana Volume I Introduction · Chapters 1-6 · Indices This is a unique collection of the early Tosafists, a…

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