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Category: Kabbalah & Mysticism

Bridging the Kabbalistic Gap Nefesh HaTzimtzum by Avinoam Fraenkel reviewed by Bezalel Naor

Bridging the Kabbalistic Gap Nefesh HaTzimtzum by Avinoam Fraenkel reviewed by Bezalel Naor

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Bridging the Kabbalistic Gap Nefesh HaTzimtzum by Avinoam Fraenkel Vol. 1: Rabbi Chaim Volozhin’s Nefesh HaChaim with Translation and Commentary Volume 2: Understanding Nefesh HaChaim through the Key Concept of Tzimtzum and Related Writings (Jerusalem: Urim, 2015) Reviewed by Bezalel Naor Recently there has been a spate of English translations of the classic of Mitnagdic philosophy, Nefesh ha-Hayyim by Rabbi Hayyim of Volozhin (1749-1821), eminent disciple of the Vilna Gaon. This is perhaps the most glorious—certainly the lengthiest—of the translations,…

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Dorshei Yichudcha: A Portrait of Professor Elliot R. Wolfson

Dorshei Yichudcha: A Portrait of Professor Elliot R. Wolfson

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Dorshei Yichudcha: A Portrait of Professor Elliot R. Wolfson[1] by Joey Rosenfeld Joey Rosenfeld is a psychotherapist in St. Louis where he recently moved with his family. He recently published his first sefer, sc’hok d’yitzchak on the Kabbalistic theme butzina d’kardinusa, or darkened light. More of his writing can be found online at Residual Speech. לאו כל מוחא סביל דא[2] Tasked with the formidable project of recounting Franz Rosenzweig’s life, Emmanuel Levinas apologized in advance for speaking, as well, about…

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The Princess and I: Academic Kabbalists/Kabbalist Academics

The Princess and I: Academic Kabbalists/Kabbalist Academics

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ב”ה The Princess and I[1] Academic Kabbalists/Kabbalist Academics לכב’ יומא דהילולא דרשב”י ל”ג בעומר by Josh Rosenfeld Josh Rosenfeld is the Assistant Rabbi at Lincoln Square Synagogue and on the Judaic Studies Faculty at SAR High School. This is his second contribution to the Seforim blog. His first essay, on “The Nazir in New York,” is available (here). The last few decades have witnessed the veritable explosion of “new perspectives” and horizons in the academic study of Kabbalah and Jewish…

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Tu Bishvat and The Symmetry Between Aesthetics and Eros

Tu Bishvat and The Symmetry Between Aesthetics and Eros

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Tu Bishvat and The Symmetry Between Aesthetics and Eros Based on a homily by R. Hayyim Elazar Shapira of Munkacz (1872-1937)[1] in Sha’ar Yessakhar, volume 2, p. 481-482 Translation[2] and Commentary by Shaul Magid Professor Shaul Magid is the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Chair of Jewish Studies at Indiana University. This text was originally prepared for a text-study at a Tu Bishvat Seder at Temple Emunah in Lexington, MA on January 27, 2002. Sincere thanks goes out to Gloria Greenfield…

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When was the Afar of the Para Adumah lost?

When was the Afar of the Para Adumah lost?

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When was the Afar of the Para Adumah lost? By Eliezer Brodt A few years ago (2009) for Parshas Chukas I posted a chapter from my sefer Ben Kesseh Le’assur about when was the Afer of the Para Adumah lost. In 2010 I reprinted the chapter with many important additions in my work Likutei Eliezer. Here is the updated chapter as it appears in my Likutei Eliezer. Eventually I will update it even more. For recent footage of a Para…

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A Mild Case of Plagiarism: R. Abraham Kalmankes’ Ma’ayan Ha-Hokhmah

A Mild Case of Plagiarism: R. Abraham Kalmankes’ Ma’ayan Ha-Hokhmah

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A Mild Case of Plagiarism:  R. Abraham Kalmankes’ Ma’ayan Ha-Hokhmah by Shnayer Leiman 1.  The Accusation. Rabbi Joseph Samuel ben R. Zvi (d. 1703) – more popularly known as ר’ שמואל ר’ חיים ר’ ישעיה’ס – served as a member of the rabbinic court in Cracow for some 26 years, after which he was appointed Chief Rabbi of Frankfurt in 1689.1 An avid collector of books and manuscripts, he made good use of them in listing in the margins of his copy of the…

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