In the prior post, Yitzhak discussed a phrase and its origins. We now present, a chapter from R. S. Askenazi unpublished works, related to the same topic. As mentioned before we are working on printing his writings. At this point three volumes are completely ready to print (with a few more on the way). While they still require financial assistance to see the light of day we are very close, only 5K is necessary. With the help of many people,…
by Yitzhak, of בין דין לדין [I am greatly indebted to Wolf2191 and Mississippi Fred MacDowell for reading an earlier draft of this essay and for providing numerous valuable references.] This past Rosh Ha’Shanah, my friend A.F. showed me a collection of various homilies of the Rav related to the days of Awe, “prepared, translated and edited by B. David Schreiber”. While browsing through them, I noticed the following passage: Every Jew must also ensure the continuity of future generations…
Another chapter of R. Shmuel Ashkenazi’s Latest Work Unfortunately, the amount of responses regarding assisting the publication of R. Ashkenazi’s was underwhelming (a total of one contribution) so it is still uncertain when the seforim will actually be published. Until then – here is another chapter. For more information to contribute (any amount is extremly helpful) contact me at eliezerbrodt-at-gmail.com. למקורות הפתגם ‘ישועת ה’ כהרף עין’ בספרו איש צדיק היה (ס”ע 223) מספר שמחה רז: פעם סיפר לי (ר’ אריה…
In response to the recent article by Jay Michaelson in The Forward reviewing two recent works of Mussar – the “New Kabbalah” – Rutgers University professor Nancy Sinkoff has written a letter to The Forward, available below to readers of the Seforim blog. (It has not yet appeared in The Forward.) Related to the letter below, is Prof. Nancy Sinkoff, “Benjamin Franklin in Jewish Eastern Europe: Cultural Appropriation in the Age of the Enlightenment,” Journal of the History of Ideas…
Ofeq Institute and the New (English) Version of the Messilat Yesharimby Eliezer Brodt The Messilat Yesharim, by R. Moshe Chaim Luzzato (Ramchal), is one of the foundational works of mussar. [1] The Gra, among others, praise the Messilat Yesharim.[2] As such, any addition to its oeuvre is important in its own right. The Ofeq Institute* has recently published an English translation of an alternative version of the Messilat Yesharim. This version is fundamentally different than the standard edition of Messilat…
Mad magazine and Peanuts – moralists for today? By Dov Silberman* With all the messianic overtones that the Jewish people are regaled with over Tishrei, one beloved by Chassidim is the Zohar’s view (I, 117a) is that we are privileged to live in an era where similar results occur in both the natural and religious worlds, where “the gates of knowledge above, and the fountains of knowledge below, will be opened”. Academics and scientists are always aware that similar breakthroughs…
