Gedolim: Biography & Hagiography – Page 5 – The Seforim Blog

Some Recollections of R. Jehiel Jacob Weinberg, Love Before Marriage, and More

May 5, 2016 admin Comments 0 Comment

Some Recollections of R. Jehiel Jacob Weinberg, Love Before Marriage, and More Marc B. Shapiro 1. In my last post I mentioned R. Nosson Zvi Finkel, the Alter of Slobodka, so let me add the following. There is a transcript of a 1965 taped conversation between R. Jehiel Jacob Weinberg and R. Yaakov Herzog.[1] Herzog had come to Montreux to speak to R. Weinberg, and here is a picture from that meeting which appears in Michael Bar-Zohar, Yaacov Herzog: A Biography. R. Weinberg,…

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A Tribute to Rav Shlomo Elyashiv, Author of Leshem Shevo v-Achloma: On his Ninetieth Yahrzeit

March 10, 2016 admin Comments 31 comments

A Tribute to Rav Shlomo Elyashiv, Author of Leshem Shevo v-Achloma: On his Ninetieth Yahrzeit by Joey Rosenfeld Joey Rosenfeld is a psychotherapist in St. Louis where he moved with his family. He published his first sefer, sc’hok d’yitzchak on the Kabbalistic theme butzina d’kardinusa, or darkened light. He is currently working on a monograph of R. Shlomo Elyashiv and the philosophical and psychoanalytic themes in Leshem Shevo v-Achloma. His first essay at the Seforim Blog, is entitled: “Dorshei Yichudcha:…

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שמועות נדירות בעניני ספרים וסופרים

March 8, 2016 admin Comments 2 comments

שמועות נדירות בעניני ספרים וסופרים מפי מו“ר הג“ר שמרי‘ שולמאן שליט“א מח“ס באר שרים, אור לישרים, מריש בבירה, שומר הפתח, שומר מצוה ועוד זה לי עשר שנים שזכיתי ליצוק מים על ידי אחד המיוחד מזקני הגאונים בדורינו משיירי כנה”ג דור אחרון של גאוני רבני ליטא הגאון מוהר”ר שמריהו שולמאן שליט”א. מלבד גדלותו בתורה המשתקפת מכל דף ודף מעשרות ספריו, ונוסף על זה שכבר מנעוריו נודע הגאון כבעל זכרון מופלא שאינו מאבד טיפה, עוד הוא ממלא תפקיד חשוב כממשיך שרשרת לגדולי…

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Some Unusually “Liberal” Statements by Mainstream Rabbinic Figures

February 9, 2016 admin Comments 1 comment

Some Unusually “Liberal” Statements by Mainstream Rabbinic Figures Marc B. Shapiro I have found a number of statements by mainstream rabbinic figures that, if one didn’t know better, one would think that they were said by liberal Orthodox figures. For example: ומה אעשה ולבי מרחם על אלמנה [ובפרט בימינו] רחמים גדולים, ואולי אפשר לערער אם אני כשר לדון דין אלמנה, אבל מצד הדין אינני רואה פסול לעצמי. If a liberal Orthodox rabbi made this statement, I think many would say…

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Assorted Comments on R. Jacob Emden, Ashkenazic Views of Sephardic Gedolim, and More

November 2, 2015 admin Comments 1 comment

Assorted Comments on R. Jacob Emden, Ashkenazic Views of Sephardic Gedolim, and More by Marc B. Shapiro 1. Since I have discussed R. Jacob Emden in many posts, let me add the following. If you examine Emden’s Birat Migdal ha-Oz you find that he refers to himself as הסריס. Here is the Berditchev 1836 edition of the work, p. 135a.[1] I think all would agree that this is a strange title to give oneself. In this work, p. 116a, he also calls himself שלו….

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[1]: א״ל הקב״ה … יודע אני כוונתו של אהרן היאך היתה לטובה On a Short Wedding Wish to the Lichtensteins from the Pen of Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg

June 18, 2015 admin Comments 0 Comment

[1]: א״ל הקב״ה … יודע אני כוונתו של אהרן היאך היתה לטובה On a Short Wedding Wish to the Lichtensteins from the Pen of Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg By Shaul Seidler-Feller I Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, zts”l, the late, lamented, “irreplaceable”[2] gedol ha-dor of the Modern Orthodox and Religious Zionist communities,[3] has been characterized by those who knew him as a larger-than-life – indeed, angelic[4] – leader whose complete command of every facet of Torah learning was matched only by his…

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Yehuda Azoulay’s Maran: The Life and Scholarship of Hacham Ovadia Yosef

November 18, 2014 admin Comments 0 Comment

Yehuda Azoulay’s Maran: The Life and Scholarship of Hacham Ovadia Yosef has just appeared. The Seforim Blog is happy to present this excerpt. Chapter 17: Back to Jerusalem In 1958, Hacham Ovadia was invited to serve as a judge on the Jerusalem bet din, beside Rabbi Waldenberg and Rabbi Qafih.[1] His gratitude for being able to move back to Jerusalem is displayed in his third volume of Yabia Omer, published in 1960, and his joy and satisfaction at serving on…

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Book Review: Rav Aharon Lichtenstein’s Minchat Aviv

September 8, 2014 admin Comments 0 Comment

RAV AHARON LICHTENSTEIN’S Minchat Aviv: A REVIEW Aviad Hacohen 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,…

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

August 24, 2014 admin Comments 1 comment

The Creative Craftsman: Adorning The Torah, One Crown At A Time By Olivia Friedman Olivia Friedman 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…

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Book Excerpt: Turning Judaism Outward by Chaim Miller

July 8, 2014 admin Comments 0 Comment

Chaim Miller’s Turning Judaism Outward, a comprehensive biography of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, has recently appeared. The Seforim Blog is happy to present this excerpt from pages 98-103 Some truly fascinating insights into Menachem Mendel’s inner life have surfaced recently in his correspondence with Rayatz, first published in 2010.73 The Sixth and future Seventh Rebbes were in very close contact during this period; between 1929 until 1932 alone, Rayatz penned some seventy-two letters to his son-in-law and daughter. In contrast to…

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Who was Reb Shlomo?

October 31, 2013 admin Comments 0 Comment

Who was Reb Shlomo? by Natan Ophir (Offenbacher) Natan Ophir’s book, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach: Life, Mission, and Legacy, has just appeared. This is a complete biography of Carlebach’s life (not a hagiography) and is essential for anyone with an interest in Carlebach. The Seforim Blog is happy to include this excerpt from the book, pp. 413-419. 1. Who was Reb Shlomo? Who was Reb Shlomo Carlebach? This question was deliberated in the obituaries after his death. Elli Wohlgelernter…

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Special Lecture by Dr. Marc Shapiro

October 28, 2013 admin Comments 0 Comment

On Nov. 24, 2013 at 7:30pm, Dr. Marc Shapiro will deliver a lecture at the home of Shlomo and Hannah Sprecher, 1274 East 23rd Street (between Ave. L & M) in Brooklyn. The title of the lecture is Rabbinic Biographies: Personal Reflections on the Balance Between Reverence and Historical Truth. All Seforim Blog readers (and anyone else) are cordially invited to attend. For those who are interested, Dr. Shapiro will also be speaking at the Kingsway Jewish Center in Brooklyn…

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R. Shlomo Yosef Zevin, Kitniyot, R. Judah Mintz, and More

October 14, 2013 admin Comments 0 Comment

R. Shlomo Yosef Zevin, Kitniyot, R. Judah Mintz, and More Marc B. Shapiro 1. The last post dealt with R. Shlomo Yosef Zevin and I pick up with him here. Before moving forward, I have to thank R. Moshe Maimon who sent me a PDF of the essay attributed to R. Zevin which I discussed in the last post. It comes from the hebrewbooks.org hard drive that was released some time ago.[1] You can see it here. I also thank R. Eliezer…

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Rav Ovadia Yosef, ZT”L

October 13, 2013 admin Comments 1 comment

Dear Seforim Blog readers, This past Monday an era ended. As many prominent rabbonim mentioned, during the levaya of Rav Ovadia Yosef, there was the era of Tannaim, the era of Amoraim, Geonim, Rishonim, Achronim and the era of Rav Ovadia Meor Yisroel. Each one of us merited living in his generation. He was the Moshe Rabbeinu of our generation (Sukkah 39a), not merely in personal greatness but characteristically as well. He acquired the Torah reaching great heights, nevertheless descended from his league and set it before the nation – the young and the…

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R. Shlomo Yosef Zevin and the Army, and Joe DiMaggio

August 25, 2013 admin Comments 5 comments

R. Shlomo Yosef Zevin and the Army, and Joe DiMaggio by Marc B. Shapiro 1. There is a lot of talk these days about haredim serving in the army. Understandably, the famous essay of R. Shlomo Yosef Zevin has been cited. In this essay, R. Zevin rejects the notion that yeshiva students shouldn’t have to serve.[1] The essay used to be found at http://www.hebrewbooks.org/32904 but it was removed, together with other “problematic” books. (You can see evidence of it having been on hebrewbooks…

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