Saul Lieberman (1898–1983) is universally regarded by Talmud scholars as the foremost talmudist of his generation, and some regard him as one of the foremost talmudists of all times. Immanuel Low wrote to him in Hebrew in 1938: “In the depth of your articles there are many sparks of the spirit of the Gaon of Vilna.” E. S. Rosenthal wrote in Hebrew in 1963: “… until we can almost say about him: there was no king like him before him,…
“על ידי שבשביל” – גליון שנשתרבב? מאת לייביש ווייס בתחילת הפרשה (ויצא, כח: י) כתב רש”י: ויצא יעקב. על ידי שבשביל שרעות בנות כנען בעיני יצחק אביו הלך עשו אל ישמעאל, הפסיק הענין בפרשתו של יעקב, וכתיב וירא עשו כי ברך וגו’, ומשגמר, חזר לענין הראשון. פתיחתו של רש”י בדיבור זה מוקשה, מהו כפל הלשון “על ידי” “שבשביל”, הרי משמעותם אחת היא!? והיה די לו לרש”י לנקוט אחד מהם. על קושי זה, עמדו הראשונים וראשוני האחרונים, ביניהם: מושב זקנים; חזקוני;…
of Jerusalem Rabbi Nathan Kamenetsky is the author of the much-talked-about-book, Making of a Godol: A Study of Episodes in the Lives of Great Torah Personalities. A Hebrew version of this essay for Parashat Va-Yetze was first published last week at the Seforim blog [here] and the translation was prepared by Rabbi Daniel Tabak of New York. * * * * If we study the Bible without the words of Hazal, we may think that Leah was on the level…
אם לומדים את המקרא בלי דברי חז”ל יכולים לחשוב שלאה הייתה תמימה עם יעקב כשאביה רימה אותו והחליף אותה לבוא במקום אחותה. זאת אומרת, שלאה כלל לא ידעה על ההסכם בין אביה לאחיינו על נישואיו “לרחל בתו הקטנה” שהופר ע”י לבן, והיא נקטה שהיא נבחרה מלכתחילה להיות אשתו של יעקב. ולפיכך כשרחל נכנסה לאהל יעקב אחר שבעת ימי המשתה שלה, באה רחל לצרור עליה בחייה. ולכן, אחרי כמה שנים כשרחל מבקשת ממנה את הדודאים שראובן מצא, מתריסה נגדה לאה ואומרת,…
(MFirstatty@aol.com) A common assumption is that the word מבול means “flood.” This is how the word is translated in ArtScroll’s Stone Chumash, in the Hertz Pentateuch, and in the Koren Tanakh. But in order to truly understand the meaning of a word, we must determine its three letter root. The word מבול has four letters, the first of which is a mem. Usually, a mem at the beginning of a noun is not a part of the root. It is…
This article originally appeared in Ami Magazine (2012) Issue #88. This version has a few updates. I hope to return to this subject shortly. For a more expanded version of this article see my article in Yeshurun 26 (2012), pp. 853–874 (PDF available upon request). Zoos are hotspots on Chol Hamoed. Standing together with the rest of Brooklyn or Yerushalayim, trying to give your children a glimpse of a penguin or seal or elephant, is always a pleasant way to…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…