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Upcoming December Auctions

Upcoming December Auctions

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In the next few weeks there are a bunch of auctions. First, is Sotheby’s auction of the “Delmonico” collection. This collection, of an anonymous collector, is amazing. It includes fifty incunabula with the balance of the auction being 16 and 17th century books. Included in the later portion are volumes of the first edition Bomberg Talmud printed on blue paper. These are the only known copies of these volumes. The incunabula includes the first edition of the Rambam’s commentary on…

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Two Editions of R. Chaim Berlin’s Responsa: An Egregious Example of Censorship

Two Editions of R. Chaim Berlin’s Responsa: An Egregious Example of Censorship

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R. Chaim Berlin, Sefer Nishmat Hayyim, She’elot u-Teshuvot, R. Ya’akov Kosovsky-Shachor ed., Beni-Brak, 2002, 412 pp. R. Chaim Berlin, Sefer Nishmat Hayyim, Mamorim u’Mechtavim, R. Ya’akov Kosovsky-Shachor ed., Beni-Brak, 2003, 424 pp. R. Chaim Berlin, Otzar Reb Hayyim Berlin, Shu”t Nishmat Hayyim, Jerusalem, 2008, 4 vol., 446, 462, 449, 298 pp. R. Chaim Berlin (1832-1912), the son of the R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin (author of the Netziv), although well known until recently none of R. Chaim’s extensive torah has…

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Tevie Kagan: The Enigmatic R. David Lida Part II

Tevie Kagan: The Enigmatic R. David Lida Part II

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R. David of Lida and Sabbateanism The case for Sabbatean leanings in R. David ben Aryeh Leib of Lida’s works are somewhat cloudy. The first clear accusation in this regard is from R. Yaakov Emden in his Toras Hakanaos. Specifically, R. Emden, dealt with the conclusion of one of Lida’s poem’s entitled Shir Hillulim, which was printed with his Migdol David. Shir Hillulim was written in honor of a torah dedication in Amsterdam in 1680. It was comprised of verses…

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Jordan S. Penkower: A Note Regarding R. Menahem de Lonzano

Jordan S. Penkower: A Note Regarding R. Menahem de Lonzano

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I would like to call attention to the following points in reference to R. Menahem de Lonzano, as mentioned in Koreh HaDorot by R. David Conforte. (1) In his recent post on TSB, Eliezer Brodt, in his review of the new edition of Conforte’s Koreh HaDorot (2008), made the following statement (in the second paragraph): R. Conforte was born in Salonika around 1617 and died sometime after 1678. Throughout his life he traveled to many places (including Eretz Yisroel), and…

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Rabbis &amp: History A Review of the Koreh HaDorot, Ahavat Shalom ed

Rabbis &amp: History A Review of the Koreh HaDorot, Ahavat Shalom ed

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This is the first post in what I hope to be a series on various attitudes towards studying history. The prism through which we will examine this issue is that of the many works written by gedolim discussing history. The subject of this post is a new edition of the classic work Koreh Hadoros (KH) by R. Dovid Conforte (printed recently by Ahavat Sholom). After discussing the actual sefer and its author, I will conclude with a few comments about…

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Baranovich Auction

Baranovich Auction

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Yeshiva Ahavas Torah, Baranovich is having an auction Wednesday, November 19th. One can download the catalog here. While I don’t intend to cover the whole catalog, I want to briefly highlight a few items. Those interested in early Hebrew/English primers (or English Hebraica) and the like should take a look at lots 12-17. For those interested in early 20th century American figures, such as Rodkinson and Eisenstein, see lot 62 for Eisenstein’s quasi-autobiography, Otzar Zikronoti . And for a polemic…

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Review of Amudim be-Toldot Sefer ha-I…

Review of Amudim be-Toldot Sefer ha-I…

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Yaakov S. Spiegel, Amudim be-Tolodot Sefer ha-Ivri Haghot u-Maghim (Chapters in the History of the Jewish Book Scholars and their Annotations), Ramat Gan, 20052, 689 pp. In 1996, Bar Ilan Press published Amudim be-Toldot Sefer ha-Ivri Haghot u-Maghim from Professor Yaakov S. Spiegel. Shortly thereafter, this edition sold out due to its popularity. A few years later Amudim be-Toldot Sefer ha-Ivri Kitevah ve-haTakah (volume two) was published. More recently, Amudim be-Toldot Sefer ha-Ivri Haghot u-Maghim was reprinted with over seventy…

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Dr. Lange’s Commentary on Koheleth

Dr. Lange’s Commentary on Koheleth

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In a recent post, Dr. Leiman noted that Rabbi Dr. Dovid Tzvi Hoffmann’s commentary on Shemot is being translated into Hebrew and printed in the near future. While the volume on Shemot will be published, a commentary of one of R. Hoffmann’s student on Koheles has recently been translated and printed. Indeed, there are two editions of the same commentary that have been recently been printed. The fact that someone who has been ignored for a while then merits to…

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Pini Dunner – Handbill Defending the Use of the Corfu Etrogim

Pini Dunner – Handbill Defending the Use of the Corfu Etrogim

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B.A (Hons), formerly rabbi of London’s Saatchi Synagogue, is an avid collector of polemical and controversial Hebraica, with a very large, diverse private collection of such material. Many items in his collection are unknown and unrecorded, and relate to long forgotten, obscure controversies. This is Pini Dunner’s third post at the Seforim blog. His first post, “Mercaz Agudat Ha-Rabbanim Be-Lita, Kovno, 1931,” is available here; his second post, “Unknown Picture of the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, c.1930s,” is available here. For…

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Eliezer Kallir – Updated

Eliezer Kallir – Updated

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Eliezer Kallir, is considered one of the greatest paytanim. He authored some of the most well known piyyutim including those said for geshem and tal, as well as many others (although most of his piyyutim that were included in the Rosh haShana and Yom Kippur prayers are no longer said by most). While his literary output is well-known, “[b]iographical facts about Kallir are shrouded in mystery.” E.J. (new ed.) vol. 11, p. 743. There are many theories about who R….

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Post on my sefer

Post on my sefer

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‘s Bein Kesah L’Asurby Eliezer Brodt This post is not a review of a sefer as one can not review ones own sefer. Rather it is a simple announcement and book description. Last year I posted a chapter from my sefer about the minhaghim of Rosh Hasnaha. I was hoping to complete that work this year but as the material grew I realized that would not be possible. Around Pesach time I decided that I would take some of the…

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Repackaged Rulings: The Responsa of R. Elyashiv

Repackaged Rulings: The Responsa of R. Elyashiv

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Wolf2191 recently wrote: N.B. I believe I noticed that some of the pesakim that R’ Elyashiv issued when he was part of the Beis Din Ha-Gadol together with Chacham Ovadiah and Harav Kappach were republished in a kovetz under R’ Elyashiv’s name only, but I would need to check again.] The קובץ תשובות Three volumes of Rav Elyashiv’s responsa have been published in Yerushalayim under the title קובץ תשובות, the first in 5760, and the latter two in 5763. None…

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Shnayer Leiman: Notes on Rabbinic Epitaphs I

Shnayer Leiman: Notes on Rabbinic Epitaphs I

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The newly recovered tombstone of R. Yosef Trani (1568-1639), the Maharit, among the greatest of the early aharonim, is a truly remarkable event. The discoverer, the noted bibliophile and book dealer R. Shlomo Epstein, had searched all the Jewish cemeteries in Istanbul (formerly: Constantinople), but could not locate the Maharit’s grave. On a recent visit to Safed, where he went to pray at the tomb of R, Moshe Alshekh (circa 1520-1593), he noticed nearby a fragmented, barely legible tombstone (see…

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Tevie Kagan: The Enigmatic R. David Lida

Tevie Kagan: The Enigmatic R. David Lida

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Tevie Kagan works in the Seforim industry. This is his first post for the TraditionOnline Seforim blog. Part I: R. David of Lida and Plagiarism R. David ben Aryeh Leib of Lida (c.1650-1696) is a fascinating and enigmatic figure. He was the rabbi of multiple communities over the course of his lifetime including Lida, Ostrog, Mainz, and the Ashkenazic community in Amsterdam. He was forced to leave Amsterdam under a cloud of alleged plagiarism and possible Sabbatean beliefs; though he…

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Can A Segulah Free an Agunah? Jewish Beliefs and Practices for Locating a Drowned Body

Can A Segulah Free an Agunah? Jewish Beliefs and Practices for Locating a Drowned Body

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Bency Eichorn learns in kollel and, on the side, has been researching about various segulos. For his wedding he authored a book, Simchas Zion, discussing the segulah of keeping the afikomom from year-to-year. The post below is a small part of a much larger project on this segulah and has been adapted for the blog. In light of the recent drowning of Los Angeles’s Naftoli Smolyansky A”H, much discussion has ensued about the segulah performed to recover his body. This…

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