Will The Real First American Jews Please Stand Up?: A Review of Machon Yerushalayim’s New Book About the Jews of Recife

Will The Real First American Jews Please Stand Up?: A Review of Machon Yerushalayim’s New Book About the Jews of Recife

Comments 0 Comment

In the history of Jews on the American continent, many are unaware that the first Jewish settlement in the Americas was not in North America, but instead South America. Specifically, the Brazilian city of Recife was the first formal Jewish community in the Americas. Recife, for a brief period of time, came under the control of the Dutch government. In 1630 they took Recife from the Portuguese, this event was key in establishing a Jewish community, as the Portuguese enforced…

Read More Read More

Daniel Sperber’s New Book – “The Path of Halakha”

Daniel Sperber’s New Book – “The Path of Halakha”

Comments 12 comments

As was noted in a prior post, Prof. Daniel Sperber has published another book – Darkah shel Halakha Kiryat Nashim b’Torah. As the title implies the main focus of the book is to discuss the permissablity of women being called to the Torah. Much has already been written on the topic, however, Prof. Sperber’s focus is distinct. He focuses on two aspects (aside from other halachic considerations) kavod ha’briyot and more generally, how halakha has adapted over time. In his…

Read More Read More

Two News Items

Two News Items

Comments 0 Comment

First, the sale on the Seforim Hard Drives has been extended until June 22 for the Otzar haChomah and the 25th for the Morgenstern hard drive. Second, a new issue of Ohr Yisrael has just come out and includes more articles on wheat for matzot from Arizona, an article on definition of Darkei Emorei and the related laws, the second installment on the custom of candle lighting. Additionally, there is another article by R. B. Oberlander, related to the Yerushalmi…

Read More Read More

Review – New Volume of Peskei Teshuvos on Mishna Berurah

Review – New Volume of Peskei Teshuvos on Mishna Berurah

Comments 1 comment

Over the centuries, throughout our rich history, every time there has been a codification of halacha of any sorts there has been some opposition; the examples abound – the Rif who was opposed by the Bal Hamaor; the Rambam who was opposed by the Raavad. Even after that the Shach and Taz were also not accepted right away. One of the (many) reasons for this opposition was a fear of giving the law “to the simple people” who would then…

Read More Read More

Shavuah HaSefer: A Recommended Reading List

Shavuah HaSefer: A Recommended Reading List

Comments 0 Comment

Shavuah HaSefer: A Recommended Reading List by Eliezer Brodt Every year in Israel, around Shavous time, there is a period of around ten days called Shavuah Hasefer-book week. Shavuah HaSefer is a sale which takes place all across the country in stores, malls and special places rented out for the sale. There are places where strictly “frum” seforim are sold other places have most of the secular publishing houses. Every year we witness the publishing of hundreds of new seforim…

Read More Read More

Marc B. Shapiro: Obituary for Prof. Mordechai Breuer zt”l

Marc B. Shapiro: Obituary for Prof. Mordechai Breuer zt”l

Comments 16 comments

Obituary: Professor Mordechai Breuer zt”lBy Marc B. Shapiro Professsor Mordechai Breuer passed away on the twelfth of Sivan, 5767. It is a great loss for the world of Jewish scholarship as well as that of Orthodox Jewry. Breuer, born in Frankfurt in 1918, was the great-grandson of R. Samson Raphael Hirsch, the grandson of R. Shlomo Zalman Breuer, who succeeded Hirsch as Rav of the Frankfurt separatist community, and the son of Dr. Isaac Breuer, the leading theoretician of the…

Read More Read More