Book Week 2021 By Eliezer Brodt Book week just began in Eretz Yisrael. Continuing with my now fourteenth year tradition, every year in Israel, around Shavuos time, there is a period of about ten days called Shavuah Hasefer – Book Week. Many of the companies offer sales for the whole month. Shavuah HaSefer is a sale which takes place all across the country in stores, malls and special places rented out just for the sales. There are places where strictly…
Book Announcement: New edition of the Seder Hadorot By Eliezer Brodt ר’ יחיאל היילפרין, סדר הדורות, מאנסי תשפא, חלק שני: סדר התנאים והאמוראים, ב’ חלקים, [אות א, 820 עמ’\ אותיות ב-ט, 717 עמ’] This post serves a dual purpose; first, to describe in some detail a new edition of a very important work: Seder Hadorot, and thus make the Seforim Blog readership aware of its recent publication. The second purpose of this post is to make this sefer…
The Meaning of Ayelet Ha-Shaḥar at Tehillim 22:1 By Mitchell First MFirstAtty@aol.com The phrase השׁחר אילת is found at Tehillim 22:1. The entire verse reads: “la-menatzeaḥ al ayelet ha-shaḥar mizmor le-David.” What is the meaning of השׁחר אילת ? This is the only time this phrase appears in Tanakh. Its meaning is so unclear that Radak offers five interpretations! Literally, השׁחר אילת means: “doe of the dawn.” A male deer would be an ayal. An ayalah is a female deer…
Legacy Judaica Spring 2021 Auction By Dan Rabinowitz and Eliezer Brodt Legacy Auction Judaica is holding its Spring auction on May 30th (link) and it provides us the opportunity to discuss some interesting bibliographical and historical books and items. Item #7 is the first edition of Charedim printed in 1601. This is the first appearance of R. Elazar Azkiri’s song Yedid Nefesh in print. For a full discussion of this Tefilah see Bentcy Eichorn, Zemirot Zion, pp. 91-106. This volume also…
Shlomo Yosef Zevin and Yeshiva Students being Drafted to the Army, Views of Women, and More Marc B. Shapiro 1. In an earlier post I wrote about R. Shlomo Yosef Zevin and the famous essay about how yeshiva students need to serve in the army, an essay which is widely attributed to him. See here. In the post I cited important information uncovered by David Eisen that complicates the issue (as we see the Zevin family itself is of two…
Response to Criticism Part 4; Rabbi Zvi Yehuda and the Hazon Ish Marc B. Shapiro Continued from here. 1. In Limits,p. 14 n. 55, I write I should call attention to a significant philosophical and halakhic point which appears to have gone unnoticed. The Vilna Gaon (R. Elijah b. Solomon Zalman (1720-97) apparently believed that the First and Second Principles are the only true Principles in Judaism. According to him, one who believes in God’s existence and unity, despite his other…