The Seforim Blog – Page 27 – All about Seforim – New and Old, and Jewish Bibliography

The Medical Training and Yet Another (Previously Unknown) Legacy of Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski, zt”l

February 2, 2021 admin Comments 22 comments

The Medical Training and Yet Another (Previously Unknown) Legacy of Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski, zt”l by Edward Reichman and Menachem Butler Rabbi Dr. Edward Reichman is a Professor of Emergency Medicine and Professor in the Division of Education and Bioethics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He writes and lectures widely in the field of Jewish medical ethics. Mr. Menachem Butler is Program Fellow for Jewish Legal Studies at The Julis-Rabinowitz Program on Jewish and Israeli Law at…

Read More Read More

More on “New Notes Added in the Koren Talmud”

February 1, 2021 admin Comments 2 comments

More on “New Notes Added in the Koren Talmud” Shalom Z. Berger In what seems like another lifetime but was just over a year ago, the Jewish world celebrated the 13th Daf Yomi Siyum HaShas. The beginning of the 14th cycle led to a revisiting of the Koren Talmud Bavli that had appeared in print for the first time in concert with the previous cycle. In a Seforim Blog post, Chaim Katz pointed out that the new English edition included…

Read More Read More

Picturing Pandemic Prayer

January 29, 2021 admin Comments 6 comments

Picturing Pandemic Prayer Edward Reichman (with invaluable assistance and inspiration from Menachem Butler and Sharon Liberman Mintz) Among the precious items recently offered by Sotheby’s at its auction of important Judaica (December 17, 2020) was a richly illustrated miniature book of prayers written and illustrated by Nathan ben Samson of Meseritch, 1728 (here). Nestled among the spectacular illustrations and prayers reflecting all aspects of life we find the page below:[1] This largely forgotten prayer recited upon seeing one recently recovered…

Read More Read More

Is there a rotten apple in the Tu-BeShevat Fruit Basket?

January 27, 2021 admin Comments 3 comments

Is there a rotten apple in the Tu-BeShevat Fruit Basket? By Dan Rabinowitz and Eliezer Brodt [This post is heavily updated from an earlier Seforim Blog post – here] Some claim that the origins of the custom to celebrate Tu-beShevat as a holiday that includes eating fruits and other rituals, is Sabbatean. In the main, this assertion is based upon identifying the work Hemdat Yamim as the source for Tu-beShevat as a holiday and eating fruit and other rituals. Thus,…

Read More Read More

Igrot Shmuel: Possible Second printing sign up

January 22, 2021 admin Comments 0 Comment

Update about Igrot Shmuel: Possible Second printing sign up By Eliezer Brodt Less than two weeks ago I announced the publication of R’ Shmuel Ashkenazi’s monumental collection of letters, Igrot Shmuel (see here). I would like to follow up with a small update about the project. After a long wait of about 12 years, we were privileged to bring to print approximately one thousand letters of R’ Shmuel Ashkenazi, in 3 volumes, 1800 pages titled, Igrot Shmuel. A mere four to…

Read More Read More

Four Perplexing Words in Rashi

January 20, 2021 admin Comments 10 comments

Four Perplexing Words in Rashi By Eli Genauer Shemot Perek 11, Pasuk 9: (ט) וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, לֹא-יִשְׁמַע אֲלֵיכֶם פַּרְעֹה–לְמַעַן רְבוֹת מוֹפְתַי, בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם׃ Al HaTorah (based on the manuscript Leipzig 1) records Rashi’s comment on למען רבות מופתי as follows: רש“י: למען רבות מופתי – מכת בכורות, וקריעת ים סוף, ולנער את מצרים. Here is Leipzig 1: Artscroll Sapirstein edition (Brooklyn 1994) adds the words “מופתי שנים, רבות שלשה” in brackets at the beginning. The words appear without any type…

Read More Read More