The Seforim Blog – Page 66 – All about Seforim – New and Old, and Jewish Bibliography

Strife Between Men

November 15, 2016 admin Comments 0 Comment

Strife between Men By Rabbi Shnayor Burton This is an excerpt from his forthcoming book [אורות יעקב [דרושים נבחרים על חיי האבות, Oros Yaakov [selected essays on the forefathers]. This essay, entitled ריב בין אנשים (Strife between Men), deals with Lot and Avraham – their own changing relationship and the relationship of the nations descended from them. It demonstrates that the complex treatment of Amon and Moav, and Ruth’s role therein, are rooted in the Sodom narrative, Lot’s connection to…

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Regarding Haftarah on Simchat Torah and the daily obligation to recite 100 blessings

November 9, 2016 admin Comments 0 Comment

Regarding Haftarah on Simchat Torah and the daily obligation to recite 100 blessings Chaim Sunitsky It is well known that Simchat Torah is not mentioned anywhere in the two Talmuds or Midrashim[1]. In fact we have no proof that in the times of Talmud they used to finish the Torah cycle reading on Simchat Torah. The prevalent minhag in the land of Israel was to read the Torah not in one year but approximately in three[2]. In fact it seems…

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Hitzei Giborim, Tzitzit, and R. Meir Mazuz

October 14, 2016 admin Comments 3 comments

Hitzei Giborim, Tzitzit, and R. Meir Mazuz Marc B. Shapiro 1. In 1969 the journal Moriah appeared, published by Makhon Yerushalayim. From its beginning, this journal published manuscript material from geonim, rishonim, and aharonim, together with Torah articles by contemporary scholars. This created a model that was later followed by a number of other journals. It also became a model for how to publish memorial volumes, as these generally also contain a section of material published from manuscript. Together with the interest…

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The Power of Tefilah during Aseret Yemei Teshuvah

October 6, 2016 admin Comments 0 Comment

The Power of Tefilah during Aseret Yemei Teshuvah By Eliezer Brodt The following is a chapter from my sefer Ben Kesseh Le’assur [still available for purchase, for more information contact me at eliezerbrodt@gmail.com.] מעלת התפילה בעשרת ימי תשובה אליעזר יהודה בראדט א. ר’ יונה מגירונדי בספרו ‘שערי תשובה’ מדריך את האדם כיצד יתנהג בעשרת ימי תשובה: וראוי לכל ירא אלוקים למעט בעסקיו, ולהיות רעיוניו נְחִתִּים, ולקבוע ביום ובלילה עתים להתבודד בחדריו ולחפש דרכיו ולחקור, לקדם אשמורות, ולהתעסק בדרכי התשובה וכשרון…

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The American Yekkes

September 28, 2016 admin Comments 5 comments

The American Yekkes[1] By Yisrael Kashkin As I march around town grasping my Hirsch Siddur, I sometimes am asked, “Are you a Yekke?” to which I answer, “I am an American Yekke.”[2] This statement draws puzzled looks as if I had said that I were an Algonquin Italian. “America is a Germanic country and my family has lived here for a century,” I say, attempting to explain but provoking usually even more puzzlement. For those who want to hear more,…

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New book by Gabriel Wasserman on Karaite Judaism

September 26, 2016 admin Comments 2 comments

Royal Attire: On Karaite and Rabbanite Beliefs by Hakham Mordecai ben Nisan The Karaites are a Jewish group who have been important for centuries of Jewish history, wrote many writings, and are a still extant minority today. Yet most people never get to hear much about them, especially not in their own words. When people in a typical rabbinic beth midrash encounter them, it is often in statements such as that of the Mishna Berura (27:33), that wearing tefillin down…

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