More About Rashbam on Genesis Chapter 1 and Further Comments about ArtScroll

More About Rashbam on Genesis Chapter 1 and Further Comments about ArtScroll

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More About Rashbam on Genesis Chapter 1 and Further Comments about ArtScroll By Marc B. Shapiro I had thought that I was done with ArtScroll’s censorship of Rashbam to Genesis chapter 1, but a number of people wanted some explanation about the manuscript of Rashbam’s commentary. This will also give me the opportunity to add some more comments about this distressing episode.[1] In my prior post on the topic, available here, I referred to Rabbenu Tam’s strong words against those who…

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Book week 2015

Book week 2015

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Book week 2015 By Eliezer Brodt Book week just began in Eretz Yisrael. As I have written in previous years every year in Israel, around Shavous time, there is a period of about ten days called Shavuah Hasefer – Book Week (for previous years lists see  here, here, here, here, here, here,  here and here). One should take advantage of this sale as a law was passed recently against sales on newly published books, for the first 18 months after…

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פיוט צרפתי לא-ידוע לחג השבועות

פיוט צרפתי לא-ידוע לחג השבועות

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פיוט צרפתי לא-ידוע לחג השבועות מאת גבריאל וסרמן לכל חובבי המחזורים של ד’ גודלשמידט וחתנו י’ פרנקל, “לפי מנהגי בני אשכנז לכל ענפיהם: כולל מנהג אשכנז (המערבי) מנהג פולין ומנהג צרפת לשעבר”, ידוע נוסח התפילה והפיוטים של יהודי צרפת בימי הביניים היה דומה, אך שונה, מזה של בני אשכנז וצאציהם היום. במנהג אשכנז (בחו”ל), אומרים שתי קדושתאות (מערכות פיוטים שמקשטות את תחילת העמידה עד הקדושה) בשבועות, אחת ביו”ט ראשון ואחת ביו”ט שני: “ארץ מטה” של ר’ אלעזר בירבי קליר, ו”אורח…

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“Be-Esek Atevata”: A Contextual Interpretation of an Elusive Phrase in Akdamut Millin

“Be-Esek Atevata”: A Contextual Interpretation of an Elusive Phrase in Akdamut Millin

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“Be-Esek Atevata”: A Contextual Interpretation of an Elusive Phrase in Akdamut Millin by David S. Zinberg A centerpiece of the Ashkenazic liturgy for Shavuot, Akdamut Millin is an artistically sophisticated, epically dramatic, and emotionally charged piyyut.  After nearly a millennium, the liturgical-narrative masterpiece of R. Meir ben Yitzhak Sheliah Tzibbur continues to intrigue and to inspire.[1]  Towards the middle of the poem, the poet abruptly changes scenes.  Speaking in his own voice, he announces that he will now praise God “before empires”: שְׁבַח ריבון…

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Megilat Rut: The night of Boaz and Rut Revisited

Megilat Rut: The night of Boaz and Rut Revisited

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Megilat Rut[1]: The night of Boaz and Rut Revisited  By Chaim Sunitsky In a well known story of Megilat Rut, Naomi tells Ruth to bathe herself, put on her [best] clothes and go down at night to where Boaz is sleeping. Boaz then will “tell her” what to do. The simple implication of this story is that Ruth would be sent to make a marriage proposal to Boaz who could simply consummate the marriage immediately.[2] It has been already noted[3]…

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An (almost) Unknown Halakhic Work by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi and an attempt to answer the question: who punctuated the first edition of the Shulhan Arukh?

An (almost) Unknown Halakhic Work by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi and an attempt to answer the question: who punctuated the first edition of the Shulhan Arukh?

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An (almost) Unknown Halakhic Work by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi and an attempt to answer the question: who punctuated the first edition of the Shulhan Arukh?  by Chaim Katz Chaim Katz is a database computer programmer in Montreal Quebec. He graduated from McGill University and studied in Lubavitch Yeshivoth in Israel and New York. In 1980, the late Rabbi Yehoshua Mondshine published a manuscript, which was a list of chapters and paragraphs (halakhot  and se’fim), selected by Rabbi Shneur…

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