The Jewish Reaction to the Livorno Earthquake of January 27, 1742

The Jewish Reaction to the Livorno Earthquake of January 27, 1742

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The Jewish Reaction to the Livorno Earthquake of January 27, 1742 by Ovadya Hoffman On January 27, 1742 (כב’ שבט תק”ב) an earthquake shook Livorno, Italy to its core. All through the preceding months rumbling shuddered throughout the city. Pasqual R. Pedini, a recognized cleric at the time, elucidated in a letter beginning with the incipient rumblings of Jan. 16 carrying on until 27th a vivid depiction of the earthquake’s manifestation and impact (The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society…

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New book Announcement- Megale Temirin: Special sale

New book Announcement- Megale Temirin: Special sale

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New book Announcement- Megale Temirin: Special sale by Eliezer Brodt יוסף פרל, מגלה טמירין, ההדיר על פי דפוס ראשון וכתבי-יד והוסיף מבוא וביאורים יונתן מאיר, מוסד ביאליק.  ג’ חלקים. כרכים ‘מגלת טמירין’ כולל 345  עמודים +מח עמודים; כרך ‘נספחים’ עמ’ 349-620;  כרך ‘חסידות מדומה’ עיונים בכתביו הסאטיריים של יוסף פרל, 316 עמודים. Megale Temirin (Revealer of Secrets) ed. Jonatan Meir. Three volumes, Mosad Bialik, Jerusalem This is a short description of the work: Megale Temirin, was first published in Vienna…

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TU BISHVAT: TREE AND THOU

TU BISHVAT: TREE AND THOU

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TU BISHVAT: TREE AND THOU by Alan Zelenetz Rabbi Alan Zelenetz, M.Phil. has been professionally involved in Jewish education, academia, and independent scholarship for more than twenty-five years, including leadership positions as principal of Torah and General Studies of Yeshivah of Flatbush Middle Division and Director of Curriculum Development of Teachers College Innovations, Columbia University. DYNAMIC GREEN From their cosmic vantage point in outer space, NASA satellites orbiting our planet beam down real-time streaming video of Earth’s surface. They reveal…

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The Vilna Gaon, part 2 (Review of Eliyahu Stern, The Genius)

The Vilna Gaon, part 2 (Review of Eliyahu Stern, The Genius)

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The Vilna Gaon, part 2 (Review of Eliyahu Stern, The Genius) by Marc B. Shapiro Continued from here. Another reference by the Gaon to the Guide – in this case it is only attributed to him – is found in his comment to Bava Kamma 92b (commenting on (בירא דשתית מיניה לא תשדי בי קלא, which has been published in a number of different sources, most conveniently in the commentary Anaf Yosef to Ein Yaakov, Bava Kamma 92b. The Gaon quoted the Guide as saying that if you find one good thing in a…

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“Torah Study on Christmas Eve” — free Torah in Motion lecture by Dr. Marc B. Shapiro

“Torah Study on Christmas Eve” — free Torah in Motion lecture by Dr. Marc B. Shapiro

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In the spirit of inyana de-yoma, Torah in Motion is offering, free of charge, Dr. Marc B. Shapiro’s lecture on “Torah Study on Christmas Eve,” delivered on Christmas Eve, 2009. You can get it here.[1]   We invite all those who download the class to visit Torah in Motion’s website www.torahinmotion.org where over a thousand other lectures and classes are available for download (including lectures by Dan Rabinowitz, Eliezer Brodt, and Marc Shapiro’s series of over 130 classes on great rabbinic figures). We…

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Book Review: Simon Schama, The Story of the Jews: Finding the Words, 1000 BCE – 1492 CE

Book Review: Simon Schama, The Story of the Jews: Finding the Words, 1000 BCE – 1492 CE

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Review of Simon Schama, The Story of the Jews: Finding the Words, 1000 BCE – 1492 CE by Marc Saperstein Simon Schama’s The Story of the Jews, covering the period 1000 BCE to 1492 (actually 1497) CE, was for one week (October 5) at the top of the Guardian Bookshop Bestsellers list: a rare achievement for a serious book of Jewish history covering the pre-modern period. It was published in the middle of five one-hour prime-time Sunday evening BBC television presentations,…

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