Torah Under Wraps
…“I, for one, find exaggeration on both sides,” wrote Henkin to Deblitsky regarding the polemic within the forum surrounding the figure of the late Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein. “Be it the…
Answers to Quiz Questions and Other Comments, part 1
…authorities who feel that there is no blanket prohibition on hearing a woman’s singing voice,[13] a viewpoint that has recently been resurrected by Rabbis Moshe Lichtenstein,[14] David Bigman[15] and Avraham…
Review: Contemporary Uses and Forms of Hasidut, edited by Shlomo Zuckier
…transported to Yeshivat Har Etzion (in Gush Etzion), when Rabbi Yosef Dov’s son-in-law Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein became rosh yeshivah there in 1971. The Soloveichik Family, descendants of Rabbi Hayyim of…
A Printing Mistake and the Mysterious Origins of Rashbi’s Yahrzeit*
…about davening at kevarim in general see Yehezkal Lichtenstein, Me-Tumah Le-Kedusha, pp. 218-242, 293-386. [17] M. Zulay published very early Piyutim that seem to show that Hillel and Shammai were…
A Young Man Holding a Torah Scroll and a Young Woman Holding a Book: The Life and Afterlife of Two Illustrations
…Z[usha] Friedman, “Di arbit far der zumer kolonye ‘Yehudis” in licht fun tsifern” (the work for the summer camp ‘Yehudis’ in light of numbers), Bais Yaakov 104 (1933), 9-11. [16]…
Another Obvious Mistake, More Grammatical Points, Bubbe Mayseh, Apostates and the Zohar
…knew perfectly well that he was dodging the question, and if the definition of haredi is one who is completely halakhically observant, then R. Soloveitchik and R. Lichtenstein (and endless…
Wine, Women & Song Some Remarks on Poetry & Grammar – Part I
…Seforim Blog as a subject of Rav Aharon Lichtenstein’s doctoral dissertation:[9] THE Measure is English Heroic Verse without Rime, as that of Homer in Greek, and Virgil in Latin; Rhime…
Daily Birkat Cohanim in the Diaspora
…references, which supplements that which was cited in the preceding note. [5] For some reason that sentence is bracketed in that edition. [6] Ed. Eliyahu Lichtenstein, Jerusalem 1975, p.97. And…
Was Professor Saul Lieberman “Orthodox” or “Conservative”? [1]
…at JTS should be sh’lomei emunei yisrael and that the students and graduates should beshomrei torah u-mitzvot ka-rauy v’khayaut.” Lieberman did not care about labels but rather about substance, and in this…
In Praise of Ephemera: A Picture Postcard from Vilna Reveals its Secrets More than One Hundred Years after its Original Publication
…as a pogrom. On the other hand, to label those events a mere “disturbance” does not begin to capture the malevolent intent of the perpetrators directed specifically against Jews, and…
Shnayer Leiman – The New Encyclopaedia Judaica: Some Preliminary Observations
…are hardly in. Not for nothing did we label these comments “preliminary observations.” Much more needs to be investigated before one can judge how well NEJ has captured the totality…
The “Doctored” Medical Diploma of Samuel, the Son of Menasseh Ben Israel: Forgery or “For Jewry”?
…with Griffith’s analysis assume the answer to be a resounding yes, some even labelling it a “brazen” forgery.[33] There is no evidence of any suspicion of the document’s veracity during…
Depicting Difference: The Tower of Babel and the Language of Sacred Art
…Firstly, the labeling of the images aligns with Jewish tradition, specifically referencing Dor Haflagah. Secondly, Bruegel’s comprehensive visual representation notably omits any mention of violence. The interpretation that linguistic confusion…
Elliott Horowitz – “”Most of all you’ve got to hide it from the kids…’ Reading Esther before Bed”
…explained away” by some, but also “exaggerated and falsely labelled” by others.” The best solution, he believed was to let readers, young and old, judge for themselves. There were other…
A Conversation With Professor Marcin Wodziński on Hasidism
…know. “The ruling party is right-wing, and in Europe right-wing parties are very closely associated with anti-Semitic ideologies, but they are very wary of being labeled antiSemitic. For this reason,…