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Tag: Bibliographical Oddities

Haggadah, First Hebrew Map, and Forgery

Haggadah, First Hebrew Map, and Forgery

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One of the most beautifully done haggadot is that of the Amsterdam, 1695. This haggadah for the first time used copperplate instead of woodcuts to produce the illustrations. Consequently, the illustrations are sharper and more intricate. The illustrator, Avrohom bar Ya’akov mimispchto shel Avrohom avenu, as is apparent from his name, was a convert. Before converting he was a preacher. His edition of the haggadah was special not only for the copperplate and the illustrations, but for a specific illustration,…

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Separate Beds More on Illustrated Haggadot

Separate Beds More on Illustrated Haggadot

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As part of the hagadah there is an extensive discussion where various verses are discussed in depth. One of the verses, Devarim 26:7, says that “God heard our pain” (וירא את ענינו), this is interpreted in the hagadah as refraining from martial relations. In the Venice 1629 edition of the hagadah this is illustrated by having husband and wife sleeping in separate beds. [As you can also see, for some reason the text of this edition has two yuds in…

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Prague 1526 Haggadah

Prague 1526 Haggadah

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The first fully illustrated haggadah was the Prague 1526 haggadah. This haggadah was reprinted in 1977 by Mekor and is now available for everyone at the Jewish National University Library site here. (They have other important haggadas available for viewing including some of the earliest haggadas). The Prague haggadah is filled with fascinating and important illustrations. As we have seen previously, the Prague haggadah contained nudes, which when appropriated later were removed. This included in the haggadah context as well…

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The Ban on the book HaGaon

The Ban on the book HaGaon

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Now, as the Yiddish newspaper Der Yid has gotten around to commenting on the book HaGaon, I thought it would be worthwhile flesh out the entire controversy surrounding this book. Interestingly, R. Kamentsky in Making of a Godol actually discusses this very topic, although not in the context of HaGaon. HaGaon written by R. Dov Eliakh in three volumes discusses everything and anything having to do with the Vilna Gaon. Most of the book is not controversial at all, instead,…

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Plagiarism II (Talmudic Terminology)

Plagiarism II (Talmudic Terminology)

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In 1988, Rabbi Nosson Dovid Rabinowich published a book titled Talmudic Terminology. However, as was noted in brief by Dr. Marc Shapiro, this was plagiarized from Moses Mielziner’s Introduction to the Talmud, first published in 1894. This omission, however, has been corrected in Rabinowich’s reprints of his Talmudic Terminology where the title now reads that Rabinowich’s work is “adapted” from Mielziner’s. While this would appear to be the end of the matter it is not. Dr. Shapiro has investigated this…

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Plagiarism I

Plagiarism I

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As some of you have brought up in the comments regarding other works that had been plagiarized I thought it would be appropriate to discuss some of the more famous and those less so of instances of plagiarism. The first example, is perhaps the most well-known one, that of the work Mekore Minhagim. This work which in question and answer form, discusses the sources and reasons for various customs was first printed in 1846 in Berlin by R. Avrohom Lewysohn…

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