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Book announcement: Roots and Rituals: Insights into Hebrew, Holidays, and History by Mitchell First

Book announcement: Roots and Rituals: Insights into Hebrew, Holidays, and History by Mitchell First

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Book announcement: Roots and Rituals: Insights into Hebrew, Holidays, and History By Eliezer Brodt The Seforim Blog is proud to announce the publication of our contributor Mitchell First’s newest bookRoots and Rituals: Insighats into Hebrew, Holidays, and History (Kodesh Press, 2018.)                         Mitchell First’s 62 short articles address interesting questions about the Hebrew language, liturgy, Jewish history, the calendar and holidays. For example: On Jewish Liturgy: the origin of…

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The Meaning of the Word Hitpallel (התפלל)

The Meaning of the Word Hitpallel (התפלל)

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The Meaning of the Word Hitpallel (התפלל) By Mitchell First[1] MFirstAtty@aol.com It is clear from the many places that it appears in Tanakh that התפלל connotes praying. But what was the original meaning of this word? I was always taught that it meant something like “judge yourself.” Indeed, the standard ArtScroll Siddur (Siddur Kol Yaakov) includes the following in its introductory pages: “The Hebrew verb for praying is מתפלל; it is a reflexive word, meaning that the subject acts upon…

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New Book Announcement: Esther Unmasked: Solving Eleven Mysteries of the Jewish Holidays and Liturgy by Mitchell First

New Book Announcement: Esther Unmasked: Solving Eleven Mysteries of the Jewish Holidays and Liturgy by Mitchell First

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The Seforim blog is proud to announce the publication of our contributor Mitchell First’s newest book, Esther Unmasked: Solving Eleven Mysteries of the Jewish Holidays and Liturgy (Kodesh Press, 2015), available here (http://www.amazon.com/Esther-Unmasked-Solving-Mysteries-Holidays/dp/0692375422). Table of Contents Introduction by Rabbi Hayyim Angel   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   9 Preface   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  …

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The Root of the Word מבול: A Flood of Possibilities

The Root of the Word מבול: A Flood of Possibilities

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                      The Root of the Word מבול: A Flood of Possibilities By Mitchell First[1]  (MFirstatty@aol.com)                                                                                                 A common assumption is that the word מבול means “flood.” This is how the word is translated…

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The Identity and Meaning of Chashmonai

The Identity and Meaning of Chashmonai

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The Identity and Meaning of Chashmonai [1] By Mitchell  First (MFirstatty@aol.com)         The name Chashmonai appears many times in the Babylonian Talmud, but usually the references are vague. The references are either to beit Chashmonai, malkhut Chashmonai, malkhut beit Chashmonai, malkhei beit Chashmonai, or beit dino shel Chashmonai.[2]  One time (at Megillah 11a) the reference is to an individual named Chashmonai, but neither his father nor his sons are named.            The term…

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Le-Tacen Olam (לתכן עולם): Establishing the Correct Text in Aleinu

Le-Tacen Olam (לתכן עולם): Establishing the Correct Text in Aleinu

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Le-Tacen Olam (עולם לתכן): Establishing the Correct Text in Aleinu[1] By Mitchell First (mfirstatty@aol.com)                       The Jewish obligation of עולם תקון (=improving the world) is widely referred to and it is traditionally assumed that the Aleinu prayer is one of the texts upon which this obligation is based.                     This article will show that a very strong case can be made that the original version of Aleinu read עולם לתכן (=to establish the world under God’s sovereignty), and not…

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