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Tag: Relating to Siddur

Bibliography, Why It’s Important

Bibliography, Why It’s Important

In Professor Daniel Sperber’s latest book, Netivot Pesikah (Jerusalem, Reuven Mass, 2008), one of the areas he discusses the importance of having an awareness of is bibliography. As Eliezer Brodt noted in his review at the Seforim blog, Sperber provides examples where people have gone wrong due to their lack of bibliographical knowledge. Of course, long before Sperber, the importance of Jewish bibliography was already noted by R. Shabbatai Bass, most well-known for his super-commentary on Rashi, Siftei Hakahmim, but…

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An Attack and Defense of the ArtScroll Talmud and Addendum to the Dec. 2007 Book List

An Attack and Defense of the ArtScroll Talmud and Addendum to the Dec. 2007 Book List

Ohr Yisrael no. 50 (Tevet, 5768); 256 pages. The new issue of Ohr Yisrael, no. 50. has a couple of articles I wanted to highlight. First, they have a section devoted to essentially whether the ArtScroll Gemara is a good thing or not. While in the United States the English version has been around for awhile, only recently has the Hebrew edition been on the market and it appears that it is very popular. Thus, there are those who are…

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Daniel J. Lasker – “December 6 Is Coming: Get Out the Umbrellas”

Daniel J. Lasker – “December 6 Is Coming: Get Out the Umbrellas”

December 6 Is Coming: Get Out the UmbrellasBy Daniel J. Lasker Daniel J. Lasker is Norbert Blechner Professor of Jewish Values at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, and is chair of the Goldstein-Goren Department of Jewish Thought. His landmark work Jewish Philosophical Polemics against Christianity in the Middle Ages, originally published in 1977, was recently republished with a new introduction in 2007. This is Professor Lasker’s first post at the Seforim blog. We Jews in Israel have been…

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Teffilah Zakah: History of a Controversial Prayer

Teffilah Zakah: History of a Controversial Prayer

Teffilah Zakah:History of a Controversial Prayer* Yom Kippur has many unique prayers, many of them have been added through the centuries. For instance, R. Hayyim Yosef Dovid Azulai (Hida) has a longer viduy. Another such addition is the prayer known as Teffilah Zakah. In this prayer the person enumerates and connects their various sins with various acts and asks for forgiveness. Additionally, the person forgives any who have caused them pain or harmed them. This prayer was popularized by R….

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Candles on Yom Kippur: Reinstating a Lost Minhag

Candles on Yom Kippur: Reinstating a Lost Minhag

The Physical and Spiritual Light of Yom Kippur:Reinstating a Lost Minhag to Enhance the Spirituality of Today’s Synagogue by: Rabbis Aaron Goldscheider & Barry Kornblau* Introduction “Or Zarua la’tzadik – Light is sown for the righteous.” Each year, we begin our Yom Kippur prayers with these repeated, resounding words which Aruch Hashulchan tells us refer to “great matters that are beyond explanation.” If there is one evening of the entire Jewish year when we most seek the great, inexplicable light…

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Machnesi Rachamim – Praying to Angels

Machnesi Rachamim – Praying to Angels

For those interested in the topic of the permissibility of praying to angels and the controversy surrounding this topic see the post on Machnesi Rachamim and Plagiarism which has been updated a bit and now includes some interesting scans. One scan in particular, the title page, is a case of a very elaborate and somewhat unique illustrated title page. In the next couple of days I hope to return to this topic and debunk a popular explanation regarding a well-known…

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