R' Orenstein, Author of the Yesuos Yaakov: The Controversy Over Publication...
R' Orenstein, Author of the Yesuos Yaakov: The Controversy Over Publication of his Worksby R. Yosaif M. DubovickR. Y. Dubovick has published many articles on diverse topics. He is currently working on...
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Marc B. Shapiro - Responses to Comments and Elaborations of Previous Posts III
Responses to Comments and Elaborations of Previous Posts IIIby Marc B. Shapiro This post is dedicated to the memory of Rabbi Chaim Flom, late rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Ohr David in Jerusalem. I first...
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Akiva Leiman: Gravely Mistaken
Gravely Mistaken by Akiva Leiman R. Leiman teaches high school at the Yeshiva of Greater Washington in Silver Spring, Maryland. Additionally, he leads trips to sites of Jewish interest in Eastern...
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Can a Segulah Free an Agunah? Jewish Beliefs & Practices for Locating a...
Can A Segulah Free an Agunah? Jewish Beliefs and Practices for Locating a Drowned Body By Bency Eichorn Bency Eichorn learns in kollel and, on the side, has been researching about various segulos. For...
View ArticleThe Tree Murderers I
This post introduces a new series of posts discussing recently published seforim. Specifically, we shall focus on seforim that should never have been printed. The first such sefer is R. Aaron...
View ArticleTevie Kagan: The Enigmatic R. David Lida
The Enigmatic R. David Lida by Tevie Kagan Tevie Kagan works in the Seforim industry. This is his first post for the TraditionOnline Seforim blog. Part I: R. David of Lida and Plagiarism R. David ben...
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Shnayer Leiman: Notes on Rabbinic Epitaphs I
Notes on Rabbinic Epitaphs: I by: Shnayer Leiman The newly recovered tombstone of R. Yosef Trani (1568-1639), the Maharit, among the greatest of the early aharonim,1 is a truly remarkable event. The...
View ArticleRepackaged Rulings: The Responsa of R. Elyashiv
Repackaged Rulings: The Responsa of R. Elyashiv by: Yitzhak of בין דין לדין Wolf2191 recently wrote: N.B. I believe I noticed that some of the pesakim that R' Elyashiv issued when he was part of the...
View ArticlePost on my sefer
Announcing The Publication of Eliezer Brodt's Bein Kesah L'Asurby Eliezer BrodtThis post is not a review of a sefer as one can not review ones own sefer. Rather it is a simple announcement and book...
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Eliezer Kallir - Updated
Eliezer Kallir, is considered one of the greatest paytanim. He authored some of the most well known piyyutim including those said for geshem and tal, as well as many others (although most of his...
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Pini Dunner - Handbill Defending the Use of the Corfu Etrogim
Pini Dunner B.A (Hons), formerly rabbi of London's Saatchi Synagogue, is an avid collector of polemical and controversial Hebraica, with a very large, diverse private collection of such material. Many...
View ArticleDr. Lange's Commentary on Koheleth
In a recent post, Dr. Leiman noted that Rabbi Dr. Dovid Tzvi Hoffmann's commentary on Shemot is being translated into Hebrew and printed in the near future. While the volume on Shemot will be...
View ArticleReview of Amudim be-Toldot Sefer ha-I...
Review of Amudim be-Toldot Sefer ha-Ivri Haghot u-Maghim by Eliezer Brodt and Dan Rabinowitz Yaakov S. Spiegel, Amudim be-Tolodot Sefer ha-Ivri Haghot u-Maghim (Chapters in the History of the Jewish...
View ArticleBaranovich Auction
Yeshiva Ahavas Torah, Baranovich is having an auction Wednesday, November 19th. One can download the catalog here. While I don't intend to cover the whole catalog, I want to briefly highlight a few...
View ArticleRabbis & History: A Review of the Koreh HaDorot, Ahavat Shalom ed
Rabbis & History: A Review of the Koreh HaDorot, Ahavat Shalom ed. by Eliezer BrodtThis is the first post in what I hope to be a series on various attitudes towards studying history. The prism...
View ArticleJordan S. Penkower: A Note Regarding R. Menahem de Lonzano
A Note Regarding R. Menahem de Lonzanoby Jordan S. PenkowerI would like to call attention to the following points in reference to R. Menahem de Lonzano, as mentioned in Koreh HaDorot by R. David...
View ArticleTevie Kagan: The Enigmatic R. David Lida Part II
The Enigmatic R. David Lida Part IIby Tevie Kagan R. David of Lida and Sabbateanism The case for Sabbatean leanings in R. David ben Aryeh Leib of Lida's works are somewhat cloudy. The first clear...
View ArticleTwo Editions of R. Chaim Berlin's Responsa: An Egregious Example of Censorship
Two Editions of R. Chaim Berlin's Responsa: An Egregious Example of Censorshipby Eliezer Brodt R. Chaim Berlin, Sefer Nishmat Hayyim, She'elot u-Teshuvot, R. Ya'akov Kosovsky-Shachor ed.,...
View ArticleUpcoming December Auctions
In the next few weeks there are a bunch of auctions. First, is Sotheby's auction of the "Delmonico" collection. This collection, of an anonymous collector, is amazing. It includes fifty incunabula...
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Book Review: The Koren Sacks Bilingual Edition of the Siddur
Book Review: The Koren Sacks Siddurby Elli Fischer Rabbi Elli Fischer is a freelance translator living in Modiin, Israel. He maintains the "On the Contrary: Judasim with Comments Enabled "...
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Caught in the Act: An Unknown Admission of Plagiarism
While we have had the opportunity to discuss plagiarism on multiple occasions, it is rare in the Jewish world that a plagiarizer is caught and admits their mistake. As such I wanted to discuss such...
View ArticleThe Name Machabee
The Name Machabee Recently, a whole spate of books have been published, both in English and Hebrew, discussing names (see below for a partial list). These works tend to focus on the alleged...
View ArticleEliezer Brodt: The Chanukah Omission
The Chanukah Omissionby Eliezer Brodt Every Yom Tov we celebrate has different questions relating to it which become famous and are discussed from all different angles. Chanukah too has its share of...
View ArticleReview: Macsanyuh Shel Torah
Review: Me'achsanya Shel ha-Torah by Eliezer Brodt Me'achsanya Shel ha-Torah, Rabbi Moshe Hubner, ed., New York, 2008, 297 pp. As mentioned in the past, there is an austounding amount of seforim...
View ArticleSnow: A Review of Ha-Noten Sheleg
Y. Meiselman, Ha-Noten Sheleg, Be-Inyanei ha-Sheleg veha-Kerach be-Halacha, Holon, 2001, 266 pp.With winter approaching, a review of a work devoted to the topic of snow is particularly appropriate....
View ArticleSome Observations Regarding Approbations for Hebrew Books
Haskamot (rabbinical approbations) to Hebrew books have an very interesting history. There are a few different forms of haskamot, perhaps the most important form is that which granted the author...
View ArticleA Note on the Latin Dedication in the Rabbinic Bible of Venice 1517
A Note on the Latin Dedication in the Rabbinic Bible of Venice 1517 by: Jordan S. Penkower In response to the recent post at the Seforim Blog about approbations of Hebrew books, a correction is in...
View ArticleReview of Ma'amar al Yishma'el
Review: Ma'amar al Yishma'el by Eliezer Brodt & Ish Sefer Solomon Ibn Aderet, Ma'amar al Yishma'el, Bezalel Naor ed., Spring Valley, NY, 2008, 178 pp. Bezalel Naor, Mitsvat Hashem Barah, Spring...
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Thoughts on Confrontation & Sundry Matters Part I
Thoughts on "Confrontation" and Sundry Matters, Part I By: Marc B. Shapiro Rabbi Meir Soloveichik's year-old essay, "No Friend in Jesus,"1 caused me to once again think about the Rav's essay...
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Marc B. Shapiro: Thoughts on Confrontation & Sundry Matters Part II
Thoughts on "Confrontation" and Sundry Matters Part IIBy: Marc B. Shapiro What follows is a continuation of this post.Some people are so set on showing the differences between Christianity and Judaism...
View ArticleMessage From Professor Haym Soloveitchik
Message From Professor Haym SoloveitchikIt has come to my attention that a critique of my article "Halakhah, Hermeneutics and Martyrdom" published by the Jewish Quarterly Review has appeared in the...
View ArticleDavid Berger: A Brief Response To Marc B. Shapiro
A Brief Response To Marc B. Shapiro by David BergerIn response to Prof. Marc B. Shapiro's recent comments in, "Thoughts on Confrontation & Sundry Matters Part II," Prof. David Berger, submitted...
View ArticleReview of Quntres
Review of Quntres by B. Jackson First, a quick note regarding Prof. Haym Soloveitchik's apparent position that anonymous critiques are inappropriate. It appears that his position overlooks at least...
View ArticleMilah Books & Manuals
Milah Books & Manuals by Eliezer Brodt & Ish Sefer Much has been written on milah. Hebrew Books has over forty seforim on this topic. There are those books that discuss the various...
View ArticleDaniel J. Lasker - Birkat Ha-Hammah 5769
Get Ready – It's Almost Time to Bless the Sun by 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...
View ArticleElliott Horowitz - Modern Amalekites: From Adolf to Avigdor
In a previous post at the Seforim blog, Prof. Elliott Horowitz of Bar Ilan University and co-editor of Jewish Quarterly Review, described Isaiah Berlin on Meir Berlin (Bar-Ilan) and Saul Lieberman...
View ArticleNew Books from Biegeleisen
New Books from BiegeleisenWhile Eliezer is in the midst of preparing a comprehensive list of new seforim issued in the past months, I wanted to provide a shorter list of new seforim that I have...
View ArticleNew Books from Biegeleisen - May 2009
See here for the previous lists.Halkhot Gedolot, Berlin-Hildesheimer ed., Otzreinu, Toronto, 2009, 2 vol., 22, 162, [3]; 652 pp.: This is a reprint of the important Geonic work based upon a different...
View ArticleNon-Jewish Iconography in Hebrew Books
As we have discussed on numerous occasions, Hebrew books contain a fair amount of non-Jewish iconography and imagery that is of non-Jewish origin. See, for example, here, here, here and here. Of...
View ArticleWine, Women & Song: Some Remarks on Poetry & Grammar - Part I
Wine, Women and Song: Some Remarks On Poetry and Grammar - Part Iby Yitzhak of בין דין לדין [This is the first of three parts; I am greatly indebted to Andy and Wolf2191 for their valuable comments,...
View ArticleElliott Horowitz -- 'The Howling Place of the Jews'
“The Howling Place of the Jews” in the Nineteenth Century: From William Wilde to Ahad Ha’am by Elliott Horowitz In previous posts at the Seforim blog, Elliott Horowitz of Bar Ilan University,...
View ArticleA Shanda fur die Goyim: Hillul Ha-Shem in the Eyes of Non-Jews
חילול השם בעיני אומות העולם (א)מאת ר' יחיאל גולדהבר וְלֹא תְחַלְּלוּ אֶת שֵׁם קָדְשִׁי וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲנִי ד' מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם (ויקרא כב, לב). כך בא הכתוב לומר, כאשר רוצים...
View ArticleWine, Women & Song: Some Remarks on Poetry & Grammar - Part II
Wine, Women and Song: Some Remarks On Poetry and Grammar - Part IIBy: Yitzhak of בין דין לדין [In addition to reiterating my thanks to Andy and Wolf2191 for their assistance and encouragement, I wish...
View ArticleA Gemeinde Gemeinheit
A Gemeinde Gemeinheitby Shlomo and Mati Sprecher We are delighted that the occasion of our son’s wedding (Uri Sprecher to Rivi Zand, 4 Kislev 5769) solved a 150-year-old bibliographic mystery. When we...
View ArticleA Shanda fur die Goyim: Hillul Ha-Shem in the Eyes of Non-Jews II
חילול השם בעיני אומות העולם (ב) מאת ר' יחיאל גולדהבר חלק א נמצא פה נחזור על הראשונות ביריעה הראשונה הארכתי במקורות הראשונים שכתבו אודות חילול הדת בעיני הגוים. היינו דבר שעל פי דין מותר לעשותו, והואיל...
View ArticleShavua HaSefer sale on Hardrives
Annual Shavua HaSefer sale on computerized (digital) Seforim Libraries. 1) Otzar HaChochma This year the sale will be 30% off the regular price. The sale will be from June 7 thru June 27. The prices...
View Articleאימתי פסקה טהרת אפר פרה אדומה
אימתי פסקה טהרת אפר פרה אדומה מאת: אליעזר יהודה בראדט[*] א. כבר הבאנו לעיל[2] את דברי התלמוד ירושלמי המוסר את אזהרת רב חייא לתלמידו רב: "רבי חייא רובא מפקד לרב: אין את יכיל מיכול כל שתא חולין בטהרה...
View ArticleThe Peh/Ayin Order in the Acrostics of the Book of Eichah
The Peh/Ayin Order in the Acrostics of the Book of Eichahby Mitchell First[1] The first four chapters of the book of Eichah comprise alphabetical acrostics. In the acrostics in chapters 2, 3 and 4,...
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