The Vilna Gaon's Talmud
Mississippi Fred McDowell, has posted re: the Vilna Gaon's Yerushalmi edition. However, I would like to discuss which edition of the Bavli the Vilna Gaon had. This is a rather important especially in...
View ArticleHebrew Printing in America 1735-1926 - Review I
There is a new work in Jewish bibliography focusing on American Jews. This work "Hebrew Printing in America 1735-1926: A History and Annotated Bibliography" by Yosef Goldman. (It can be obtained by...
View ArticleNew Book Lists
There are two new list of out-of-print seforim available. The first, is via email, you can request the list from sba-at-sba2.com. The second is mainly a list of German imprints (it includes a couple...
View ArticleHebrew Printing in America 1735-1926 - Review II
The post below is a continuation from this prior post.America posed some unique questions regarding marriage and divorce laws. In the early period of American Jewish history, many people were not...
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R. Shabbtai the Bassist, the First Hebrew Bibliographer
The JNUL has just put up the first Hebrew bibliography, Siftei Yeshenim. This work is written by R. Shabbtai Bass. R. Shabbtai is perhaps most well known for his commentary on Rashi 'al haTorah titled...
View ArticleSeforim For Sale
R. Landy of the Lower East Side has purchased a significant library and is now selling them. Unfortunately, I have yet to see these in person, however, from what has been related to me via telephone,...
View ArticleListing of New Seforim
What follows is a list of new seforim I have recently purchased; for prior lists see the "New Books Lists" on the sidebar.1. Indices To The Emden-Eybeschuetz Controversy Literature by Gershom G....
View Article17th of Tamuz and Edgar Allan Poe
The Mishna in Tannit records that 5 bad events occured on the 17th of Tamuz, one being the cessation of the daily sacrifice, the tamid. However, the Bavli does not as it does for the other four...
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A Flat or Round Earth and the Zohar
The Babylonian Talmud ("BT") clearly held the Earth was flat. R. Azariah de Rossi, in his Me'or Enayim devotes more or less a chapter to understanding the view of the BT on this issue.De Rossi...
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Bedatz Bans HaGaon
As discussed previously, there are some, mainly Hassidim, who had strong objections to R. Eliach's biography HaGaon. Now it appears that Bedatz of Jerusalem has also issued a ban on the work (thanks...
View ArticleWhere are the Temple Vessels?
It seems that among many, it is assumed the temple vessels (klei haMikdash) are housed in the Vatican.In 2004, Rabbis Amar and Metzger asked the Pope to return the temple vessels. Earlier, Shimon...
View ArticleControversial Book on the Development of the Siddur
In the Jewish liturgy there is a fundamental question dealing with the composition of the Hebrew found therein. There are two major types of Hebrew - Rabbinic and Biblical. The question becomes which...
View ArticleJews, Beards and Portraits
"If men be judged wise by their beards and their girth, Then goats would be the wisest creatures on Earth."With the High Holidays approaching one of the more interesting attributes which takes a more...
View ArticleAuction Catalog & New Book
Kestenbaum has put up their latest catalog for their auction of September 12 2006. It has some rather nice pieces.Just to highlight one. They have the Siddur by R. Jacob Emden. While this siddur in...
View ArticleThe Custom of Reciting l'Dovid HaShem Ori
A fairly universal custom is to recite the passage from Psalms l'Dovid Hashem Ori twice a day during the month of Elul. A question which has received renewed scrutiny recently is where this custom...
View ArticleTikkun Soferim - Later Amendations to the Torah?
For the full recovery of HaRav R. J. WassersteinI heard a very interesting speech this weekend [which S. had previously discussed here as well], and I have decided to expand some on it.In this weeks...
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The Hatam Sofer's Humor
For Nachi and Matt and their love of noses.I heard the following from Dr. Leiman. In the Hatam Sofer's yeshiva in Pressburg, it was the custom for all to wear hats while learning. This included fairly...
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Machnesi Rachamim and Plagerism
This Saturday night many begin to say the Selichot prayers. There is one prayer in particular that has raised question throughout the centuries, Machnesi Rachmim. This prayer, which asks the angels to...
View ArticleCustom, Confusion, and Remembrances
There is an excellent book in which a women describes growing up in Lithuana in the early and mid 1800's. This book, Rememberings, originally written in German, has recently been translated into...
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R. Akiva Yosef Schlesinger, Tikkat Shofar on Shabbat & plagiarism (of course)
Menachem Mendel has a very good post discussing the issues and the history regarding the propriety of blowing the shofar on Rosh HaShana when it falls on Shabbat. A central figure in this discussion...
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