Rabbi Chaim Rapoport -- Open Letter to the Yated Ne'eman
Rabbi Chaim Rapoport has penned an Open Letter to the Yated Ne'eman, wherein he seeks to place, among other topics, the views of the late Rav Eliezer Shach into the contemporary discourse. Following...
View ArticleBarukh Dayan Ha-Emet. Rabbi Prof. Mordechai (ben Shamshon) Breuer (1921-2007)
Barukh Dayan Ha-Emet. Rabbi Prof. Mordechai (ben Shamshon) Breuer (also here), scion of the prominent German rabbinical family and world expert on Tanakh and on the Aleppo Codex, has passed away in...
View ArticleNew Book on R. Saul Wahl, King of Poland for a Day
Dr. Neil Rosenstein, who has already published some rather important works on Jewish genealogy generally, as well as on R. Elijah Gaon of Vilna, has published a new book, devoted to R. Saul (Wahl)...
View ArticleTo Adolf, from Cecil
During a Sunday afternoon trip to Biegeleisen in Boro Park, I came across 650-page collection of rare letters from the personal collection of R. David Solomon Sassoon (of Jerusalem, Israel) that has...
View ArticleAdam Mintz -- The Manhattan Eruv
In a previous contribution to the Seforim blog, Rabbi Adam Mintz discussed the significant roles of Rabbi Yosef Eliyahu Henkin and Rabbi Moshe Feinstein in the development of a unique halakhic...
View ArticleEliezer Brodt - The Origins of Hamentashen in Jewish Literature
The Origins of Hamentashen in Jewish Literature:A Historical-Culinary SurveyBy Eliezer BrodtI. IntroductionAs Jews, most of our holidays have special foods specific to them; and behind each culinary...
View ArticleJudah Wistinetzky and Mishloach Manot to his American friends
Ari Kinsberg is one of the great young scholars of American Jewish History (under 40), as he has spent several years researching and editing the two-volume magisterial Hebrew Printing in America...
View ArticleHouse of Goldman Rare Books [est. 1978]
The famed and prestigious Goldman Rare Books [est. 1978] has announced their new web-presence, where remarkable items from their collection of Hebraica & Judaica -- including: American Judaica,...
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R. Avraham ben haGra: A Victim of Plagiarism?
R. Avraham ben haGra: A Victim of Plagiarism?In several previous posts at the Seforim blog, I have discussed instances of plagiarism and, in this post, I would like to mention one of the more famous...
View ArticleC.D. Ginsburg: Demuto Shel ha-Meshumad
OnTheMainLine has an informative post about C.D. Ginsburg, with links to some of the latter's publications, and includes a stellar picture of the famous apostate. For his The Massorah Compiled from...
View ArticleRabbi Adam Mintz: Rabbi Henkin and The First Heter Agunot in America
Rabbi Henkin and The First Heter Agunot in AmericaBy Adam MintzThe tragedy of the agunah, the woman who is unable to receive a get from her husband, has plagued the Jewish people since time...
View ArticleUpcoming Kestenbaum Auction and FREE sefer!
Kestenbaum & Company will be holding a auction on March 22 and their catalog is available online here.For those interested in a free sefer, someone is offering the KeMotzei Shalal Rov for free[!],...
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Marc B. Shapiro: Obituary for R. Yosef Buxbaum zt"l
Obituary: R. Yosef Buxbaum zt"lby Marc B. ShapiroThe Torah world lost a very important figure earlier this month, with the passing of R. Yosef Buxbaum at age 62. In fact, I can’t think of anyone, in...
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Second Annual Dr. Asher Siev Memorial Lecture at YU
The Second Annual Dr. Asher Siev Memorial Lecture will be delivered byA Non-Orthodox Traditional Approach:Reflections on the Authorityof the Moroccan RabbinateDr. Marc B. Shapiro (University of...
View ArticleEliezer Brodt: Review of Halikhot Shlomo, by R. Shlomo Zalman Auerbach
Review of Halikhot Shlomo, by R. Shlomo Zalman AuerbachBy Eliezer BrodtThere is a well known joke which claims that some gedolim have actually been "writing from their graves."[1] The most famous...
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A Behind the Scenes Look at the Banning of HaGaon
It appears that at least one controversial book can not escape being criticized even after a significant passage of time. In this case, R. Dov Eliach's book the R. Elijah, Gaon of Vilna, published...
View ArticlePesach Journals, Had Gadyah, Plagiarism & Bibliographical Errors
Two journals have put out special collections devoted to Pesach. The first, Moriah, has continued their holiday specific journals and collected their third volume of articles devoted to Pesach....
View ArticleNew Books from Mossad ha-Rav Kook AND Marc Shapiro lecture (online)
The rumour that we've all been waiting for has been confirmed!Mossad ha-Rav Kook is publishing volume eight of Prof. Daniel Sperber's Minhagei Yisrael and also reprinting the late Prof. Meir...
View ArticleRabbi Eliezer Brodt on Haggadah shel Pesach: Reflections on the Past and Present
Haggadah shel Pesach:Reflections on the Past and Presentby Eliezer BrodtPerhaps the topic which has engendered the most commentary in Jewish literature is the Haggadah shel Pesach. There are all...
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Haggadah and the Mingling of the Sexes
I have previously attempted to highlight some of the intricacies and history of illustration in haggadahs. While many of the illustrations which appear in the haggadah are directly related to the text...
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