Kol Nidrei, Choirs, and Beethoven: The Eternity of the Jewish Musical Tradition
Kol Nidrei, Choirs, and Beethoven: The Eternity of the Jewish Musical Tradition On April 23, 1902, the cornerstone to the Taharat Ha-Kodesh synagogue was laid, and on Rosh Ha-Shana the next year,...
View ArticleSimchas Torah & a Lost Minhag of the Gra
Simchas Torah & a Lost Minhag of the GraBy Eliezer BrodtChol HaMoed Succos is the Yarzheit of the Vilna Gaon (for an earlier post on the Gra see here and here). In this post I hope to show a source...
View ArticleYoung Rabbis and All About Olives
Young Rabbis and All About OlivesMarc B. ShapiroI am currently working on a book focused on the thought of R. Kook, in particular his newly released publications. A book recently appeared titled Siah...
View ArticleFoie Gras "Fake News": A Fictitious Rashi and a Strangely Translated Ethical...
Foie Gras "Fake News": A Fictitious Rashi and a Strangely Translated Ethical Willby Ari Z. ZivotofskyControversial topics can sometimes lead to contrived sources, i.e. fake news. That is certainly true...
View ArticleSeforim Blog 2.0: How You Can Help
The Seforim Blog is now in its bar-mitzvah year and over the past thirteen years has grown exponentially. There are currently over 2,000 email subscribers and an estimated 16,000+ hits a month from...
View Article"שואה, מדוע אלו שנהרגו בה נקראו "קדושים
"שואה, מדוע אלו שנהרגו בה נקראו "קדושיםהרב משה צוריאלהרבה חקרו בשאלה מה הוא המקור לכך שאומתנו מעניקה תואר-כבוד "קדושים"לנהרגים בשואה במלחמת העולם השניה. פשוט הדבר שהנהרג מפני שהוא מקיים אחת ממצוות...
View ArticleConservative Conversions, Some Grammatical Points, and a Newly Published...
Conservative Conversions, Some Grammatical Points, and a Newly Published Section of a Letter from R. Joseph B. SoloveitchikMarc B. Shapiro1. Since I mentioned R. Ovadiah Hoffman in the last post, I...
View ArticleChaim Zelig Slonimsky and the Diskin family
Chaim Zelig Slonimsky and the Diskin familyby Zerachya LichtTwo years ago, the Seforim Blog published an article, written by Zecharya Licht, about the maskil, Chaim Zelig Slonimsky, and the Chanuka...
View ArticlePIYYUT ON THE SURVIVAL OF THE JEWS OF BRECLAV (LUNDENBURG) ON JANUARY 23, 1698
PIYYUT ON THE SURVIVAL OF THE JEWS OF BRECLAV (LUNDENBURG)[1] ON JANUARY 23, 1698By David Roth[2]I found a printed pamphlet in the National Library of Israel[3] entitled סליחות מה שאומרים כאן ק"ק...
View ArticleKabbala, Halakha and Kugel: The Case of the Two Handed Blessing
Kabbala, Halakha and Kugel: The Case of the Two Handed Blessing* In parshat Vayehi, Yaakov simultaneously blesses his two grandchildren, Ephraim and Menashe by placing one hand upon each of...
View ArticleBook Sale: Bar Ilan University Press
Book Sale: Bar Ilan University PressEliezer BrodtThe following list is a special sale of books from Bar Ilan University Press. The offer is for the next 3 days [until 12.27.18] for the readers of the...
View ArticleR. Nathan Nata ben Moses Hannover: The Life and Works of an Illustrious and...
R. Nathan Nata ben Moses Hannover:The Life and Works of an Illustrious and Tragic FigurebyMarvin J. Heller[1]Save me, O God; for the waters have come up to my soul. I sink in deep mire (yeven mezulah),...
View ArticleLighting Shabbat candles in Jerusalem 40 minutes before sunset
Lighting Shabbat candles in Jerusalem 40 minutes before sunsetIntroductionThere is a story, perhaps apocryphal, of a visit to Jerusalem by R. Yoel Teitelbaum in which he is driven to the Kotel on...
View ArticleOn the Times Commonly Presented for Birkat HaL’vana: Part 1
On the Times Commonly Presented for Birkat HaL’vana: Part 1Avi GrossmanAbstractTypical Jewish calendars list two particular z’manim for “the first time that one may begin to recite kiddush l’vana (or...
View ArticleTwo Jewish Temples in Egypt
Two Jewish Temples in EgyptRabbi Reuven Chaim Kleinis the author of the newly-released work God versus Gods: Judaism in the Age of Idolatry(Mosaica Press, 2018). His book follows the narrative of...
View ArticleAnother Obvious Mistake, More Grammatical Points, Bubbe Mayseh, Apostates and...
Another Obvious Mistake, More Grammatical Points, Bubbe Mayse, Apostates and the ZoharMarc B. Shapiro1. In my last post here I gave an example of an obvious error in a recent book focusing on the...
View ArticleWho Wrote the Late Volumes of Igrot Moshe?
Who Wrote the Late Volumes of Igrot Moshe?By: Moshe Schorr[1]Moshe Schorr is a Computer Science student at the Technion, Research Assistant at University of Haifa, graduate of Yeshivat Har Etzion, and...
View ArticleKabbala, Halakha and Kugel: The Case of the Two Handed Blessing
Kabbala, Halakha and Kugel: The Case of the Two Handed Blessing* In parshat Vayehi, Yaakov simultaneously blesses his two grandchildren, Ephraim and Menashe by placing one hand upon each of...
View ArticleSeforim Blog 2.0: How You Can Help
The Seforim Blog is now in its bar-mitzvah year and over the past thirteen years has grown exponentially. There are currently over 2,000 email subscribers and an estimated 16,000+ hits a month from...
View ArticleBook Sale: Bar Ilan University Press
Book Sale: Bar Ilan University Press Eliezer Brodt The following list is a special sale of books from Bar Ilan University Press. The offer is for the next 3 days [until 12.27.18] for the readers of...
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