Otzar Erkhei Hayahadut by Rabbi Joseph Grossman is a one volume Hebrew encyclopedia on Judaism, featuring about 1800 entries explaining Jewish values, laws and customs. Talmudic concepts and expressions, as well as many other matters relating to the Jewish religion.
The author observes in his introduction that he wrote his work, not only for beginners who want to learn about Judaism, but also for scholars. They, too might use it to great advantage.
Following are the titles of a few of the 200 or so entries which begin with the letter Alef: Av HaTum’ah (source of impurity); Av HaRahamim (the prayer said by Ashkenazim during Sabbath morning services, before the return of the Torah to the ark); Av (names of month) Avot (name of the first blessing of the Amida); Avot, Avot DeRabbi Nathan (names of tractates); Avot Melakha (the 39 principal labors forbidden on Shabbath); Avot Nezikin (the principal sources of damages; Avelut (mourning, including paragraphs on funeral, Shiva’ Kaddish and Yahrzeit, etc.); Adon Olam (the hymn by that name); Ahdut Hashem (the unity of G-d); Eicha (book of Lamentations), Ein Adam Mesim Atzmo Rasha (a man cannot make himself out to be wicked) Ein Mukdam Umeuhar BaTorah (there is no chronological sequence in the Torah); Anshei Knesset HaGedolah (the men of the Great Assembly); Arba’ah Banim (the four sons of the Haggadah); Arba’ah Minim (the four species for Sukkot) and Ushpizin (the holy Sukkah guests).
Explained in great detail are the laws of purity and impurity, the Temple service and the various halls and chambers of the sanctuary. Elucidated are the laws of marriage and divorce. There are five entries about the Jewish calendar, the festivals and the fasts. The reader is presented with information about the Halakhic and Aggadic Midrashim and is told the meaning of numerous Talmudic terms and expressions. Even little known customs are discussed! Moreover all the articles are precise and concise and written in a very lucid style.
The author, Rabbi Joseph Grossman– not a professional rabbi or teacher, but a businessman with an immense knowledge of Torah — has invested much effort and love in this outstanding work. His Otzar (treasure) will be greatly appreciated by all– beginners, students and scholars.
Rabbi Grossman deserves our gratitude for having presented us with such a mighty tool for the acquisition of Jewish knowledge.
I noted above that all entries are very lucid, however, here and there, one comes across an entry where one wishes that the author would have been more explicit.
In the general entry of the “Rules by which the Torah is Interpreted” (there is a separate entry for each of the 13 rules), no mention is made that these rules (Middot) were handed down at Sinai. From the language of the entry one might even get the mistaken impression that these rules were devised by the Tannaim. Rabbi Grossman makes it clear in his entry on Halakha LeMoshe Misinai, that these rules were given on Sinai. For clarity’s sake, he might have repeated this statement in the general entry on the rules.
In the entry entitled Agra De’Taanita, the author says that this is called the charity a person gives in order to be exempt from certain fast days. The expression occurs in Berakhot 6a, but with a different meaning. I admit to never having heard the expression Agra De’Taanita in the literatures which speaks of giving charity in lieu of fasting. In Yiddish, this money was called Ta’anis Gelt (see I, Rivkind, Yiddish Gelt, p. 287, and the sources quoted there; mentioned there is also the Hebrew Kofer Nefesh– the author might have done well in listing a source for Agra de’Taanita with the above mentioned connotation.
In the article on the Antiochus Scroll,” the author might have cited that some communities used to read the scroll in the synagogue on Hanukka. There were even those who pronounced a blessing over the reading The recitation of a blessing was opposed by Rabbi Isaiah de Trani, the elder.
In the entry Tikkun Karet we read about a custom of people saying certain prayers and studying passages from the Talmud and the Zohar on their 60th birthday in gratitude for having been spared the death of Karet. According to the Talmud, people who die before reaching the age of 60 might have died because of the punishment of Karet. This custom is also mentioned by the late Yom Tov Lewinsky in his Hebrew book on Jewish customs and traditions. However, there is another custom of Tikkun Karet, which is more widely known and of which I learned for the first time during a visit to Tangier more than 20 years ago. Pious people gather on certain nights to study Zohar and Mishnayot, especially Mishnayot Karet praying that in the merit of their study, they and the members of their communities would be spared the punishment of Karet.
This work is extraordinary and invaluable.
The Jewish Press Friday, January 21, 1992