The Gaon Rabbi Jacob Pollack
Since we are now in the period of counting the Omer, the following excerpt is of particular relevance. The Gaon Rabbi Isaiah b. Abraham HaLevi Horowitz writes in his Shnei […]
Little Known Works By or About Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch
I have been following for years the public sales of “Judaic Jerusalem.” Abraham Israel Frohlich, the director of the firm has discovered many an unknown or little known Jewish book […]
‘And Acquire A Friend For Yourself’
“And acquire a friend for yourself” (Avot 1:6) The commentary attributed to Rashi states that according to some, this means to acquire books.” Rabbi Isaac Kanpanton, one of the last […]
Rabbi Obadiah of Bertinoro
Scholars’ views are divided when Rabbi Obadiah began working on his commentary on the Mishna. Did he start it in Italy or only after he had settled in the […]
Maimonides’ Medical Writings
An Arab poet sang in praise of Maimonides’ art of healing: Galen’s heart heals only the body, but Abu-Amram’s (Maimonides’) the body and soul. Mosad HaRav Kook recently reprinted Dr. […]
The Custom of Eating Fish on Shabbat
The Midrash tells of a Roman Jew, a tailor by profession, who on the eve of Yom Kippur competed with the servant of the governor for the last fish on […]
They Wore Sackcloth (Marking the Three Weeks)
Two great rabbinic luminaries wore sackcloth under their garments as a sign of mourning for the destruction of the Temple and the Galuth of the Divine Glory. Not only one […]
The Sage of Leipzig (Rabbi Simon Hurwitz)
The Sage of Leipzig is the title of a new Hebrew English book about the life and writings of Rabbi Simon Hurwitz. The name Simon Hurwitz might not mean much […]
About the Daf Yomi
Last year on the eve of the 11th Siyum of Shas for the Daf Yomi, the Va’ad for the Daf Yomi of Agudath Israel in the US. published a miscellany, […]
Yad David- Novellae on the Talmud by Rabbi Joseph David Sinzheim
A new volume of Yad David, novellae on the Talmud by Rabbi Joseph David Sinzheim, came off the press in Jerusalem some time ago. Rabbi Sinzheim was, in his time, […]