Even when the Italians are frowning on amor, they can't help being amorous

To contact us Click HERE
What a find! My thanks to Abe Ehrenfeld for showing me this rather unusual, probably unique, page in all of rabbinic literature, for it features a woodcut of exactly what it looks like: an amorous couple being, well, amorous (on the edge of a scorching sword, actually). (link)

Detail:



The Italian Jews particularly enjoyed the genre of chidos, enigmas, and the author (R. Immanuel Hai Ricchi [1688-1743], Aderet Eliyahu, Livorno 1742) included a few at the end of this, mainly halachic, work.

The riddle describes a thing "that can burn aflame in water, all the sinners do it in secret" and so on. The answer is - AMOR. Love. Ricchi has a good time punning on "Amor" and ×”מור, as in ×”ר המור, a mount of spices, because both words sound alike (the Italian Jews, being Italian, did not pronounce the ×”). Ricchi even helpfully explains that one must not wonder at this Romance word being used to explain Hebrew, for the Torah was given in four languages - Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic, and Latin - according to the Sifre. The full line reads "He does not do this, who feareth the Lord. He is on a Mountain of Myrrh, and not a Mountain of Rupture." (That was my attempt to preserve the rhyme. His point is that har hamor, indicates amor, love, while har bater, indicates the opposite of love).

Fourteen commonly asked American she'elot from 1922

To contact us Click HERE
Apparently so - these are representative questions which Rabbi Henry Pereira-Mendes included in his series called Orthodox Judaism - The Future in the section titled  A Plan for Organization in the Jewish Forum.

As you can see, he advocated for the formation of a national bet din to deal with modern questions and to publish answers to them. These are the questions which "every modern Rabbi knows" (because they get asked them).

On a women's Korban Minchah siddur

To contact us Click HERE
Here's an interesting entry penciled on a Google Booked Korban Mincha siddur. The siddur was printed in Vilna in 1892, and the entry was written in 1910.
One of the great things about history, bibliography, bibliolatry, is that eventually the describers become interesting in their own right. So if you want to know what a Korban Mincha siddur was perceived as by a Harvard librarian in 1910, here it is.
Now, I know some will say "Well, that's what it is." But my point is that 100 years later it isn't really thought of as "a Chasidic prayerbook" per se, but as a woman's prayer book. And that is why Artscroll calls its women's siddur Korban Mincha in Hebrew (link).

The original R. Zalman Leib Teitelbaum's rabbinic contract from 1841 ("בתוך הדרשה קיינען ניכט מקלל צו זיין או מבזה צו זיין הן בכלל והן בפרט")

To contact us Click HERE
Here is a translation of the 1841 rabbinical contract given by the community of Ujhely, Hungary to Rabbi Zalman Leib Teitelbaum, (1808-1883), also known as the Yetev Lev and the grandfather of the Satmar Rav, Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum. Apparently offered this seat at the time more out of respect for his grandfather then his own qualities (he was a young men then) this contract contains some interesting clauses (see, e.g, 4, 9 and 12).

From the article Rabbones Briefe by Rabbi Julius Rapoport in the April 11, 1914 issue of The Advocate: America's Jewish Journal (link). The article also included a translation of Rabbi Akiva Eger's rabbonus briefe from Posen, dated 100 years earlier.

At the end of this post is the original Hebrew, as well as its source and some discussion of it. Note how loose Rapoport felt he was entitled to play with this translation, renumbering, etc.


























































The Hebrew below is from the periodical Hatzophe, as indicated above. However, I thought it might be nice to point out something. The citation is a incomplete and also makes a mistake. First of all, unless you happen to know what Hatzophe is you might well run into some trouble. The full title of this periodical was Hatzofeh Le-hokhmat Yisrael, and it was published in Budapest. However, in its first four issues it was called Hatzofeh Me-eretz Hagar. In any case, the author of the English translation somehow forgot to mention, oh, an article title. A page number. Who wrote it. Actually, he did write the name of the author, its right there at the end: Dr. Israel Goldberger, who was in fact "preacher" in Ujhely for a time. The problem is if you look in issue III from 1912 there is no such article. However, in #2 from 1911, there is the article Shtei Kitvei Rabbanut by Yisrael Goldberger, on pp. 132-138. This may seem like a small error, but of course it is just lucky that there were only a few years to look through, given that the Jewish Advocate piece was written in 1914. It is not fun to search through 50 years of a periodical's archive all because of a careless mistake, whoever made it.

The Hafla'ah's cherem on a bootlegged machzor

To contact us Click HERE
Here's a nice little interesting pamphlet published in Frankfurt AM in May 1805, publicizing the cherem on a man called Lemle Geiger's plan for a bootlegged version of Heidenheim's machzor, by order of the Hafla'ah, Frankfurt's Chief Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz (and seconded by various rabbis of other cities), complete with fiery curses. (link)

For more - or actually, less - on this fascinating episode, see p. 133 in Monatsschrift für Geschichte und Wissenschaft des Judentums, Volume 44, in 'Materialen zu einer Biographie Wolf Heidenheims' by Louis Lewin (the rabbi, not the expert on peyote).

Even when the Italians are frowning on amor, they can't help being amorous

To contact us Click HERE
What a find! My thanks to Abe Ehrenfeld for showing me this rather unusual, probably unique, page in all of rabbinic literature, for it features a woodcut of exactly what it looks like: an amorous couple being, well, amorous (on the edge of a scorching sword, actually). (link)

Detail:



The Italian Jews particularly enjoyed the genre of chidos, enigmas, and the author (R. Immanuel Hai Ricchi [1688-1743], Aderet Eliyahu, Livorno 1742) included a few at the end of this, mainly halachic, work.

The riddle describes a thing "that can burn aflame in water, all the sinners do it in secret" and so on. The answer is - AMOR. Love. Ricchi has a good time punning on "Amor" and ×”מור, as in ×”ר המור, a mount of spices, because both words sound alike (the Italian Jews, being Italian, did not pronounce the ×”). Ricchi even helpfully explains that one must not wonder at this Romance word being used to explain Hebrew, for the Torah was given in four languages - Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic, and Latin - according to the Sifre. The full line reads "He does not do this, who feareth the Lord. He is on a Mountain of Myrrh, and not a Mountain of Rupture." (That was my attempt to preserve the rhyme. His point is that har hamor, indicates amor, love, while har bater, indicates the opposite of love).

Fourteen commonly asked American she'elot from 1922

To contact us Click HERE
Apparently so - these are representative questions which Rabbi Henry Pereira-Mendes included in his series called Orthodox Judaism - The Future in the section titled  A Plan for Organization in the Jewish Forum.

As you can see, he advocated for the formation of a national bet din to deal with modern questions and to publish answers to them. These are the questions which "every modern Rabbi knows" (because they get asked them).

On a women's Korban Minchah siddur

To contact us Click HERE
Here's an interesting entry penciled on a Google Booked Korban Mincha siddur. The siddur was printed in Vilna in 1892, and the entry was written in 1910.
One of the great things about history, bibliography, bibliolatry, is that eventually the describers become interesting in their own right. So if you want to know what a Korban Mincha siddur was perceived as by a Harvard librarian in 1910, here it is.
Now, I know some will say "Well, that's what it is." But my point is that 100 years later it isn't really thought of as "a Chasidic prayerbook" per se, but as a woman's prayer book. And that is why Artscroll calls its women's siddur Korban Mincha in Hebrew (link).

The original R. Zalman Leib Teitelbaum's rabbinic contract from 1841 ("בתוך הדרשה קיינען ניכט מקלל צו זיין או מבזה צו זיין הן בכלל והן בפרט")

To contact us Click HERE
Here is a translation of the 1841 rabbinical contract given by the community of Ujhely, Hungary to Rabbi Zalman Leib Teitelbaum, (1808-1883), also known as the Yetev Lev and the grandfather of the Satmar Rav, Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum. Apparently offered this seat at the time more out of respect for his grandfather then his own qualities (he was a young men then) this contract contains some interesting clauses (see, e.g, 4, 9 and 12).

From the article Rabbones Briefe by Rabbi Julius Rapoport in the April 11, 1914 issue of The Advocate: America's Jewish Journal (link). The article also included a translation of Rabbi Akiva Eger's rabbonus briefe from Posen, dated 100 years earlier.

At the end of this post is the original Hebrew, as well as its source and some discussion of it. Note how loose Rapoport felt he was entitled to play with this translation, renumbering, etc.


























































The Hebrew below is from the periodical Hatzophe, as indicated above. However, I thought it might be nice to point out something. The citation is a incomplete and also makes a mistake. First of all, unless you happen to know what Hatzophe is you might well run into some trouble. The full title of this periodical was Hatzofeh Le-hokhmat Yisrael, and it was published in Budapest. However, in its first four issues it was called Hatzofeh Me-eretz Hagar. In any case, the author of the English translation somehow forgot to mention, oh, an article title. A page number. Who wrote it. Actually, he did write the name of the author, its right there at the end: Dr. Israel Goldberger, who was in fact "preacher" in Ujhely for a time. The problem is if you look in issue III from 1912 there is no such article. However, in #2 from 1911, there is the article Shtei Kitvei Rabbanut by Yisrael Goldberger, on pp. 132-138. This may seem like a small error, but of course it is just lucky that there were only a few years to look through, given that the Jewish Advocate piece was written in 1914. It is not fun to search through 50 years of a periodical's archive all because of a careless mistake, whoever made it.

The Hafla'ah's cherem on a bootlegged machzor

To contact us Click HERE
Here's a nice little interesting pamphlet published in Frankfurt AM in May 1805, publicizing the cherem on a man called Lemle Geiger's plan for a bootlegged version of Heidenheim's machzor, by order of the Hafla'ah, Frankfurt's Chief Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz (and seconded by various rabbis of other cities), complete with fiery curses. (link)

For more - or actually, less - on this fascinating episode, see p. 133 in Monatsschrift für Geschichte und Wissenschaft des Judentums, Volume 44, in 'Materialen zu einer Biographie Wolf Heidenheims' by Louis Lewin (the rabbi, not the expert on peyote).

Even when the Italians are frowning on amor, they can't help being amorous

To contact us Click HERE
What a find! My thanks to Abe Ehrenfeld for showing me this rather unusual, probably unique, page in all of rabbinic literature, for it features a woodcut of exactly what it looks like: an amorous couple being, well, amorous (on the edge of a scorching sword, actually). (link)

Detail:



The Italian Jews particularly enjoyed the genre of chidos, enigmas, and the author (R. Immanuel Hai Ricchi [1688-1743], Aderet Eliyahu, Livorno 1742) included a few at the end of this, mainly halachic, work.

The riddle describes a thing "that can burn aflame in water, all the sinners do it in secret" and so on. The answer is - AMOR. Love. Ricchi has a good time punning on "Amor" and ×”מור, as in ×”ר המור, a mount of spices, because both words sound alike (the Italian Jews, being Italian, did not pronounce the ×”). Ricchi even helpfully explains that one must not wonder at this Romance word being used to explain Hebrew, for the Torah was given in four languages - Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic, and Latin - according to the Sifre. The full line reads "He does not do this, who feareth the Lord. He is on a Mountain of Myrrh, and not a Mountain of Rupture." (That was my attempt to preserve the rhyme. His point is that har hamor, indicates amor, love, while har bater, indicates the opposite of love).

Fourteen commonly asked American she'elot from 1922

To contact us Click HERE
Apparently so - these are representative questions which Rabbi Henry Pereira-Mendes included in his series called Orthodox Judaism - The Future in the section titled  A Plan for Organization in the Jewish Forum.

As you can see, he advocated for the formation of a national bet din to deal with modern questions and to publish answers to them. These are the questions which "every modern Rabbi knows" (because they get asked them).

On a women's Korban Minchah siddur

To contact us Click HERE
Here's an interesting entry penciled on a Google Booked Korban Mincha siddur. The siddur was printed in Vilna in 1892, and the entry was written in 1910.
One of the great things about history, bibliography, bibliolatry, is that eventually the describers become interesting in their own right. So if you want to know what a Korban Mincha siddur was perceived as by a Harvard librarian in 1910, here it is.
Now, I know some will say "Well, that's what it is." But my point is that 100 years later it isn't really thought of as "a Chasidic prayerbook" per se, but as a woman's prayer book. And that is why Artscroll calls its women's siddur Korban Mincha in Hebrew (link).

The original R. Zalman Leib Teitelbaum's rabbinic contract from 1841 ("בתוך הדרשה קיינען ניכט מקלל צו זיין או מבזה צו זיין הן בכלל והן בפרט")

To contact us Click HERE
Here is a translation of the 1841 rabbinical contract given by the community of Ujhely, Hungary to Rabbi Zalman Leib Teitelbaum, (1808-1883), also known as the Yetev Lev and the grandfather of the Satmar Rav, Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum. Apparently offered this seat at the time more out of respect for his grandfather then his own qualities (he was a young men then) this contract contains some interesting clauses (see, e.g, 4, 9 and 12).

From the article Rabbones Briefe by Rabbi Julius Rapoport in the April 11, 1914 issue of The Advocate: America's Jewish Journal (link). The article also included a translation of Rabbi Akiva Eger's rabbonus briefe from Posen, dated 100 years earlier.

At the end of this post is the original Hebrew, as well as its source and some discussion of it. Note how loose Rapoport felt he was entitled to play with this translation, renumbering, etc.


























































The Hebrew below is from the periodical Hatzophe, as indicated above. However, I thought it might be nice to point out something. The citation is a incomplete and also makes a mistake. First of all, unless you happen to know what Hatzophe is you might well run into some trouble. The full title of this periodical was Hatzofeh Le-hokhmat Yisrael, and it was published in Budapest. However, in its first four issues it was called Hatzofeh Me-eretz Hagar. In any case, the author of the English translation somehow forgot to mention, oh, an article title. A page number. Who wrote it. Actually, he did write the name of the author, its right there at the end: Dr. Israel Goldberger, who was in fact "preacher" in Ujhely for a time. The problem is if you look in issue III from 1912 there is no such article. However, in #2 from 1911, there is the article Shtei Kitvei Rabbanut by Yisrael Goldberger, on pp. 132-138. This may seem like a small error, but of course it is just lucky that there were only a few years to look through, given that the Jewish Advocate piece was written in 1914. It is not fun to search through 50 years of a periodical's archive all because of a careless mistake, whoever made it.

The Hafla'ah's cherem on a bootlegged machzor

To contact us Click HERE
Here's a nice little interesting pamphlet published in Frankfurt AM in May 1805, publicizing the cherem on a man called Lemle Geiger's plan for a bootlegged version of Heidenheim's machzor, by order of the Hafla'ah, Frankfurt's Chief Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz (and seconded by various rabbis of other cities), complete with fiery curses. (link)

For more - or actually, less - on this fascinating episode, see p. 133 in Monatsschrift für Geschichte und Wissenschaft des Judentums, Volume 44, in 'Materialen zu einer Biographie Wolf Heidenheims' by Louis Lewin (the rabbi, not the expert on peyote).

Even when the Italians are frowning on amor, they can't help being amorous

To contact us Click HERE
What a find! My thanks to Abe Ehrenfeld for showing me this rather unusual, probably unique, page in all of rabbinic literature, for it features a woodcut of exactly what it looks like: an amorous couple being, well, amorous (on the edge of a scorching sword, actually). (link)

Detail:



The Italian Jews particularly enjoyed the genre of chidos, enigmas, and the author (R. Immanuel Hai Ricchi [1688-1743], Aderet Eliyahu, Livorno 1742) included a few at the end of this, mainly halachic, work.

The riddle describes a thing "that can burn aflame in water, all the sinners do it in secret" and so on. The answer is - AMOR. Love. Ricchi has a good time punning on "Amor" and ×”מור, as in ×”ר המור, a mount of spices, because both words sound alike (the Italian Jews, being Italian, did not pronounce the ×”). Ricchi even helpfully explains that one must not wonder at this Romance word being used to explain Hebrew, for the Torah was given in four languages - Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic, and Latin - according to the Sifre. The full line reads "He does not do this, who feareth the Lord. He is on a Mountain of Myrrh, and not a Mountain of Rupture." (That was my attempt to preserve the rhyme. His point is that har hamor, indicates amor, love, while har bater, indicates the opposite of love).

Fourteen commonly asked American she'elot from 1922

To contact us Click HERE
Apparently so - these are representative questions which Rabbi Henry Pereira-Mendes included in his series called Orthodox Judaism - The Future in the section titled  A Plan for Organization in the Jewish Forum.

As you can see, he advocated for the formation of a national bet din to deal with modern questions and to publish answers to them. These are the questions which "every modern Rabbi knows" (because they get asked them).