Menachem Mendel

It seems like Artscroll can’t make up their mind.

From here.

From here.

August 20th, 2008 | Category: Mishnah | Leave a comment

While Iyov is posting about translations of the Bible into English, it seems that someone thinks Hebrew speakers need a translation of their own. (hat tip) See some discussion about it from Israeli educators here, and another article about it here. The translation itself was done by this man. I am wondering if this is so different than the Targum? See this article by Steven Fraade about the Targum in the Rabbinic Galilee.

August 20th, 2008 | Category: Bible Studies, Israel | Comments (1)

See the informative series on R. David Tzvi Hoffman at Ishim ve-Shitot-here, here, here, here, and here.

One comment on this important rabbinic figure. In Alexander Marx’s chapter on R. Hoffman in his Essays in Jewish Biography (pp. 190-191), Marx writes the following about Hoffman.

In teaching Codes he would go back to first sources; but he realized that the time at the disposal of the Seminary was not sufficient to cover the entire ground even for the sections that he taught. He therefore prepared an abstract of all the codifiers, to the latest important collections of responsa, and dictated this to the students, always adding the injunction that they were never to make decisions on the basis of this dictation without first looking up the original sources. This compilation on various parts of the Shulhan Aruk was arranged with the clarity, the excellent organization of the material and the emphasis on the essential so characteristic of Hoffman. It was superior to all modern works of the kind, so far as it went, and it is unfortunate that this abstract has remained unpublished.

Is anybody familiar with any other testimony to the existence of such an unpublished work? I think that Alexander Marx, his son-in-law, was in possession of some of his papers, and hopefully it wasn’t destroyed in the JTS fire.

August 19th, 2008 | Category: Biography, Rabbinic Authority | Leave a comment

Ishim ve-Shitot has some comments on, and refers us to, an interesting post at Biblicalia about the conversion of the Patriarch Hillel II as described in the writings of Epiphanius of Salamis. There is a discussion of the story here in French. I’ll try and find some time to look it over later. Also, I wonder if anyone who has Daniel Boyarin’s Border Lines: The Partition of Judaeo-Christianity can check to see if he discusses the story.

Update: If I understood what S.C. Mimouni wrote about the story of Hillel II’s alleged conversion correctly, there are strong doubts about its historicity. There are chronological problems regarding the order of the Jewish Patriarchs, and there is also complete silence about it in Jewish sources, as pointed out at Ishim ve-Shitot. See also here and here.

August 17th, 2008 | Category: Ancient Judaism, Jewish-Gentile Relations | Comments (2)

[Disclaimer: The following post discusses certain aspects of Jewish law which for some exhibit an attitude towards non-Jews that they may find objectionable, embarrassing, better left undiscussed, or any mutation or variation of the above. Being that my current area of research focuses to some extant on many of these laws that are often not discussed by Jews, and almost certainly not in mixed Jewish-Gentile company, I will probably be posting about them with some frequency. At least personally, I don't find their discussion problematic for two reasons. The first is that I am a strong believer in the revolution in relation to non-Jews which was brought about by R. Menachem ha-Meiri, secondly, I do not think that scholars should shy away from subject matter that according to today's standards, is not democratic, unequal, etc.]

Tomorrow will be the 15th of Av, Tu be-Av, the Jewish holiday dedicated to matchmaking and other related activities. Matchmaking, שדכנות, is a fairly old institution in Jewish history, with Abraham’s servant Eliezer being one of the first (see Gen. 24). An interesting question which was addressed a number of times in the Responsa literature, is whether a Jew can be a matchmaker for two non-Jews. Some are probably wondering as to what might be the problem for a Jew to facilitate the marriage of two non-Jews, but there is a teaching found in rabbinic literature which was a potential reason for refraining from such activity. In M. Avodah Zarah 2:1, it says that a Jewess should not help a non-Jew give birth, “בת ישראל לא תיילד את הנוכרית”. The reason given for this prohibition is that she will increase the number of idol worshippers in the world (see T. Avodah Zarah 3:3 (1)). In the Talmud, B. Avodah Zarah 26a, this prohibition is mitigated somewhat if the person is receiving a salary for their work and refraining from doing so may cause enmity, איבה.

I have came across a number of times that this question was addressed in the Responsa literature. The earliest source that I know of is from R. Moshe ben R. David Chalawah, a.k.a. Maharam Chalawah (1290-1370). In a fairly short responsum (no. 39), Maharam Chalawah answers that it is surely prohibited for a Jew to act as a matchmaker between two non-Jews, because they would increase the number of idol worshippers in the world. He continues and says that he has actually heard about a prohibition mentioned from the Jerusalem Talmud, “גם שמעתי דאיכא בירוש’ לא תתחתן בם קרי ביה לא תחתן”. The editor of his responsa refers the reader to J. Avodah Zarah 1:9, 40b. There the statement is brought that a Jew should not be a שושבין for a non-Jew. Michael Sokoloff translates this word as “a bridegroom’s attendant.” The conclusion of his responsum shows the tension between what the rabbi wants, and what he is able to get.”אבל מה אעשה והעם נהגו בו התר, והנח להם לישראל מוטב שיהו שוגגין”. “But what am I to do, for the people act as if it is permitted. Leave Israel alone, it is better that they transgress unknowingly [than knowlingly] (see B. Beitzah 30a and parallels). So despite his feeling that such an act was prohibited, Maharam Chalawah felt that there was little that he could do.

A second responsum is a few hundred years later than that of Maharam Chalawah. Rabbi Judah ben Israel Assad was born in Aszod, Hungary, in 1794, and died in 1866 (from the Responsa Project bio). In his collection of responsa,Yehudah Ya’aleh, vol. I, YD, no. 230, he was asked whether a poor Jew can try and make some money arranging marriage for non-Jews. R. Assad does not quote any material from Talmudic literature, rather his citations are from the works of the Rishonim and Aharonim. R. Assad begins by saying that the answer seems to be obvious. If a Jewish doctor is permitted to help a non-Jewish woman give birth, all the more so just arranging a marriage shouldn’t be problematic, since there is no guarantee that they will even have children. R. Assad addresses a number of issues, but there is one other comment of his which I found very interesting. He entertains that possibility that the offspring of these two non-Jews might be a righteous person, or that they may even convert. “דשמא יהיה הזרע מחסידי או”ה שיש להם חלק עוה”ב ובעלמא אמרי’ דלמא נפיקי מיניה זרעא מעליא מי שיתגייר.” So the possibility exists that a Jew would be inhibiting the creation of a righteous person, or even another Jew.

There are a number of other responsa that I have found which address this question, and the above are two of them.

August 15th, 2008 | Category: Jewish-Gentile Relations, Responsa | Comments (6)

Many people are familiar with the book Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. While I admit that I haven’t read the book, I do find the blog Freakonomics very interesting. There was a recent post which was simply fascinating, and scary in a way. The question discussed was “What is the Future of Suburbia?” A number of experts gave fascinating descriptions of what they felt was going to happen in the coming decades. This isn’t a blog for urban planners, so it will be interesting to see how these developments, whatever they may be, affect the Jewish community. Demographic changes have always affected where Jews live, and recently a number of synagogues in such places as Long Island have closed or merged because of population shifts. It should be emphasized that new synagogues are being built all of the time, and it is nothing new that synagogues are closing and Jews are moving around the country (see this website about old synagogues the Bronx), yet is seems that we may be at the cusp of large shifts in resources and population.

August 12th, 2008 | Category: Current Events | Leave a comment

It was with great sorry that I read the following article. In my years at SUNY Binghamton I had many hallot from Wagner’s, and they were as good as they come.

Binghamton, NY - Wagner’s Kosher Bakery Closes

Binghamton, NY - After more than 30 years in business, Wagner’s Cakes & Cookies has closed its doors, leaving customers scrambling for kosher baked goods.

The business, which has been closed for vacation for two weeks, was scheduled to reopen today, according to the business’ answering machine. Attempts to contact owners Jim and Lori Wagner were unsuccessful.

One local bakery — The Black & White Cookie Co. in Binghamton — is working to produce some of the kosher goods, company President and Chief Executive Officer Joshua Auerbach said.‘We’re doing everything we can,” he said.

The company is in the process of working with Orthodox Jewish officials to prepare the bakery to produce the kosher goods, Auerbach said.
The business produces kosher dairy goods, he said, but the new products will need to adhere to strict kosher guidelines, which means separate mixers, ovens and other items must be used to produce the two types of kosher baked goods.

Auerbach said he’s hoping he can meet all of the regulations at his current location on Griswold Street.
With two upcoming holidays, Rosh Hashanah in September and Yom Kippur in October, there is an urgency to have a facility that can handle the orders, he said.

Hillel Academy of Broome County alone typically orders 30 loaves of challah, a traditionally braided kosher bread, each week, Auerbach said.
“We’re doing as much as we can as fast as we can,” he said.

(Via Vos Iz Neias.)

August 12th, 2008 | Category: Miscellaneous | Leave a comment

R. Josh Waxman has the latest in piety requirements for airplane travelers. This gemara which I learned this morning seems to be an appropriate comment.

Our Rabbis have taught: There are seven types of Pharisees: the shikmi Pharisee, the nikpi Pharisee, the kizai Pharisee, the ‘pestle’ Pharisee, the Pharisee [who constantly exclaims] ‘What is my duty that I may perform it?’, the Pharisee from love [of God] and the Pharisee from fear. The shikmi Pharisee-he is one who performs that action of Shechem. (see Gen. 34) The nikpi Pharisee-he is one who knocks his feet together. The kizai Pharisee-R. Nahman b. Isaac said: He is one who makes his blood flow against walls.
Sotah 22b

Rashi, s.v. meikiz dam le-kotalim (makes his blood flow against walls): He makes himself as if he closes his eyes in order not to look at women, and as a result of this he knocks his head into the wall and blood comes out.

The above text in its entirety is very interesting, and is found in a number of places with variations between them. See Avot de-Rabbi Natan, version B, 45 (Schechter ed., p. 124, here for English trans.), version A, 37 (p. 109); Y. Berachot 9:5, 14b; Y. Sota 5:5, 20c. This source has been discussed with relation to the identification of the Perushim and rabbinic asceticism. Regarding the former, see this important article by Shaye Cohen, and with regard to the latter, see this article by Steven Fraade. Also see this post at On the Main Line. This source even makes an appearance in an official document of the Vatican.

August 12th, 2008 | Category: Ancient Judaism, Current Events, Gevalt, Talmud | Leave a comment

I am a big fan of the Artscroll book, The Rishonim, and I just saw in an ad of their’s that the companion volume, The Early Achronim, is back in print. Any quibbles with some of the biographical or bibliographical information found in these books, is off-set IMHO by the quick reference which they allow.

August 7th, 2008 | Category: Bibliography, Biography, New Books | Comments (1)