INDEX: Letters to Auntie Fori
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TALMUDIC STUDIES Ephraim Kanarfogel
chapter 22 TALMUDIC STUDIES ephraim kanarfogel TRANSITIONS FROM THE EAST, AND THE NASCENT CENTERS IN NORTH AFRICA, SPAIN, AND ITALY The history and development of the study of the Oral Law following the completion of the Babylonian Talmud remain shrouded in mystery. Although significant Geonim from Babylonia and Palestine during the eighth and ninth centuries have been identified, the extent to which their writings reached Europe, and the channels through which they passed, remain somewhat unclear. A fragile consensus suggests that, at least initi- ally, rabbinic teachings and rulings from Eretz Israel traveled most directly to centers in Italy and later to Germany (Ashkenaz), while those of Babylonia emerged predominantly in the western Sephardic milieu of Spain and North Africa.1 To be sure, leading Sephardic talmudists prior to, and even during, the eleventh century were not yet to be found primarily within Europe. Hai ben Sherira Gaon (d. 1038), who penned an array of talmudic commen- taries in addition to his protean output of responsa and halakhic mono- graphs, was the last of the Geonim who flourished in Baghdad.2 The family 1 See Avraham Grossman, “Zik˙atah shel Yahadut Ashkenaz ‘el Erets Yisra’el,” Shalem 3 (1981), 57–92; Grossman, “When Did the Hegemony of Eretz Yisra’el Cease in Italy?” in E. Fleischer, M. A. Friedman, and Joel Kraemer, eds., Mas’at Mosheh: Studies in Jewish and Moslem Culture Presented to Moshe Gil [Hebrew] (Jerusalem, 1998), 143–57; Israel Ta- Shma’s review essays in K˙ ryat Sefer 56 (1981), 344–52, and Zion 61 (1996), 231–7; Ta-Shma, Kneset Mehkarim, vol. -
“King Selection” 1 Kings 1-2 January 8, 2017 INTRODUCTION: As The
“King Selection” 1 Kings 1-2 January 8, 2017 INTRODUCTION: As the book of Kings opens, Israel is at a time of uncertainty. The great King David is obviously fading and not long for this life. That’s the point of the opening verses of the book. In the words of one commentary, David is old and cold. His servants try covering him with more clothes, but he is still cold. Then they have another idea. They want to add to his harem the most beautiful woman they can find. Something like a beauty pageant is held, and a woman by the name of Abishag is selected as the most beautiful young woman of the nation. They reason that if she can’t get his blood flowing again, nothing can. But it doesn’t work, for we read that “the king knew her not,” a common euphemism in the Scriptures for sexual intimacy. So David has declined to the point that everyone knows his death is not far away. But a successor has not been named. God had already declared through Nathan the prophet that a son of David would sit on his throne (2 Sam. 7:12), but it was not revealed exactly which son it would be. Two sons compete for the crown in these first two chapters, Adonijah and Solomon. One is the wrong king and the other God’s anointed. As is the case with us, everything depends on having the right king. To make a wrong choice leads to catastrophic results, while making the right choice leads to the fulfillment of our strongest and best longings. -
THE LAST DAYS of DAVID 2 Samuel 21, 23, 24 and 1 Kings 1 and 2
THE LAST DAYS OF DAVID 2 Samuel 21, 23, 24 and 1 Kings 1 and 2 Act 1: Act 2: Act 3: Narrator Narrator Narrator David David David Joshua Joab Joab Gibeonite 1 Gad, the prophet Adonijah A prophet Josheb, a mighty man Nathan, the prophet Gibeonite 2 Eleazar, a mighty man Bathsheba Rizpah Shammah, a mighty man Solomon Araunah, a Jebusite Benaiah, an army general Jonathan, Abiathar the priest’s son ACT 1: The Gibeonites are avenged NARRATOR: The Bible records several rather odd stories that occurred towards the end of David’s life. The first one involves a people group called the Gibeonites. Back in the time of Joshua, just after Jericho had been destroyed, the Canannites living in the city of Gibeon decided that they would try to avoid being exterminated. They had heard the rumor that the God of the Israelites had told his people to totally wipe out everyone living in the land of Canaan. They believed this would come true and they were very afraid. They decided to try to trick Joshua into making a peace treaty with them. The messengers they sent to Joshua were wearing old clothes and carrying dry and moldy food. JOSHUA: Who are you and where do you come from? GIBEONITE 1: We have come from a distant land. When we started our journey our clothes were new and our food was fresh. You can see how worn out and old they are now. That is because we have been traveling so long to get here. However, we have heard stories about all the things your God has done for you. -
A New Report
A bold act of collective generosity will show that the world, particularly Europe, has learned the lesson of its own dark past and is willing to take a global lead in building a more hopeful future. RABBI LORD JONATHAN SACKS Refugee Crisis: One Year On 1 Introduction In September 2015, as the refugee on the Kindertransport, spearheaded crisis intensified and we launched by CBF. It’s a story frequently recounted Paul Anticoni our second emergency appeal for – children travelling to Liverpool Syrian refugees, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Street Station to meet their volunteer Chief Executive Sacks wrote a piece which still moves foster parents, clutching only their me. He discussed the moral and biblical most cherished possessions. World Jewish Relief imperative to love the stranger because The organisation was also fundamental you were once strangers. Referring in the bringing 732 orphaned to the refugee crisis, he said that concentration camp survivors known “A bold act of collective generosity will as ‘The Boys’ and helping them to The response from our show that the world, particularly Europe, build a life for themselves in the UK. community to the refugee has learned the lesson of its own dark These people – whether from the crisis was exceptional. past and is willing to take a global lead Kindertransport, one of the Boys or I’d like to thank each and in building a more hopeful future.” one of the tens of thousands of others who received our help before, during every person who contributed It’s impossible to separate the and after World War 2, have grown to our appeal for enabling Jewish response to the refugee up to love Britain and richly contribute the Jewish community to crisis from our own collective history towards it. -
JOURNAL the Association of Jewish Refugees
VOLUME 18 NO.1 JANUARY 2018 JOURNAL The Association of Jewish Refugees Prophet of the Age MILESTONES AHEAD of Nationalism As we pack away our Chanukiahs, we are looking ahead to a busy year of milestone anniversaries. In March we mark 80 years since the Anschluss and in November we will commemorate the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht and the start of the Kindertransport. No doubt many of you will also have your own personal and poignant anniversaries. As ever, our team is ready to provide you with all the support you might need, including help with social welfare and volunteer assistance. We also look forward to seeing you at our social gatherings and sharing our activities with you on these pages. Wishing you and your families a happy and healthy 2018. Monument to Franz Grillparzer at Volksgarten in Vienna Der Weg der neueren Grillparzer struggled with life. He became Blind Triumph ............................................... 4 Bildung geht engaged to Katharina Fröhlich, his ‘eternal Visit to Israel ................................................. 5 Letters to the Editor ................................6 & 7 Von Humanität bride’, in 1821, but never married her, though in 1849 he rented an apartment Art Notes...................................................... 8 Educational grants ........................................ 9 Durch Nationalität in which he, she and her three sisters A man deprived .......................................... 10 Zur Bestialität lived until his death. His brooding, A man supported ....................................... 11 (The path of modern culture leads retiring disposition also hampered his Reviews ..............................................12 & 13 from humanity through nationalism to career advancement; he spent most Around the AJR .......................................... 14 bestiality) Franz Grillparzer, 1849 of his working life in the government Looking for................................................. 15 service, rising to the uninspiring position Chanukah gallery ...................................... -
Apostates and More, Part 2,The History Behind the Ashkenazi
Apostates and More, Part 2 Apostates and More, Part 2 Marc B. Shapiro Continued from here 1. Another apostate was Rabbi Nehemiah ben Jacob ha-Kohen of Ferrara, who was an important supporter of R. Moses Hayyim Luzzatto during the controversy about him.[1]Here is the the final page of the haskamah he wrote in 1729 for R. Aviad Sar Shalom Basilea’s Emunat Hakhamim. R. Isaac Lampronte, in a halakhic discussion in hisPahad Yitzhak, refers to Nehemiah, but not by name.[2] He calls him .In R .אחד מן החכמים רך בשנים אשר אחרי כן הבאיש ריחו כנודע Hananel Nepi and R. Mordechai Samuel Ghirondi, Toldot Gedolei Yisrael (Trieste, 1853), p. 229, they write about Obviously, “Ishmaelite” is a .שאח”כ נעשה ישמעאלי :Nehemiah code word for Christian.[3] The story reported by Samuel David Luzzatto is that Nehemiah used to go to prostitutes, and when the rabbis found out about this they removed the rabbinate from him. Too embarrassed to remain in the Jewish community, Nehemiah apostatized.[4] Cecil Roth cites another Italian source that Nehemiah converted so he could marry a Christian woman. Unfortunately, his son and three daughters apostatized together with him (his wife had apparently already died).[5] Another apostate who should be mentioned is Michael Solomon Alexander (1799-1844), first Anglican bishop in Jerusalem. Before his apostasy, Alexander was a rabbi.[6] Rabbi Abraham Romano of Tunis also became an apostate. He converted at the end of the seventeenth century when R. Meir Lombrozo was appointed a dayan in his place. After Romano converted, he became well known as a Islamic preacher, and after his death his tomb was venerated by Muslims. -
Submission to the Prime Minister's Holocaust
SUBMISSION TO THE PRIME MINISTER’S HOLOCAUST COMMISSION BY THE BOARD OF DEPUTIES OF BRITISH JEWS THE BOARD OF DEPUTIES OF BRITISH JEWS CONTENTS Introduction 1 1. Our starting point 2 2. Jewish perspectives & Recommendations 3 3. Education 7 4. Commemorative events, Memorials & Museums 10 5. How to preserve survivor testimony for future generations 13 6. Other issues 14 7. In conclusion 15 Appendix 1 – Our consultation 16 Appendix 2 – Holocaust Memorial Day: Statement of Commitment 17 Front cover image courtesy of The Wiener Library Designed by Graphical - www.graphicalagency.com 1 SUBMISSION TO THE PRIME MINISTER’S HOLOCAUST COMMISSION INTRODUCTION The Board of Deputies of British Jews, set up in 1760, is the recognised voice of the Jewish Community in Britain. It exists to promote and defend the religious and civil liberties of British Jewry and to promote its standing. Nearly 300 Deputies represent local communities and organisations in a democratically elected body ZKLFKLVWKHƪUVWSRUWRIFDOOIRUJRYHUQPHQWDQGRWKHUIDLWKJURXSVRQLVVXHV relating to the Jewish community. On issues of importance, such as Holocaust remembrance and education, the Board reaches out through its Deputies and its close relationship with the other organisations to the whole community to consult and to listen, ensuring that we speak with a strong and consistent voice. Most of the community’s major communal organisations have contributed to this document and are listed in Appendix 1, along with details of our consultation process. Many are also submitting their own documents. We particularly urge the Commission to consider, alongside this document, submissions from the main synagogal bodies, the Regional Representative Councils, the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities, and of course, the Charedi community, each of which bring a particular perspective. -
Jephthahfs Daughter in the Jewish Exegetical Tradition
• Jephthahfs Daughter in the Jewish Exegetical Tradition Deborah Abecassls, Department of Jewlsh Studles McGll1 UnIversity, Montreal July 1993 A 1hesis suhmllted to the ~acultv of Oraduate Studle~ and Research 10 parhal fulflllment of the requlrcmcnts orthe degree of Master of Arts (c) Dehorah Abecassis 1993 .. • Abstract • The blbllcal narrative of Jephthah and hls daughter (Judges Il 31-40) recounts the story of the J udge, Jephthah, ""ho \'owed toO ~aCflflce ta God ""hatever came to greet hlm upon hls rcturn from a VlctOrJOUS battle \i~ 1 th Ammon, and whose daughter became the vl,;tlm of thls vow Thl~ goal of thls thesls Ir; to examine a sam pie of the Je""lsh respon'.;e5 to lhls blbilcaillarralive from ancien! and medJe\ al tlmes through the twentleth cen!ury 1 he analy~l'i dèmonstrates the dl fficult nature of thls text. ItS IlngUlstlc and conceptual amblgUItICS, the ~olutlOns :0 a well-defmed senes of problems proposed by more than two do zen Jntt;~rpreters, and theIr fatlure ta deal wlth most of the hlstoncal and ethlcal problems that emerge from the story Le récIt blbltqu(~ de Jephthah et de sa fille (Juges Il 3\-39) raconte l'histOire du Juge, Jephthah, qUi Il fait un v ~ u de sacnfier à Dieu quoI qUI salt qUI vIenne le saluer des son Tf~t()ur d'une ba1.atlle vlctoneuse contIe Ammon, et dont sa fille est devenue vIctIme d,! c:e VI l U L .. ~ bul <le cette thesè est d'éxammer un échantIllon des reponses J ulves à ce mclt biblIque depllIs les epoques anciennes et médlevales Jusqu'au vmgtleme sIècle l'analyse démontre l~: caractère -
The Threat of Adonijah
The Threat of Adonijah by Steven P. Wickstrom all Scriptures quoted from the NASB 1 Kings 2:10-25 Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David.(v.10) The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years he reigned in Hebron and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem.(v.11) And Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.(v.12) Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, “Do you come peacefully?” And he said, “Peacefully.”(v.13) Then he said, “I have something to say to you.” And she said, “Speak.”(v.14) So he said, “You know that the kingdom was mine and that all Israel expected me to be king; however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, for it was his from the Lord.(v.15) “Now I am making one request of you; do not refuse me.” And she said to him, “Speak.”(v.16) Then he said, “Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not refuse you, that he may give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife.”(v.17) Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak to the king for you.(v.18) So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king arose to meet her, bowed before her, and sat on his throne; then he had a throne set for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right.(v.19) Then she said, “I am making one small request of you; do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not refuse you.”(v.20) So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your -
Orthodox Divorce in Jewish and Islamic Legal Histories
Every Law Tells a Story: Orthodox Divorce in Jewish and Islamic Legal Histories Lena Salaymeh* I. Defining Wife-Initiated Divorce ................................................................................. 23 II. A Judaic Chronology of Wife-Initiated Divorce .................................................... 24 A. Rabbinic Era (70–620 CE) ............................................................................ 24 B. Geonic Era (620–1050 CE) ........................................................................... 27 C. Era of the Rishonim (1050–1400 CE) ......................................................... 31 III. An Islamic Chronology of Wife-Initiated Divorce ............................................... 34 A. Legal Circles (610–750 CE) ........................................................................... 34 B. Professionalization of Legal Schools (800–1050 CE) ............................... 37 C. Consolidation (1050–1400 CE) ..................................................................... 42 IV. Disenchanting the Orthodox Narratives ................................................................ 44 A. Reevaluating Causal Influence ...................................................................... 47 B. Giving Voice to the Geonim ......................................................................... 50 C. Which Context? ............................................................................................... 52 V. An Interwoven Narrative of Wife-Initiated Divorce ............................................ -
The Prime Minister's Holocaust Commission Report
Britain’s Promise to Remember The Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission Report Britain’s Promise to Remember The Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission Report January 2015 2 Britain’s Promise to Remember The Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission Report Front cover image: Copyright John McAslan and Partners © Crown copyright 2015 You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. Visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected]. This publication is available from www.gov.uk Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to: Cabinet Office 70 Whitehall London SW1A 2AS Tel: 020 7276 1234 If you require this publication in an alternative format, email [email protected] or call 020 7276 1234. Contents 3 CONTENTS Foreword 5 Executive Summary 9 Introduction 19 Holocaust Education and Commemoration Today 25 Findings 33 Recommendations 41 Delivery and Next Steps 53 Appendix A Commissioners and Expert Group Members 61 Appendix B Acknowledgements 62 4 Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission – Summary of evidence Foreword 5 FOREWORD At the first meeting of the Holocaust Commission exactly one year ago, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, set out the task for the Commission. In response, one of my fellow Commissioners, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, noted that the work of this Commission was a sacred duty to the memory of both victims and survivors of the Holocaust. One year on, having concluded its work in presenting this report, I believe that the Commission has fulfilled that duty and has provided a set of recommendations which will give effect to an appropriate and compelling memorial to the victims of the Holocaust and to all of those who were persecuted by the Nazis. -
Antisemitism
Government Action on Antisemitism December 2014 Department for Communities and Local Government © Crown copyright, 2014 Copyright in the typographical arrangement rests with the Crown. You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence,http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/version/3/ or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected]. This document/publication is also available on our website at www.gov.uk/dclg If you have any enquiries regarding this document/publication, complete the form at http://forms.communities.gov.uk/ or write to us at: Department for Communities and Local Government Fry Building 2 Marsham Street London SW1P 4DF Telephone: 030 3444 0000 For all our latest news and updates follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommunitiesUK December 2014 ISBN: 978-1-4098-4445-7 Contents Summary of key achievements 4 Introduction 6 Theme 1- Antisemitic Incidents 10 Theme 2 – Antisemitic Discourse 16 Theme 3 – Sources of Contemporary antisemitism 17 Theme 4 - Antisemitism on campus 23 Theme 5 – Addressing antisemitism 26 Summary of the response to the APPG Against Antisemitism Inquiry (2006) recommendations 36 3 Summary of key achievements • DCLG continues to support the work of the Cross Government Working Group on addressing antisemitism. • Government has worked with the Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Combatting Antisemitism’s efforts to work constructively with technology and social media companies to set effective protocols for addressing harm.