Of Tahanun and Yarhrzeit bukhs
A fascinating anecdote in a recently published biography of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel struck me as very worthy of sharing with the readers of the Seforim blog: [Heschel] confided to Samuel Dresner that in his daily devotions he did not recite the Tahanun prayer, a confession of sin and supplication that was usually omitted only on the Sabbath and festivals. Heschel explained that it was a Hasidic custom to omit these woeful entreaties on the Yahrzeit (anniversary of death) of a rebbe, for such was not a day of sorrow but a mark of renewal and celebration. Because almost every day after the war was the Yahrzeit of a rebbe, Heschel did not say Tahanun at all. By means of his silence, each day he memorialized another leader, acknowledging his heartbreak before God alone. Publicly, however, Heschel would sing, literally and figuratively. He loved nigunim, and he wrote English essays in musical prose that praised – and idealized – East European Jewry.[1]
Within the non-Hasidic world, today is the yahrzeit of, among others, Rabbi David Oppenheimer(er), renowned throughout the rabbinic world as the Chief Rabbi of Nikolsburg from 1689-1702 and of Prague from 1702-1736.[2] Since 1829, his great rabbinic library of thousands of seforim and manuscripts — until recently unmatched within the rabbinic world — has formed the Oppenheimer Collection at the Bodleian Library at Oxford University with nearly 4,350 volumes
covering the entire range of Hebrew literature from the Bible up to early 18th cent. Particularly strong in Bible editions with commentaries, rabbinics, service-books. c60 Hebrew incunabula. Includes c70 per cent of all products of the first century of Yiddish printing, say from the 1530s to 1650. A set of the first edition of the Talmud printed by Daniel Bomberg in Venice, and a complete Talmud on vellum in 24 v (Berlin and Frankfurt a O, 1715-21).[3]
For Rabbi Reuven Margoliyot’s yarhrzeit bukh, see here (PDF).
Notes: [1] Edward K. Kaplan, Spiritual Radical: Abraham Joshua Heschel in America, 1940-1972 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007), 99. [2] On Rabbi Rabbi Oppenheim, see Charles Duschinsky, “Rabbi David Oppenheimer: Glimpses of His Life and Activity, Derived from His Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library,” Jewish Quarterly Review (n.s.) 20:3 (January, 1930): 217-247. [3] See here (scroll down)
Two Links of Note
First, just about the entire volume in memory of Dov Rappel is available for free online here. This includes articles by, inter alia, Moshe Halmish, Yosef Tabory, and Stefan Rief. Second, there is a new site which is attempting to compile a complete bibliography of books related to Jewish genealogy here. The site is run by a collector of Jewish genealogy books and hopefully he will be able to satisfy his goal. Azariah de Rossi on Chad Gadya
As a somewhat belated followup to an earlier discussion at my AJHistory blog (z”l), I would like to add the following to the list of interesting-academic-footnotes: There is something reminiscent of Jorge Luis Borges in the seemingly infinite series of translations represented in [Azariah] de Rossi’s Hebrew translations of the Latin translation of the Greek account of the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, made only more dizzying by Joanna Weinberg’s English translation of de Rossi’s Hebrew translation of the Latin translation of the Greek account of the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible.
Source: Deena Aranoff, “In Pursuit of the Holy Tongue: Jewish Conceptions of Hebrew in the Sixteenth Century,” (unpublished PhD dissertation, Columbia University, 2006), 129 (n.4).
Bibliography of English Translations of Medieval and Modern Rabbinic Bible Commentaries
Parshanut: English Translations of Medieval and Modern Rabbinic Bible Commentary (Exegetical, Philosophic, Kabbalistic and Hasidic) Yisrael Dubitsky* Commentaries are arranged in chronological order, and then by book. For space and simplicity sake, works are identified only by their author’s and translator’s names or publishers; for further bibliographical information, copy and paste the call numbers into the JTS online catalog under “Search: Call Number begins with…” Items not (yet?) found in the JTS Library do not have call numbers associated with them and contain instead only basic bibliographic information. Only significantly lengthy (more than a chapter or two) and systematic translations are included. Unless delimited otherwise, items cover the entire book, number of volumes notwithstanding (e.g. 4 vols on the five books of Torah). Items marked “currently…” imply a work in progress. Paraphrases, anthologies or digests of translations, such as are found in the Hertz, Soncino Press, Judaica Press, ArtScroll, Living Torah and Living Nach or Etz Hayim bible commentaries, are not included. Condensed versions, as are sometimes found in Munk translations, are included. The JPS Commentators Bible (so far on Exodus alone), in addition to its systematic translation of four major commentators, also occasionally includes selections from Bekhor Shor, Radak, Hizkuni, Gersonides, Abarbanel and Sforno. These latter have not been included in the list. Further, academic or modern critical commentaries, even those written by rabbis, are excluded. Finally, no implication regarding quality of the translation should be drawn from inclusion in this list.
Medieval
I. Sa`adiah ben Joseph Gaon [882-942]
A. Torah
1. Linetsky [Gen 1-28] BS1235.X2 S213 2002
B. Job
1. Goodman BS1415.2. S143 1988 C. Daniel 1. Alobaidi (Bern; NY: Peter Lang, 2006)
II. Rabenu Hananel ben Hushiel [d. 1055/6]
A. Torah
1. Munk BS1225.X2 M8 2003 6 vols.
III. Rashi [Solomon ben Isaac, 1041-1105]
A. Bible
1. Rosenberg
B. Torah
1. Lowe [only on Gen] BS1235.X2 S62 L6
2. Doron [Gen 1-6] BS1235.3. D6 1982
3. Rosenbaum/Silbermann BS1222 1934 5 vols.
4. Ben-Isaiah/Sharfman BS1222 1949 5 vols.
5. Metsudah BS1222 1991 5 vols.
5a. Online 6. Milstein BM724. V5 1993 10 vols. 7. Artscroll (Herczeg) BS1225.X2 S6 1994 5 vols. 8. Feldman et al (“Ariel Chumash”) [currently on Gen] (Jerusalem: United Israel Institute, 1997) 2 vols.
9. Moore [currently on Gen] BS1225.X2 S6 M66 2002
10. JPS (Carasik) [currently on Ex] BS1223. C3713 2005
C. Joshua
1. Davis (Metsudah) BS1292. D28 1997
D. Judges
1. Rabinowitz/Davis (Metsudah) BS1302. D28 2001 E. Samuel
1. Pupko/Davis (Metsudah) BS1322. D28 1999 2 vols.
F. Kings
1. Pupko/Davis (Metsudah) BS1335.3. D38 2001 2 vols.
G. Psalms
1. Gruber BS1429.X2 S26 1998
H. Five Scrolls
1. Schwartz [Esther, Canticles, Ruth] BS1309. A2S3 2. Davis/Pupko (Metsudah) BS1309. A2M4 2001
I. Ruth
1. Beattie BS1315.2. B4
IV. Rashbam [Samuel ben Meir, ca. 1080-1174]
A. Torah
1. Lockshin BS1225.X2 S2313 1989 4 vols.
2. Munk BS1225.X2 M8 2003 6 vols.
3. JPS (Carasik) [currently on Ex] BS1223. C3713 2005
B. Ecclesiastes
1. Japhet/Salters BS1475.X2 S2713 1985
C. Canticles
1. Thompson BS1485.X2 S26 T5 1988
V. Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra [1092-1167]
A. Torah
1. Oles [Gen] (PhD, HUC, 1960) 2. Linetsky [Gen 1-6] BS1235. I36513 1998
3. Shachter [Lev, Deut] BS1225.X2 I3513 1986
4. Strickman BS1225.X2 I3513 1988 5 vols.
5. JPS (Carasik) [currently on Ex] BS1223. C3713 2005
6. Benyowitz (Jerusalem: A.R. Benyowitz, 2006) 3 vols.
B. Isaiah
1. Friedlander BS1515. I2 1964 (1873)
C. Hosea
1. Lipshitz BS1565.X2 I213 1988
D. Psalms
1. Strickman [currently on Pss 1-41] (NY: Yashar, 2007)
E. Ruth
1. Beattie BS1315.2. B4
VI. Moses ben Shesheth [fl. ca. 1190-1200?]
A. Jeremiah/Ezekiel
1. Driver BS1525. M65 18711a.
VII. Radak [David ben Joseph Kimhi, ca. 1160-ca. 1235]
A. Torah
1. Munk BS1225.X2 M8 2003 6 vols.
B. Isaiah
1. Cohen [Isa 40-66] BS1520.X2 K5 1954
C. Zechariah 1. M’Caul BS1665.X2 K513 18371a. online
D. Psalms
1. Greenup [Pss 1-8] (London Palestine House, Hackney, 1918)
2. Finch [Pss 1-10, 15-17, 19, 22, 24] BS1429.X2 K55
3. Baker/Nicholson [Pss 120-150] BS1429.X2 K54 1973
(E. Ruth?)
1. Beattie BS1315.2. B4
F. Chronicles
1. Berger (PhD, YU, 2003)
VIII. Ezra ben Solomon of Gerona [d. ca. 1238]
A. Canticles
1. Brody BS1485.X2 M632 1999
IX. Ramban [Moses ben Nahman = Nachmanides, ca. 1195-ca. 1270]
A. Torah
1. Chavel BS1225.X2 M6613 5 vols.
2. Artscroll [currently Gen-Ex] BS1225.X2 M68 B7 2004 4 vols.
3. JPS (Carasik) [currently on Ex] BS1223. C3713 2005
B. Ecclesiastes
1. Chavel BM45. M6313 1978 v. 1
X. Shem Tov ben Joseph Falaquera [ca. 1225–1295]
A. (Torah)
1. Jospe B759.F334 J68 1988 XI. Zohar [ca. 1280]
A.Torah
1. Sperling/Simon (Soncino) BM525 .A52 1931 5 vols. 2. Matt (“Pritzker edition”) [currently on Gen] BM525.A52 M37 2004 3 vols.
XII. Midrash ha-Ne`elam (Zohar) [ca. 1280]
A. Ruth
1. Englander/Basser BM525.A6 M513 1993
XIII. Unknown (Anonymous, probably compilatory) [13th cen]
A. Job
1. Hirsch BS1415.C5813 1905
XIV. Ba`al ha-Turim [= Jacob ben Asher, ca. 1269-ca. 1340]
A. Torah
1. Artscroll BS1225.X2 J232 1999 5 vols.
2. Munk BS1225.X2 J2313 2005 4 vols.
XV. Gevi`a Kesef [= Joseph ben Abba Mari Ibn Kaspi, 1279–1340]
A. Genesis
1. Herring B759. C37K4 Z31
XVI. Ralbag [Levi ben Gershom = Gersonides, 1288-1344]
A. Job
1. Lassen BS1415.X2 L4 L3
B. Canticles
1. Kellner BS1485. L39 1998 XVII. Rabenu Bahya ben Asher ben Hlava [d. 1340]
A. Torah
1. Munk BS1225.X31 B2313 1998/2003 7 vols.
XVIII. Abraham ben Isaac ha-Levi TaMaKH [d. 1393]
A. Canticles
1. Feldman BS1485.X2 A24 1970
XIX. Avvat Nefesh [Unknown, end of 14th cen]
A. Genesis
1. Gartig BS1225.X2 I35 G37 1995
XX. Akedat Yitshak [= Isaac ben Moses Arama, ca. 1420-1494]
A. Torah
1. Munk BS1225.X3 A7 2001 2 vols.
XXI. Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno [ca. 1470-ca. 1550]
A. Torah
1. Stahl [Deut] (PhD, HUC, 1975)
2. Artscroll BS1225.X2 S4413 1987/1997 2/1 vols.
3. Munk BS1225.X2 M8 2003 6 vols.
(Pre-)Modern
XXII. Moses Alshekh [1507-1593]
A. Torah
1. Munk BS1225.X2 A4313 2000 3 vols.
B. Jonah 1. Shahar BS1605.3. A413 1992
C. Psalms
1. Munk BS1429.X31 A4213 1990 2 vols.
D. Proverbs
1. Munk BS1465.X31 A413 1991
2. Hirshfeld/Braude (Nanuet, NY: Feldheim, 2006) 2 vols.
E. Job
1. Shahar (Nanuet, NY: Feldheim, 1996) 2 vols.
F. Ruth
1. Shahar/Oschry BS1315.X31 A4213 1991
G. Esther
1. Honig BS1375.X31 A413 1993 2 vols.
H. Lamentations
1. Hirshfeld BS1535.X31 A5513 1993
I. Canticles
1. Shahar BS1485.X31 A4813 1993
J. Ecclesiastes
1. Shahar BS1475.3. A413 1992
K. Daniel
1. Shahar/Oratz/Hirshfeld (Jerusalem: Feldheim, 1994)
XXIII. Eliezer ben Elijah Ashkenazi [1512-1585]
A. Esther 1. Brown (PhD, BHU, 2006)
XXIV. Keli Yakar [= Ephraim Solomon ben Aaron, of Luntshits (Lenczycza), 1550-1619]
A. Torah
1. Levine [currently on Ex] BS1225.X31 E6913 2002 2 vols.
2. Kanter [Deut] BS1225.X31 E6913 2003 v. 5
XXV. Tze’enah u-Re’enah [= Jacob ben Isaac Ashkenazi of Janow, 1550-1628]
A. Torah
1. Hershon [Gen] BS1235. J3 1885
2. Artscroll [Torah & Scrolls] BS1225. J259 1983 3 vols.
XXVI. Shlah [Shene Luhot Ha-berit = Isaiah Horowitz, ca. 1565-1630]
A. Torah
1. Munk BS1225.X33 H613 1999 3 vols.
XXVII. Me`am Loez [= Jacob Culi, d. 1732]
A. Bible [excluding Ezek; Job; Ezra-Neh; Dan; Chronicles]
1. Kaplan et al. BS1158. H4C8 1978 43 vols.
XXVIII. Or ha-Hayim [= Hayyim ben Moses Attar, 1696-1743]
A. Torah
1. Munk BS1225.X2 I28613 1995 5 vols.
XXIX. Hatam Sofer [= Moses Sofer, 1762-1839]
A. Torah 1. Stern [currently Gen-Lev] BS1225.X31 S3513 1996 3 vols.
XXX. Ha-Ketav veha-Kabalah [= Jacob Zevi Hirsch Meklenberg, 1785-1865]
A. Torah
1. Munk BS1225.X31 M3813 2001 7 vols.
XXXI. Shadal [Samuel David Luzzatto, 1800-1865]
A. Torah
1. Klein [currently on Gen] BS1235.3. L89 1998
XXXII. Samson Raphael Hirsch [1808-1888]
A. Torah
1. Levy BS1222 1958 6 vols.
2. Haberman [currently Gen-Lev] (Jerusalem: Feldheim, 2000-2005) 4 vols.
B. Psalms
1. Hirschler BS1430. H5 1978
C. Proverbs
1. Paritzky BS1465.3. H5
XXXIII. Malbim [Meir Loeb ben Jehiel Michael Weiser, 1809-1879]
A. Torah
1. Faier [through Ex 12] BS1225. M313 5 vols.
B. Proverbs
1. Wengrov/Zornberg BS1555. M34 C. Job
1. Pfeffer BS1415. M35 P44 2003
D. Esther
1. Taub BS1375.5. T28 1998
2. Weinbach BS1375.5. W4E. Ruth 1. Kurtz (New York: Feldheim, 1999) XXXIV. Netziv [Naphtali Zvi Yehudah Berlin, 1817-1893]
A. Canticles
1. Landesman BS1485.X2 B4413 1993
[1a. (second part) Joseph BM560. B42513 1996 ]
XXXV. Bet Ha-Levi [= Joseph Baer Soloveichik, 1820-1892]
A. Torah
1. Herczeg [currently Gen – Ex] BS1225.X3 S63513 1990 2 vols.
XXXVI. Joseph Breuer [1882-1980]
A. Jeremiah
1. Hirschler BS1522 1988
B. Ezekiel
1. Hirschler BS1543. H57 1993
XXXVII. Nechama Lebowitz [1905-1997]
A. Torah
1. Newman BS1193. L521 5 vols.
XXXVIII. Da`at Sofrim [= Chaim Dov Rabinowitz, 1909-2001]
A. Bible 1. Starrett [currently on Jos-Jud; Sam; Kgs; Isa; Jer; Ezk; 12; Job; Chr; Dan-Neh] BS1151.2. R33 2001 10 vols.
Hasidic:
XXXIX. Menachem Mendel of Rimanov [1745-1815]
A. Torah
1. Levine BS1225. R9513 1996
XL. Mei ha-Shiloah [= Mordecai Joseph Leiner, 1802-1854]
A. Torah
1. Edwards BS1158.H4 X31 L413 2001
XLI. Sefat Emet [= Judah Aryeh Leib Alter, 1847-1905]
A. Torah
1. Green BS1225.X34 A39713 1998
* Yisrael Dubitsky served as Public Services and Research Librarian at The Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary until March 2007. He recently made aliyah and currently works part-time for the Saul Lieberman Institute as well as the Igud le-Farshanut ha-Talmud. He can be reached at yidubitsky-at- gmail -dot-com.
Midrash Lekah Tov, part Deux
In a follow-up to Professor Carmi Horowitz’s recent post at the Seforim blog, I wanted to discuss, in a bit more detail, the new reprint of the Midrash Lekah Tov and further bolster Prof. Horowitz’s conclusion that this new reprint falls short of expectations as well as the Makhon who did this. In the world of Hebrew books there are many books published almost daily, while there is much quantity should not be mistaken for quality. In truth this is not a new phenomenon, rather R. Jacob Emden in the 18th century decries the mass amount of poor Hebrew literature and that although there is much published not much is that good. R. Yitzchak Satanow, R. Emden’s contemporary, also points out the dearth of quality literature and, perhaps more importantly, the masses willingness to accept this literature. He claims that he was thus forced to publish his own works under pseudonyms attributing the works to persons much earlier than was actually the case. With these comments we can turn to what will be the first part of a two part post discussing a particular publishing house as well as their most recent publication, the Midrash Lekah Tov. First, the “new” edition of this Midrash. This Midrash which was authored by R. Tuvia b. Eliezer who lived in the 11th century in the Byzantian Empire. Bibliographically, this Midrash has somewhat of a storied history. It was first published from an incomplete manuscript in 1546 in Venice and titled Pisketa Zutra. Only the portions on Vayikra through Devarim were published. It was not until 1880 was the full edition on the Torah published by Dr. Solomon Buber. I have used the Dr. appellation as he had a doctorate but I am unsure if he had semikha, this however, is not a bar to the use of the Rabbi appellation, as in the Vilna Shas in the Achrit Davar at the end of Mesekhet Niddah, he is referred to as R. Solomon Buber. Dr. Solomon Buber dedicated this work to the memory of his father, R. Yeshaiah Avraham Halevi. Additionally, the portions on the five Meggilot were published around that time for the first time as well, Esther 1886, Ruth in 1887, Eicha in 1895 (there was an edition published the next year in Calford, England, which was touted as the first edition, in actuality it was the second edition), Kohelet in 1904, Shir haShirim in 1909. Now, as Prof. Horowitz has noted, Makhon Zikhron Ahron has republished the section on the Torah and five Meggilot with Buber’s comments as well as a few notes from R. Yerucham Fishel Perla. Although they neglect to mention where they located that R. Perla’s notes, appeared 50 years ago in the journal Hadarom which they most probably found in Sa’rei haElef. Aside from the above they reset the type. Importantly, however, the text remains the same as it was in 1880. A simple search of the Jewish National and University Library (JNUL) catalog reveals that there are at least sixty some manuscripts available, most were neither available nor used by Buber in his edition, but nor are they used in this edition.
Instead, our edition is frozen in the late nineteenth-century. These manuscripts contain much additional information as was already pointed out by Prof. Yisrael Ta-Shema in his article on this work. Now, lest one think that Buber’s edition the type was unreadable, rather it was a highly readable edition, further, it was not unavailable, but instead reprinted on many occasions in photomechanical offsets, and in fact, as Prof. Horowitz noted, this new edition the Greek is almost unreadable as they did it by hand or via cut and paste. Why then this work was republished in this “special” edition but remained as it was is rather unclear.
This is not the only time this Makhon has failed to use important manuscripts when reprinting something. Additionally, this same Makhon reprinted the Perkei D’Reb Eliezer. What is shocking about this is that there are very important manuscripts, manuscripts which this Makhon did not bother using, which one doesn’t have to even go to a library, they are online! There is an entire project devoted to the correct text of the Perkei D’Reb Eliezer. Instead, as they did here, they merely reset the type and reprinted the Perkei D’Reb Eliezer. Of course, no one is obligated to use every manuscript, but when as is the case both here and in the case of the Perkei D’Reb Eliezer, the prior editions are available, what is the point in merely resetting the type and reprinting the books? A good example of a reprint where it was valuable was the case, by this same Makhon where they reprinted and reset the type of some important unavailable works on the Shulhan Arukh, including R. Chaim Buchner’s Or Chadash, Nachlat Tzvi, and Olat Shabbat (which the Magen Avraham refers to by the abbreviation O.S. on many occasions). This as an excellent reprint as the earlier editions were difficult to come by and difficult to read. Or, again the same Makhon, reprinted the Levush. This edition is beautiful. They reset the type included, in the proper place both the Eliyahu Rabba and Zuta, the commentary of the Hida’s grandfather from manuscript, as well as notes and other commentaries. This is excellent and has now been reprinted in a smaller format. The Makhon also printed an edition of Perek Shira which has three commentaries from manuscript one being from R. Dovid Oppenheim, that was also very good. Thus, I want to make clear, that while the books such as Lekah Tov are disappointing, this Makhon has published some excellent works.
Now, however, it is worthwhile noting that this Makhon is set up as a public service and as such is not out to make money. And, it is highly laudable to reprint seforim, my point here, is to merely point out some areas where the Makhon can improve.
It may be instructive to discuss how we know what we already do about this work, and I apologize to those readers who already know this. First, as mentioned above, for bibliographical information on this sort of work, R. Menachem M. Kasher’s Sa’arei HaElef is irreplaceable. As noted above, he records that R. Y. Perla’s comments had been printed. Additionally, he provides the location of reviews on Buber’s edition. As this work was updated by Kasher’s student, Mandelbaum he also adds to this information as well. Recently, Prof. Simcha Emmanuel has updated Sa’arei HaElef as well but only the poskim portion, hopefully a full update will happen soon.
Setting aside the more general tutorial, wWe can turn to the work itself. Prof. Ta-Shema wrote an article which he intended to publish in Sidra, however, he died before he was able to submit the final version for publication. Nevertheless, in the posthumously published Keneset Mechkarim vol. 3 (pp. 259-94) we have this article, “Midrash ‘Lekah Tov’ – Its Historic Place and Purpose.” Prof. Ta-Shema reviews the work and points out important details. He discusses the various laws and customs gleaned from this work.
Particularly timely is the appearance, in this work, of the custom to blow the shofar during the month of Elul.[1] this work contains much in the way of explicating the law, one of the purposes is to demonstrate the close connection between the written and oral Torah and thus much is devoted to showing how the laws are derived from the Torah. This focus was in part to disprove the Karaites. And, as Ta-Shema notes, it was not only strictly legal questions which the Lekah Tov disputes with the Karaites, rather substative theory is addressed as well. This is one of the many times the various available manuscripts come into play. (See Ta-Shema pp. 269-71). There are numerous examples where Lekah Tov takes issue with the Karaites, including lights on Shabbat, Yemi Taharah, an established calendar, and Shavuot.
Ta-Shema notes that the style of this work is to explicate the verses in a fairly peshat oriented manner similar, although not the same, as Rashi. In fact, they were contemporaries. This fact is particularly important for understanding Rashi. Specifically, there is a question whether Rashi’s commentary on the Torah as we have it today is all from Rashi or have there been additions. Obviously, whether we can say all which is attributed to Rashi is in fact from him is rather important. The question with the Lekah Tov is that there appear quotes from the Lekah Tov in Rashi. Well then we must decide when the Lekah Tov was disseminated. As if it was not until after Rashi then it is clear that there must be at least some later additions to Rashi’s commentary, if Lekah Tov significantly predates Rashi then this poses no problem. But, this is all complicated by the fact the Lekah Tov seems to have used Rashi and visa versa. One possibility which would explain this is that both these works went through more than one edition, thus in the very first edition of Rashi he did not include the Lekah Tov, but after he got a hold of it and Rashi was revising his commentary he included those comments and the same for the Lekah Tov’s use of Rashi. According to this explanation the fidelity of Rashi is not questioned.[2] But, as is apparent this is a very important question, one which could have been explored had an attempt to reconstruct when and how many editions the Lekah Tov was originally written in and when.
As should be apparent, Prof. Horowitz’s criticism of this edition are well-founded. It is especially unfortunate that today when it is so easy due in part to the advances in technology that it seems at times we have not progressed at all.
Notes [1] For more on this topic see, among others, Pardes Eliezer, Chap. 1, 29-88; Yehiel Goldhaber, Minhagei HaKehilot, pp. 5-8; Oberlander, Minhag Avoteinu, Vol. 1, chap. 1, 3-23; Daniel Sperber, Minhagi Yisrael, vol. 2 pp. 204-14.
[2] For more and additional sources discussing this question see Yisrael Ta-Shema pp. 266-7 n. 25; on the various edition of Rashi’s commentary to the Talmud see Y. S. Speigel, Amudim B’Tolodot Sefer HaIvri Kitva V’Hataka, pp. 113-22. The claim that a work attributed to an author is not fully from him is used by many to explain various perceived inconsistencies. As Prof. Marc B. Shapiro pointed out, in his recent post at the Seforim blog, R. Moshe used this to explain controversial comments of R. Yehuda HaHassid. See Speigel, id. pp. 271-75 and generally id. chapter 6 discussing responsa literature. For an example of this in the case of a Torah commentary see the comments of R. M.M. Kasher Torah Shelmah where he claims that a particularly controversial passage of the Ibn Ezra’s commentary where he seems to imply Moshe did not write various portions of the Torah was inserted later.
Carmi Horowitz: A Critique of Two New Reprints
A Critique of Two New Reprints by Carmi Horowitz *
Two new works have recently appeared on the market: a new edition of Midrash Lekah Tov and a new edition of the Perush on Sefer Yezirah of R. Yehudah b. Barzilai Barceloni. The following is based on an initial perusal of the two works. I have not read through the entire volumes. I. The new edition of Lekah Tov consists of three volumes published by Zikhron Aharon Jerusalem with a forward by Yonatan Blier. The first volume is on Bereshit and Shemot, the second on Vayikra, Bemidbar and Devarim and the third the five Megillot. All three volumes are newly typeset, clearly and beautifully printed with the Biblical verses commented on printed in clear bold type on very good quality paper, and handsomely bound. The volumes are aesthetically attractive and elegant.
The first volume contains R. Salomon Buber’s edition of Lekah Tov on Bereshit and Shemot, with his introduction and comments. The only addition that has been added beyond the original Buber edition are the scattered comments of R. Yeruham Perlow (author of the encyclopedic commentary on R. Saadia Gaon’s Sefer Hamitzvot). If collected, the comments would make up not more than two or three pages at the most. Buber’s introduction was moved to the end of the third volume. The typesetters of the new volume obviously did not have Greek on their computers. Thus Buber’s Greek references in the introductory essay were simply skipped. The Greek references in the footnotes to the text were literally (physically) cut and pasted from a printed edition. Thus beyond the aesthetics there is almost nothing new in this volume.
The second volume of Lekah Tov contains Vayikra, Bemidbar and Devarim with the commentary of R. Aharon Moshe Padwe of Karlin, all reset from the original Vilna 5681-4 edition. In addition this volume contains newly printed the commentary by R. Avraham Palaggi, the son of R. Hayyim Pallagi (author of Kaf Hahayyim et al). The commentary itself has very little to do with the Lekah Tov. It is a series of derashot or pilpulim based mainly on the works of the Ketav Sofer and adds very little to the understanding of the work. This volume also has scattered comments of Rabbi Perlow.
The only volume that is really useful is the third volume which contains the Lekah Tov to all the five Megillot with whatever comments the original editors added. To the best of my knowledge the Lekah Tov to the Megillot has not been collected until now, and thus only in this volume is there some real added value beyond the new typesetting.
II. The Perush Sefer Yezirah of R. Yehuda b. Barzilai Barceloni was published once before by Shlomo Zalman Hayyim Halberstam in Berlin in 1885 with a detailed introduction. The present edition was published in 5767 (2007) by Aharon Barzani and Son, Tel Aviv with an introduction by Amnon Gross. The book is clearly printed and well bound; the text is divided into sentences and paragraphs, which was not done in the original edition. The division into sentences and paragraphs is the main contribution of this edition. The original edition did not contain any footnotes or sources. It contained an introduction by Halberstam which was partially reprinted in this volume. The editor Amnon Gross eliminated form the introduction the list of R. Yehuda Barceloni’s sources saying that they are now noted in the new text and hence it is unnecessary to include them in the introduction (!!). Indeed Gross inserted source references in the text, but they are inserted on a haphazard and inconsistent basis.
The original edition of the commentary on Sefer Yezirah contained important appendixes of Halberstam, David Kaufmann and Jacob Reifman. Those appendixes were not reprinted in this volume although only some of the corrections in these appendixes were incorporated into the text, again on an inconsistent basis.
I did not check the integrity of the text itself to see whether Gross accurately reproduced Halberstam’s text; in light of all the other inconsistencies in the editing – hashdehu.
In summary both publications are disappointing. The first has very little that is new, and the second is edited in such a careless fashion as to make one prefer the original printing.
*Professor Carmi Horowitz received his semikhah at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), an affiliate of Yeshiva University, where he studied with R. Joseph B. Soloveitchik. He received his doctorate from Harvard University (1979) where he wrotes his dissertation was on “A Literary-Historical Analysis of the Sermons of R. Joshua Ibn Shu’eib,” under the direction of Prof. Isadore Twersky. He has published on that topic as well as on the Rashba, the Mabit and on the Derashah literature. After teaching at Ben Gurion University he headed Touro’s Graduate School of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem and is now Rector of Machon Lander in Jerusalem (an independent academic institution). This is his first contribution to the Seforim blog.