New Book Announcement: Amudim be-Toldot ha-Sefer ha-Ivri (Volume Three) New Book Announcement: Amudim be-Toldot ha-Sefer ha-Ivri (Volume Three) By Eliezer Brodt I am very happy to announce the recent publication of an important work, which will be of great interest to readers of the Seforim blog. The third volume of, Amudim be-Toldot ha-Sefer ha-Ivri by Professor Yaakov Shmuel Spiegel, of Bar-Ilan University’s Talmud department. As I have written in the past, Professor Spiegel is one of the most prolific writers in the Jewish academic scene, authoring of over 160 articles and 18 books (16 of those are publications for the first time of works which remained in manuscript). Many suspect he possesses Hashbot Hakulmos (automatic writing). His articles cover an incredibly wide range of subjects related to many areas of Jewish Studies, including history of Rishonim,piyutim authored by Rishonim, bibliography and minhaghim, to name but a few. His uniqueness lies not only in the topics but also that his work has appeared in all types of publications running the gamut from academic journals such as Kiryat Sefer, Tarbiz, Sidra, Alei Sefer, Assufot, Teudah, Kovetz Al Yad and also in many prominent Charedi rabbinic journals such a Yeshurun, Yerushasenu, Moriah, Sinai and Or Yisroel. It is hard to define his area of expertise, as in every area he writes about he appears to be an expert! He has edited and printed from manuscript many works of Rishonim and Achronim on Massekhes Avos and the Haggadah Shel Pesach. He is of the opinion, contrary to that of some other academics, that there is nothing non- academic about printing critical editions of important manuscript texts. Although there is a known “belief” in the academic world, “publish or perish,” which some claim is the cause of weak articles and books, at times, Spiegel’s prolific output does nothing to damper the quality of his works. Another point unique to Speigel’s writings, besides his familiarity with all the academic sources, he shows great familiarity with all the classic sources from Chazal, Geonim, Rishonim and Achronim, to even the most recent discussions in Charedi literature – this bekius (breadth) was apparent well before the advent of search engines of Hebrew books and Otzar Ha-hochmah. Alongside all this is his penetrating analysis and ability to raise interesting points. Some of these articles were collected into a volume calledPischei Tefilah u-Mo’ad, which was reviewed a few years back here on the seforim blog. This volume is currently out of print. One of Professor Spiegel’s main areas of interest has been the History of the Jewish Book. He has written numerous articles on the subject and even published two books on this topic in a series called Amudim be-Toldot ha-Sefer ha-Ivri. Volume one was first printed in 1996 and is called Amudim be-Toldot ha-Sefer ha-Ivri: Haghot u-Maghim. It was reprinted with numerous additions in 2005 (copies are still available). It was reviewed by Dan Rabinowitz and me, a few years back here on the Seforim Blog. The second volume is called Amudim be-Toldot ha-Sefer ha-Ivri; Kesivah Vehatakah. This volume is currently out of print and will hopeful be the subject of a book review by Dan Rabinowitz and myself in the next few months. I think that anyone who has an interest in the Jewish Book will enjoy this work immensely. In the near future I hope to review this work in depth. Next week the blog will feature some sample pages of this new work. For a short time I will be selling copies of this work for $32. The price includes airmail shipping (to the US UK or Canada). Copies are also available at Biegeleisen. For more information about purchasing this work, feel free to contact me at Eliezerbrodtatgmail.com To get a sense of what exactly this new book is about, I am posting the Table of Contents here: The Creative Craftsman: Adorning The Torah, One Crown At A Time The Creative Craftsman: Adorning The Torah, One Crown At A Time By Olivia Friedman Olivia Friedman received her M.A. in Bible from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies. Based in Chicago, she is a Judaic Studies teacher, tutor, writer, and lecturer and can be reached at oliviafried-at-gmail-dot- com. It’s not surprising that there are many overlooked biblical commentators. However, R’ Zalman Sorotzkin’s is one who ought to be rescued from relative obscurity. Sorotzkin’s biography and tumultuous history helped shape his unique outlook upon Tanakh. His vision and appreciation for cultural context allows readers access to the text via the road of personal relevance. His biblical commentary’s contemporary resonance will recommend him to modern day Jews in particular. Biography Born in 1881 in Zachrina, Lithuania (Sofer), he was influenced by his father, R’ Benzion, a man who spent much of his time learning Torah and bringing others closer to God (Anonymous 4). A brilliant orator, R’ Benzion had the ability to move people to tears. This last extended even to his son, whom he always cautioned, warning him that if he did not shed tears when he prayed the words ‘And light up our eyes with Your Torah’ he would not be successful in his studies that day (Anonymous 4). R’ Benzion’s wife, Chienah, was the daughter of the sage and kabbalist R’ Chaim who wrote the work Divrei Chaim on the Torah (Anonymous 4). Born to two such illustrious people, it was hardly surprising that Zalman, a young prodigy, applied himself to his studies. He learned in his father’s house and then in the famous Slobodka yeshiva alongside the esteemed R’ Moshe Danishevsky, choosing later to study in Volozhin under R’ Raphael Shapiro (Anonymous 4). Zalman created a name for himself due to his diligence and success in his studies; his reputation spread throughout the land and even reached Telz. Rabbi Eliezer Gordon, Dean of Telz, gave R’ Zalman Sorotzkin his daughter’s hand in marriage. Her name was Sarah Miriam. Once married, Sorotzkin chose to learn in seclusion for many years in Volozhin, after which he returned to Telz because the yeshiva had burned down. He accepted the position of principal in order to rebuild the yeshiva, a mission he successfully completed (Anonymous 5). Upon the death of his father-in-law, he was invited to Voronova, which is situated between Lidda and Vilna, to be the spiritual leader and Rav. R’ Zalman accepted the offer and immediately set his sights upon recreating the city. At this time he also became good friends with R’ Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, who lived nearby in Vilna (Sofer). As soon as R’ Zalman came to Voronova, he made a yeshiva for young students and did his utmost to forge strong relationships with the community members, who saw him as a mentor, teacher and spiritual guide (Anonymous 5). When he had completed his task in Voronova, R’ Zalman determined to move to Zhetel, where he focused on important work such as constructing its Talmud Torah (Sofer) and offering support in the areas of financial upkeep of the home. Sorotzkin was never divorced from the reality of everyday living or hardships within the Jewish communities. Indeed, such hardship and misfortune struck him as well. Upon the arrival of World War I, he and his family were forced to flee and escape to Minsk (Sofer).[1] His name having preceded him, upon his arrival he immediately utilized his time and energy in serving the people of the community, specifically working to ensure that as many rabbis and Torah students as possible could be spared from conscription to the Russian army (Anonymous 5).[2] Sorotzkin traveled to St. Petersburg and due to his connections with General Stasowitz, “managed to procure ‘temporary deferments’ for hundreds of rabbis who were not recognized by the Polish government” (Sofer). Due to a mistake on General Stasowitz’s part, these deferments remained in effect throughout the entire period of the war. R’ Sorotzkin also spoke and offered words of encouragement and praise to the Jews of the community; he was known to possess a golden tongue (Anonymous 5). After the war was over, Sorotzkin returned to Zhetel briefly. Due to his fame and abilities, he was courted as potential Rav by many different communities; in 1930, he finally determined to head the community of Lutsk. He transformed the community, working to ensure that the schools and yeshivot were of top quality (Sofer) while also focusing on national matters. He was appointed by R’ Chaim Ozer Grodzinski to head the Committee for the Defense of Ritual Slaughter, as Poland had determined that halakhic ritual slaughter was cruel. When the law against ritual slaughter was passed, R’ Sorotzkin countered by “placing a ban on meat consumption” (Sofer). Three million Polish Jews no longer purchasing meat was enough to cause cattle-owners to place pressure upon the government, who then cancelled the decree. When the Polish government decided to establish an elite rabbinate, one of those chosen was R’ Zalman Sorotzkin (Anonymous 6). Upon the outbreak of World War II, the Soviet authorities planned to arrest R’ Zalman Sorotzkin (Anonymous 6). Thus, he and his family were forced to flee to Vilna, where R’ Chaim Ozer Grodzinski “instructed him to immediately attend to the needs of the yeshivas” (Sofer). It was only once Vilna was taken over by the Bolsheviks that Sorotzkin and other escapees began a long, arduous journey to Israel (Anonymous 6).