A Fragment Of The Ralbag’s Handwriting

The fragment I sold was from the commentary of the Ralbag, Levi ben Gershon's (1288-1344) commentary on the book of Iyov, with handwritten annotations and additions in the Ralbag's own handwriting!

Maria Von Tropp And The Sound Of Music: The ‘Jewish Angle’

The religion of the von Trapp family is the subject of some discussion among critics, with some claiming that they were Jewish.

Rabbi Dr Leo Jung’s Impact On Jewry

While nearly every correspondence of the Rayatz was collected and published for posterity in his Igrois Kodesh, this letter appears to be unpublished and the discussion within lost until now.

Could Israel’s Ambassador Distinguish Between Havdalah And Kiddush? – And The Art Of Havdalah

Havdalah and Kiddush are therefore flip sides of the same coin; the essence of Kiddush is to distinguish between the mundane (weekdays) and the holy (Shabbat), and the essence of havdalah is to differentiate between Shabbat and weekdays.

Rav Meir Shapiro’s American Fundraising Efforts

What I found most interesting about this letter that Rav Meir Shapiro also wrote down for himself many inscriptions. One side lists an outline for a sermon or shiur he was giving, with a brilliant array of sources jotted down in brevity, stringing together a concept and theme for his lecture.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe Cites Historic Speech By The Rebbe Rayatz Urging The Observance Of...

Some rabbanim through the centuries have encouraged Jews to mark Purim Katan specifically with a joyous feast... One of the great supporters of Purim Katan observance was the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

When Ponovezh And Chabad Were On Friendly Terms

While I wasn't able to find confirmation as to his appearance at the event, it is worth noting that R. Kahaneman kept a relationship with the Rayatz's successor, R. Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, and there are records of their meeting and friendship until the passing of the Ponovezher Rav, in 1969.

Here Comes The Sun … Or Morning Has Broken, Like The First Morning...

Some of the older men were telling grand tales of where they were and what it was like attending previous Birkat HaChamah ceremonies, but the story that I will never forget was told by a 92-year white-bearded rabbi, who merited to attend his fourth(!) such service.

‘Minhag America’ Prayerbooks

The New World was ripe for change, isolated from the old communities in Europe and with a steady stream of immigrants, it wasn't long before efforts to create change in the Jewish tradition were being pushed.

Holocaust Cartoons

There can hardly be a subject that might, at first blush, be considered more unsuitable for cartoons than the Holocaust. Yet they played a more crucial role in provoking anti-Nazi sentiment, generating support for the victims of the Shoah, and engendering publicity regarding the Holocaust, than hundreds of essays, articles, and newspaper reports ever could.

Highlights From Sotheby’s Judaica Sale

On December 14, 2023, Sotheby’s in New York City held a sale comprising the third and final part of the Abraham Halpern (1936-2017) collection of Judaica... The sale results of this recent offering were a more modest affair. Here are the highlights.

Rav Ovadia’s Letter Sheds Light On Drastic Consequences Of Islamic Revolution In Iran

Though safely outside Iran when the revolution broke out in Jan 1979, Habib returned to Iran to be with his community and lead them through the turmoil.

The Judaism, Zionism, And Jewish Art Of Jozef Israëls

Though his struggle to remain faithful to Judaism while being true to his art remained a source of conflict throughout his life, the Hebrew-speaking Israëls was evidently a Zionist.

The First Book Printed In Lisbon

Titles pages weren't in use in printed book until decades later, but the opening page features a beautiful floral border.

David Levi: The Jewish Polemicist Who Defended Judaism Against Joseph Priestley And Thomas Paine

He was pedantic about textual matters, became a renowned spokesman for the traditional Jewish interpretation of scripture, and played a crucial role in providing basic materials to support the religious needs of an English-speaking community largely unfamiliar with Hebrew.

A Note Recounting The Ya’avetz’s Near Death Experience

A small piece of paper with his handwriting that I sold this week was a result of an unusual scenario which he wrote about in his Mor Uktzia (siman 218 in his commentary on Shulchan Aruch).

The History And Art Of Rachel’s Tomb

Although he could have completed the project in France, Chagall used the assignment as an excuse to travel to Eretz Yisrael, arriving there in February 1931. Feeling very much at home in a land of Yiddish and Russian speakers, he was impressed by the pioneering spirit of the kibbutzniks and he was deeply moved by the holy places.

Cecil B. DeMille’s First – And Largely Unknown – Version Of The Ten Commandments

Upon its release, critics acclaimed and celebrated the Biblical Prologue, but they were generally highly critical of the Story section of the film, which was broadly characterized as clichéd in both its narrative and characterizations.

Rare Unpublished Notes Of The Chavot Yair

For centuries, this work was feared lost, until in the last decades a condensed version of this extensive work was discovered and published in 1982, under the title Mekor Chaim.

Ilan Ramon’s Jewish Space Odyssey

The barbed wire mezuzah that Ramon took with him into space – he joked about affixing it to the shuttle door – was by San Francisco Artist Aimee Golant, the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor.

Keeping History Alive

The oldest pieces from his collection are coins from the Bar Kochva period and Chashmonean dynasty. When I asked whether these coins shouldn’t be in a museum, he said that there are actually many of them floating around and the museums have enough.

Letters Written By Rav Baruch Ber Leibowitz

A string of letters I had acquired recently, sent by Rav Baruch Ber Leibowitz (1862-1939) to a famed American Philanthropist and supporter of Yeshivas throughout the world, Abraham Meyers, details the conditions that a European yeshiva in the 1932-1933 period had to endure.

The Zionism Of Rav Yitzchak Yaakov Reines And The Birth Of Mizrachi

Although Rav Reines may not have been the first Orthodox rav to support the idea of a Jewish return to Eretz Yisrael, Zion, it was he who answered Herzl's call to become involved in the political movement and it was he who almost single-handedly took on the anti-Zionist charedi rabbinate.

A Magnificent Mezuzah And A Militaristic Menorah

What an interesting chanukiah you have! It is apparent that it was completely fashioned by hand using a variety of tools, and there is a great deal of soldering work I can see from putting pieces together.

A Key 18th Century Book Of The Haskalah

Based in a large part on such works in German that were popular at the time, the author was tasked with describing things in Hebrew that were yet to be written about in the language.

The Ringelblum Archives

Recognizing that the full potential of the Archive was not possible absent a catalog that methodically and systematically organized and described its contents, the Jewish Historical Institute and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum joined forces to prepare and publish such a catalog.

The Chofetz Chaim’s Personally Inspected Books

The word mugah can indeed be found in many of the copies of the early editions of the Chofetz Chaim's publications, both in books that he authored himself or books that he had published, such as those of the Sha'agat Aryeh and Asifat Zekenim.

The Judaism, Zionism And Jewish Poems Of Emma Lazarus

Lazarus wrote several pieces on Jewish holidays, including The New Year (Rosh Hashana, 5643), in which she beautifully conveyed her vision of a people rolling homeward to its ancient source.

The Life-Long Friendship Of Rabbi Chaim Berlin And Rabbi Shmuel Salant

It is interesting to see how the network developed a life of its own and perhaps due to the distance and slow communications, decisions and the hiring of new emissaries was done without the knowledge of the organization's heads back in Jerusalem.

The Art Of Chanukah

Many of our greatest artists have produced striking graphic works on these subjects, and I present here a selection of original artwork and related items from my Chanukah collection.

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