A List of Some JTS Library Resources Relating to the Yemenite Jewish Community

-          Gimani, Aharon.

Bene Teman : Meḥḳarim be-yahadut Teman u-morashtah

[Lod : Orot Yahadut ha-Magrab : Merkaz Dahan, 711, 2011]

DS135.Y4 G55 2011

-          Mi-Teman le-Yiśraʼel : tarbut, lashon, sifrut, ḥinukh ; hagut u-meḥḳar

[Yiśraʼel : E. Ḳapaḥ, 2011]

DS113.8.Y4 M58 2011

-          Ben-Daṿid, Aharon.

Sefer ha-maʻaśim : maʻaśim me-ḥaye Yehude tsefon Teman ...

[Ḳiryat ʻEḳron : Hotsaʼat "Ahavat Teman", (2010)]

DS135.Y4 B452 2010

-          Mizraḥi, Avshalom.

Mor u-levonah : orḥot ḥayim, beriʼut u-refuʼah be-mishkenot Yehude Teman

[R.G. (z.o., Ramat Gan) : Hotsaʼat Foḳus ; : Netanyah : ha-Agudah le-ṭipuaḥ ḥevrah ṿe-tarbut, c2007]

R133 .M59 2007

-          Muchawsky-Schnapper, Ester.

The Yemenites : two thousand years of Jewish culture

[Jerusalem : The Israel Museum, 2000]

Oversize DS135.Y4 M82 2000

-          Judaeo-Yemenite studies : proceedings of the second international congress

[Princeton, N.J. : Institute of Semitic Studies, 1999]

DS135.Y4 J83 1999

-          Tobi, Joseph.

The Jews of Yemen : studies in their history and culture

[Leiden ; Boston : Brill, 1999]

DS135.Y4 T693 1999

-          Tawil, Hayim.

Operation Esther : opening the door for the last Jews of Yemen

[New York : Belkis Press, 1998]

DS135.Y4 T38 1998

-          The Jews of Aden

[(London) : London Museum of Jewish Life, c1991]

OVERSIZE DS135.Y4 J48 1991

-          Nini, Yehuda.

The Jews of the Yemen, 1800-1914

[Chur : Philadelphia : Harwood Academic Publishers, c1991]

DS135.Y4 N5213 1991

-          Gold, Sharlya.

The answered prayer, and other Yemenite folktales

[Philadelphia : Jewish Publication Society, 1990]

Educational Resource Center PZ8.1.G58 An 1990

-          Ahroni, Reuben.

Yemenite Jewry : origins, culture, and literature

[Bloomington : Indiana University Press, c1986]

DS135.Y4 A46 1986

Converting between Hebrew and Gregorian Years

How does one calculate the Gregorian year from the Hebrew year (and the reverse)?

To calculate the Gregorian year from the Hebrew year, convert the Hebrew letters to numerals and add the number 1240 to that result. For the reverse, subtract the number 1240 from the Gregorian year and then convert the numerals to Hebrew letters. For a chart to convert the Hebrew alphabet to numbers, see here. If you are given the Hebrew year in numerals (e.g. 5774), exclude 5,000 in your calculation (see below) and add 1240 to the remaining numerals (e.g. 774). 

Some examples:

1. Hebrew year: תרכד

In numerals: 

    ת is 400

    ר is 200

    כ is 20

     ד is 4

Sum of numerals: 400 + 200 + 20 + 4 =624 (The year תרכד actually is the year 5624, but the 5,000 is left off for the purposes of the calculation and is assumed). 

Add 624 to 1240: 624 + 1240 = 1864

2. English year: 2011

Subtract 1240: 2011 - 1240 = 771 (The year actually is 5771, but the 5,000 is assumed). 

Convert to Hebrew letters: There is no Hebrew letter with the numerical equivalent as high as 700, but 700 is 400 + 300, ת and ש.

70 = ע

1 = א

Result: תשעא

From the time between the Hebrew New Year in the Fall to the Gregorian New Year in the Winter, the year is off by one, so this device is not always exact unless you know the month. This device generally though often proves helpful to librarians, who typically need to calculate the particular year in which a book was printed. 

The JTS Library has many books on the topic of the Jewish calendar. For example, Judaism, Mathematics, and the Hebrew Calendar, by Hyman Gabai, presents a comprehensive, in depth analysis of the Hebrew calendar. The Jewish Calendar, by Rabbi David Feinstein, also offers a good overview of the calendar and Jewish holidays, as well as a section titled "Basic rules of calendar-based liturgies." Hebrew and Solar Calendar Every Day for 200 Years, by Victor E. Levy, and The Comprehensive Hebrew Calendar, by Arthur Spier, offer conversion charts and introductory explanations of the calendar system. Calendrical Calculations, by Edward M. Reingold, provides a mathematical explanation of the Julian, Gregorian, Jewish, and Muslim calendars. For a historical perspective, consult the book Palaces of Time: Jewish Calendar and Culture in Early Modern Europe, by Elisheva Carlebach.

Witnesses in Jewish Law

Where is there a source in Jewish Law that states that someone who eats a meal in the marketplace becomes disqualified from serving as a witness?

The Mishnah and Babylonian Talmud in Tractate Kiddushin page 40b discuss this topic. The text from the Soncino translation (Epstein, Rabbi Dr. I. The Babylonian Talmud. London: Soncino Press, 1935-1948) reads as follows:

“MISHNAH. HE WHO IS VERSED IN BIBLE, MISHNAH, AND SECULAR PURSUITS10 WILL NOT EASILY11 SIN, FOR IT IS SAID, AND A THREEFOLD CORD IS NOT QUICKLY BROKEN.12 BUT HE WHO LACKS BIBLE, MISHNAH AND SECULAR PURSUITS DOES NOT BELONG TO CIVILISATION.BUT HE WHO LACKS BIBLE, MISHNAH [etc.]. R. Johanan said: And he is unfit to testify.”

Talmud: “Our Rabbis taught: He who eats in the market-place is like a dog; and some say that he is unfit to testify. R. Idi b. Abin said: The halachah agrees with the latter.”

Rashi on this topic offers a reason for this law, namely that such a person acts in an undignified manner and as such lacks self-respect. Someone who lacks self-respect will not feel embarrassed about testifying falsely. The Tosafist commentators question Rashi’s reason based on other sources that imply that it is undignified only for a Torah scholar to eat in the marketplace, but for others not, and offer three other possible reasons. The first reason explains that the person snatches/steals food and eats. The second reason explains that the person goes around from vendor to vendor, tasting a little bit of each food, as though he were to purchase it but then doesn't. The third reason quotes the Tosafist commentator Rabbeinu Tam as saying that the concept refers to someone who eats a complete meal of bread (seudah) while in the market, which is considered more disgraceful. Both Rashi's and the Tosafists' explanations offer reasons that eating in the marketplace might have negative connotations for serving as a witness. 

Jacob H. Schiff and The Jewish Theological Seminary

Which resources does The Library have in its collection for someone researching the connection between Jacob Schiff and The Jewish Theological Seminary?

The Library has a number of books about Jacob Schiff that include information about his connection to The Jewish Theological Seminary. These books include: Jacob H. Schiff: His Life and Letters, by Cyrus Adler (call number CT275 S3442 A2 1929), Jacob Henry Schiff: A Biographical Sketch, also by Cyrus Adler (call number CT275 S3442 A3), and Jacob H. Schiff: A Study in American Jewish Leadership (call number E184.37 S37 C64 1999). In addition, the book Tradition Renewed, a two volume history of the Seminary, contains information about Jacob Schiff (call number BM90 J56 T83 1997).

Jacbob H. Schiff: His Life and Letters contains information about Schiff's donations to the Seminary, his involvement in the construction of its building, his connection to Solomon Schechter and Kohut, his involvement in the purchase of the Steinschneider collection for the library, and his attendance of a number of commencement ceremonies and student dinners (pages 54-58).

Jacob Henry Schiff: A Biographical Sketch discusses Schiff's attendance of meetings of the Board of Directors as well as his role as a donor and his connection to Schechter. It also again mentions his attendance of commencement ceremonies and student dinners (22-26).

Jacob H. Schiff: A Study in American Jewish Leadership provides information about Schiff's role in fund-raising for the Seminary, and addresses possible reasons as to why he might have taken such a strong interest in the Seminary. In addition, this book mentions that his involvement included serving as a judge for student debates (96-106).

The index to Tradition Renewed contains thirty-two entries under the listing "Schiff, Jacob." Topics include Cyrus Adler, Board of Directors, The Library, Mordechai Kaplan, and The Teacher's Institute.

The archives of The Jewish Theological Seminary contains correspondence between Jacob Schiff and other figures, including seminary leaders. Archival material relating to Schiff includes general correspondence spanning 1901-1917, including a letter to Sulzberger. In terms of other specific individuals, the collection includes a 1911 correspondence with Alexander Marx, correspondence with Adolphus Solomon, and correspondence with Schechter (spanning 1902-1910). 

Who wrote the work Maaseh Tuviah, what type of work is it, and where was it printed?

The physician Tobias/Tuviah Cohn (Tobias the son of Moses Cohn), who lived from 1652 to 1729, wrote the book Maaseh Tuviah. He grew up in the town of Metz in a Rabbinic family, lived in Poland, and studied medicine in Frankfurt on Oder and at Padua in Italy (Margalith, 2007). As court physician in Turkey, he served five sultans (Muntner, 2007).

Maaseh Tuviah contains five sections. Sections one through four (Book One) include: The Upper World- philosophy, The Middle World- Astronomy, The Small World- “things under the moon,” and Foundations of the World- “the four foundational elements.” Section five (Book Two), titled The New World, deals with medicine. Maaseh Tuviah serves as Cohn’s intellectual magnum opus, in that it contains the extent of all of his scientific knowledge on medicine, astronomy, botany, zoology, and philosophy.

The Bragadini family, a family of Venetian publishers, published Maaseh Tuviah in 1708. Hebrew books printed in Venice in the eighteenth century bore the symbol “Nella Stamperia Bragadina” (stamp of Bragadini) because Hebrew books in Venice were required to be published only under the nobleman Bragadini, with payment (Jewish Encyclopedia, 1906). The term “Stamperia Bragadina” appears on publications to indicate that the Christian printers who printed the Hebrew books worked for the Bragadini family (Ibid.). The Bragadini family had a long history of publishing Hebrew books. After the printer Bomberg, who had printed the first Talmud, became less prominent, a competition emerged for the printing of Hebrew books, and the Bragadini family emerged at the forefront, such that in the mid-1500s in Venice, the Bragadini family had jurisdiction over the printing of Hebrew books (Ibid.). It seems that jurisdiction continued through the mid-1700s.

The Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America owns a first edition of Maaseh Tuviah, with the call number of RB 144:4. The book was published in Hebrew and consists of one volume containing multiple works, for a total of 321 pages. Many later printings of the book occurred: Venice- 1715, 1728, 1769, and 1850, Jessnitz-1721, Lemberg- 1867, 1875, Cracow- 1908, Jerusalem- 1967, 1978, and Brooklyn- 1974 (Ruderman, 1995, p. 229).  The library’s copy has Quarto binding (collation formula: [6] [158]ff ([6]ff, 1-39^4, 40^2)), its outer binding consists of contemporary sprinkled calf, and it measures 22.5 by 17 centimeters. The book includes one end page at each end, Hebrew and Arabic pagination, with four pages per number (e.g. 13: 1-4), a catchword at bottom of the page, appendices (in the form of a summary of contents of each section before each section), and errata (in the form of a table of errors in back of the book). The book includes neither footnotes, end notes, nor glosses. The print features monochrome ink, and the book includes many scientific illustrations.

Jewish Encyclopedia. (1906). Bragadini. Retrieved from http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/3615-bragadini

Margalith, David. (2007). "Cohn, Tobias ben Moses." Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. 2nd ed. (Vol. 5, pp. 44-45). Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?

id=GALE%7CCX2587504503&v=2.1&u=nysl_me_jethsoa&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w

Muntner, Suesmann et al. (2007). “Medicine.”  Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik .  2^nd ed.  (Vol. 13).  Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA.

Ruderman, David B. (1995). Jewish Thought and Scientific Discovery in Early Modern Europe. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.

Question: In Jewish writings, is there anywhere written the idea of the human body being compared to a house?

Answer: In 1708, Tobias Cohn, an eighteenth-century Jewish physician, published a scientific and philosophical work titled "מעשה טוביה." In this work, he presents an analogy comparing the human body to a house, and includes an anatomical diagram drawn adjacent to a house. מעשה טוביה in fact provides an interesting glimpse into the unique life of Tobias Cohn in general. The introduction to the work, due to its biographical nature, provides fascinating information about the life of a Jewish physician during the eighteenth century. Moreover, the body of the work itself provides a wealth of scientific knowledge and therefore serves as an interesting text within the history of science, particularly within the historical development of medicine. In the introduction to the work, Cohn explains that this work will serve as his legacy, since his two children have passed away and he does not know if he will have any more children. As such, the work imparts the corpus of his scientific knowledge, which serves of much interest historically. 

Tobias Cohn (Tobias the son of Moses Cohn) lived from 1652 to 1729. Originally from the town of Metz in Northern France, Cohn grew up in a Rabbinic family and, at the age of nine, upon the death of his father, Cohn began living with relatives in Cracow, Poland, where he studied traditional Jewish subjects (Margalith, 2007). Cohn then began studying medicine at Frankfurt on Oder, then continued his medical studies in the Italian university at Padua, and then served as the court physician in Turkey (Margalith, 2007), where he served five sultans (Muntner, 2007). By way of retirement from practicing medicine, Cohn relocated to Jerusalem, Israel, where he again studied traditional Jewish texts (Margalith, 2007). 

In the introduction to מעשה טוביה  Cohn provides a biographical sketch of his life as a medical student and as a physician. He describes studying medicine at Padua, and also studying medicine with a friend at the university at Frankfurt on Oder. Regarding the latter, he mentions that typically Jews were not allowed to study there, which provides an interesting example of the unique nature of his course of study. Also, by way of background information, he briefly describes his family history, which gives the work general historical value as well. Cohn discusses how his family has a legend of descending from the Biblical figure Ezra, and how his family ended up in Metz as a result of fleeing the persecutions in Poland in 1648. Some of his family then returned to Poland. This information that Cohn provides in the bibliography provides historical context for the rest of the work, which focuses on various scientific disciplines. 

The main content of מעשה טוביה serves as Cohn’s intellectual magnum opus, in that it contains his scientific knowledge on medicine, astronomy, botany, zoology, and philosophy. As mentioned, Cohn wishes to impart this knowledge as his legacy. Given the vast expanse of the content of the work, מעשה טוביה serves as a strong testament to the author’s scope and depth of knowledge of the various sciences and of philosophy.

The מעשה טוביה is divided into five sections, four of which comprise Book One and one of which comprises Book Two. Sections one through four include: The Upper World, which addresses philosophy, The Middle World, which addresses Astronomy, The Small World, which addresses “things under the moon,” and Foundations of the World, which addresses “the four foundational elements.” Section five, titled The New World, deals with medicine.

The publisher's imprint indicates Nella Stamperia Bragadina, Venice, 1708. With respect to frequency of print, many later printings of the book occurred: Venice- 1715, 1728, 1769, and 1850, Jessnitz-1721, Lemberg- 1867, 1875, Cracow- 1908, Jerusalem- 1967, 1978, and Brooklyn- 1974 (Ruderman, 1995, p. 229). The Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America owns a first edition of the work, with the call number of RB 144:4. The book was published in Hebrew, and consists of one volume containing multiple works, for a total of 321 pages. The book has quarto binding and its collation formula is as follows: [6] [158]ff ([6]ff, 1-39^4, 40^2). The outer binding consists of contemporary sprinkled calf, and the book measures 22.5 by 17 centimeters. In terms of endpages, there are one at each end. Pagination includes both Hebrew and Arabic numerals, with four pages per number (e.g. 13: 1-4). Each page features a catchword at bottom of the page. The work includes a summary of contents of each section before each section. Moreover, the work includes errata, in the form of a table of errors in back of book. The book includes neither footnotes, end notes, nor glosses. The print features monochrome ink, and the book includes many illustrations (discussed below). 

A significant number of approbations precede the text. These include a poem by Solomon Konean/Conegliano (a teacher of the author), an approbation by the Chief Rabbi of Prague, an approbation by the Rabbis of Venice, an approbation by a contemporary of the author, a lengthy approbation by another contemporary, and three poems by the author’s contemporaries. It remains possible, though speculative, that the high number of approbations by famous figures intends to forestall the novelty of a scientific work written in Hebrew for a lay audience. 

The extensive number of illustrations in מעשה טוביה stands out in that the book in its time emerged as “the only Hebrew work on medicine which was profusely illustrated” (Margalith, 2007). The diagrams actually serve as a fascinating glimpse into eighteenth century science. Illustrations include celestial diagrams, anatomical drawing, including the analogy of the body to a house, and drawings of other phenomena in nature, such as thunder and plants. Perhaps most well-known is the full page illustration analogizing the anatomy of the human body to the structure of a house. Furthermore, the verso of the main title page features an illustration of the author by Antonio Luciani; however, information is not available on that illustrator’s history. In addition, the title page contains illustrations, and various decorative illustrations appear at the end of chapters. In terms of the type of material used, the illustrations consist of copper and woodcut engravings, with woodcut and decorative and typographical head- and tailpieces. 

References:

Margalith, David. (2007). "Cohn, Tobias ben Moses." Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. 2nd ed. (Vol. 5, pp. 44-45). Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.doid=GALE%7CCX2587504503&v=2.1&u=nysl_me_jethsoa&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w 

Muntner, Suesmann, Samuel Vaisrub, Michael A. Denman, Yaakov Naparstek, and Dan Gilon. (2007). "Medicine." Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. 2nd ed.(Vol. 13, p720-738). Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=nysl_me_jethsoa&tabID=T003&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&currentPosition=6&contentSet=GALE%7CCX2587513493&&docId=GALE|CX2587513493&docType=GALE 

Ruderman, David B. (1995). Jewish Thought and Scientific Discovery in Early Modern Europe. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. 

Who wrote the play: "Brandeis"?

Question:
Who wrote the play: "Brandeis", in The Eternal Light [New York : Crown, 1947], edited by Morton Wishengrad (1913-1963)?  Was it Wishengrad? 

Answer:

I consulted The Eternal Light. It does not state explicitly who wrote each play. However, in Louis Finkelstein’s “Foreword”, he uses wording that strongly suggests that Wishengrad authored all the scripts in the volume. Finkelstein refers to Wishengrad (on p.viii) as “the author of this volume”. In Wishengrad’s essay at the beginning of the volume, he also seems to indicate that he wrote all the scripts. (He does say (on p.xxxv) that Finkelstein and Moshe Davis contributed to the creation of the scripts and that “[t]here are texts in these scripts that originate with Dr. Davis. They were shamelessly appropriated and no acknowledgement given until this moment”.) The title page states: “The Eternal Light by Morton Wishengrad”. According to the verso of the title page, the copyright’s for the scripts are held variously by JTS, NBC, or Wishengrad. Both the JTS Library catalog and the WorldCat database, list Wishengrad as the sole author of the plays. Finally, The Eternal Light : An Unauthorized Guide, by Eli Segal [Newtown, CT : Yesteryear Press, 2005], lists Wishengrad as the author of "Brandeis" on p.38, and again on p.48. In summary, I believe one can state that Wishengrad is the author of "Brandeis".

Conservative Judaism: A Reader's Guide

The Berman Jewish Policy Archive of New York University's Wagner School of Public Service has just compiled a Reader's Guide on Conservative Judaism, including the full-text of over 80 articles and reports published recently and in the last 30 years. Topics include ideology, observance, institutions, demographics, the rabbinate, and denominational relations. Here is a summary of the guide, with highlights.

The Berman Jewish Policy Archive is a particularly useful resource for Jewish educators, and professionals involved in Jewish communal service and public policy. Although it is called an "archive" and does contain materials from previous decades, it is an excellent source for materials on current Jewish community issues: as of April 10 2012 it already provides readers with 22 documents from April 2012 and 108 documents from this year.

As stated on its website, the Berman Jewish Policy Archive also "serves as a catalyst for new research, new analysis, and new policy discussions through live events such as conferences, roundtables, lectures, publication launches and salons."

Jews and Science

Recently I was interested in researching the history of Jews in science. In the library’s collection I discovered a number of interesting books on the topic. In addition to finding books on the history of Jews in science in general that cover different time periods, I located a biography section that contains works on specific Jewish scientists, including a section about Einstein. Subject headings in the library’s catalog include Judaism and science, Judaism and science-Congresses, Judaism and science- History, Judaism and science- History of doctrines, and Judaism and science- periodicals. Since this is such a vast and broad topic, I decided to focus on several books that would both give a general overview of Jewish involvement in the sciences over different time periods as well as provide information about key Jewish figures who contributed to science.

Some of the books that I looked at:

• 
  
  In 1934, Louis Gershenfeld published a book titled The Jew in Science, which traces Jewish involvement in the sciences all the way from the Dark Ages until modern times. Time periods covered include the Dark Ages, the time of Maimonides, the Renaissance, the Nineteenth Century, and American history. To provide context, Gershenfeld devotes a chapter to the history of science and a chapter to the history of the Jews. These chapters provide a brief overview of their topics. In addition to discussing more well-known figures such as Maimonides, the book discusses many more obscure Jewish scientists as well.


• 
  
  To focus more on a specific time period, and one during which Jewish scientists were highly prolific, one can consult Tzvi Langermann’s book titled The Jews and the Sciences in the Middle Ages. Primarily the chapters each deal with one figure: Sa’adya, Ibn Ezra, Maimonides, Nahmanides, Gersonides, Rav Moshe Isserless, and Mordechai Fizzi. However, rather than just providing a biography, the chapters focus on a scientific topic with respect to the particular figure, such as astrology, astronomy, or physics.


• 
  
  Ruderman’s Jewish Thought and Scientific Discovery in Early Modern Europe provides a comprehensive analysis of Jewish interaction with the sciences during the emerging Enlightenment and age of science. One particularly interesting chapter focuses on Jewish attendance of the medical school at Padua. “In the beginning of the seventeenth century, a constant trickle of Jews were among the hundreds of students who graduated each year from Padua’s medical school.” Some of the chapters focus on specific figures, some well-known and some less well-known, but these chapters serve as a platform for a more thematic analysis as well, such as “Science and Skepticism.” Different geographical areas are covered, such as in the chapter “A Jewish Thinker in Newtonian England,” about David Nieto, a Rabbi in London who also held a medical degree from Padua.


• 
  
  An interesting book by Tina Levitan, titled The Laureates, provides short biographies of Jewish Nobel prize winners up until 1960, when the book was written. In the preface, the author explains that she has set out “to describe in nontechnical language the work for which it was given.” Levitan’s introduction provides an interesting history of the Nobel Prize in general and discusses the role of Jews in scientific discovery in particular.


• 
  
  In the biography section, I found one that was of particular interest, that of Lise Meitner, a German-Jewish physicist who was a friend of Einstein’s. One of the great scientists of her time, Meitner escaped Nazi Germany, and was a physicist involved in discovering nuclear fission. Because the author is herself a scientist, the book explains the scientific details of Meitner’s research, and does so in a clear fashion.


• 
  
  I also found a book titled Jews and Sciences in German Contexts: Case Studies from the 19th and 20th Centuries, edited by Ulrich Chapra and Ute Deichman, which analyzes Jewish involvement in the sciences in Germany during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including a chapter about Einstein. The book is arranged thematically instead of chronologically, and sections include “Research Practices, Achievements, Contexts,” “The Impact of Religious and Ideological Attitudes,” “Anti-Semitism in Academia,” and “Prosopographical Data.” The book deals with a wide range of topics. For example, the second section contains a chapter by Yael Hashiloni-Dolev that compares “German and Israeli Attitudes towards Reproductive Genetics and the Effects of Religion,” and the third section contains a chapter by Aaron Lowenstein that analyzes anti-Semitism in the journal Nature in 1938 as well as a chapter by Ruth Lewin Sime that discusses German Jewish scientists after World War II. Interestingly, Lowenstein’s article contains a reprint of the 1938 article published in Nature.


• 
  
  For an example of a more modern history of Jews and science, the Vertical Files contain a booklet titled “Profile of the Wiezman Institute of Science,” printed in 1967.

From these works it becomes evident that it is possible to examine the topic of Jews and science through a number of different lenses- historical, geographical, intellectual, and biographical. Due to the vastness of the topic, there are many more books that could be looked at. Given the significant role that Jewish scientists have played in the scientific community over time, this has proven to be a very interesting topic to study.

Abraham, Sarah and Abimelech -- in Genesis 20

Question: A pastor from a small Florida town requested the Jewish explanation of the obscure term "kesut einayim" in Genesis 20:16. He also wanted an explanation of how 1,000 pieces of silver could clear Sarah's reputation, and what was its significance in the context of ancient Near Eastern law and custom.

Answer: Although this term is often translated as "vindication", its literal meaning is "covering of the eyes."

Nahum Sarna's The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis (1989) provides a succinct summary of the literal and figurative meanings of this phrase (p. 144). The ArtScroll Tanach Series commentary on Genesis by Zlotowitz provides a variety of explanations by a range of classical rabbinic commentators. For example:

According to Rashbam, the 1,000 pieces of silver refers to the dowry Abimelech gave Abraham (Sarah's supposed brother) demonstrating Abimelech's honorable intention to legally marry Sarah. Regarding "kesut einayim" Rashi says "The gifts I have given to you will serve to close the eyes of all those who would otherwise have regarded you contemptuously" (Artscroll p. 738)--again emphasizing Abimelech's honorable intentions, the restoration of Sarah's honor and the removal of any disgrace. R' Bachya and Rav Yehudah bar Ilia emphasize the literal meaning of "kesut": a garment. Sarah should wear a garment which will distract the public from noticing her beauty, or a veil which will actually hide Sarah from public view.

Sarna refers us to Moshe Weinfeld's article "Sarah and Abimelech (Genesis 20) Against the Background of an Assyrian Law and the Genesis Apocryphon" in Mélanges Bibliques et Orientaux en l’Honneur de M. Mathias Delcor (1985). Weinfeld demonstrates how a text of Genesis Apocryphon found at Qumran partially verifies Cassuto's 1944 hypothesis that that the transfer of money from Abimelech to Abraham was a standard legal practice in the Middle East in such situations. This Qumran text includes an additional detail in the Abraham/Sarah/Abimelech narrative, which is absent in the Biblical text. An oath is uttered by Abimelech.

Weinfeld quotes a translation of Middle Assyrian Laws: “a man who takes a married woman on a . . . journey with him, without knowing that she is married, must make an oath to that effect [that he did not know she was married] and give two talents of tin to the woman’s husband (Middle Assyrian Laws, I, sect. 22)” p. 431. Weinfeld's conclusion: “we can assume that we have here a practice widespread over the ancient Near East for a period of more than a thousand years.” p. 432

An Interesting Image - Where Does It Come From?

The above image was sent to the JTS Library. The sender did not know the source of the image. He wanted to know more about it and where it came from. Here is the analysis of the image that I wrote in response:

The design contains two quotes in RaShi script. They read as follows:
1]
Starting from the top left of the circle and heading left and downwards, the words read:

הענן לא היה יכול / לב[ו]א נסתלק ה / הענן נכנס ומדבר / עמו
the cloud he was not able / to enter when the cloud lifted he would enter and speak / with Him

The forward-slashes in my transcription represent spaces. The italicized letter represents the insertion of the first letter of the "word-following-the-space", at the end of the "group-of-words-coming-before-the-space", possibly to guide the reader as to which section to read next. The bracketed letter represents a letter that is found in the source text that I examined (i.e. RaSHI's commentary to the Humash)but is missing from the design.
These words of the design are a quote of some of RaShI’s commentary to Exodus 40:35. I have transcribed RaShi’s commentary from the Bar Ilan Responsa online database’s transcription of the Jerusalem 1959 edition of RaShi’s commentary (itself a reprint of the Vienna 1859 edition). RaShI’s comment here is based on Sifra (Beraita de-Rabi Yishmael, parshah 1, paragraph 8). RaShI’s comment reads as follows:

ולא יכול משה לבוא אל אהל מועד - וכתוב אחד אומר (במדבר ז פט) ובבא משה אל אהל מועד, בא הכתוב השלישי והכריע ביניהם, כי שכן עליו הענן, אמור מעתה כל זמן שהיה עליו הענן לא היה יכול לבוא, נסתלק הענן נכנס ומדבר עמו:
And Moshe was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting – But another verse states (Numbers 7:89) “and when Moshe entered the Tent of Meeting” [a seeming contradiction]? A third verse comes and resolves [the contradiction] between them “because the cloud rested on [the Tent of Meeting]”. We can now explain: as long as the cloud rested on [the Tent of Meeting], he [Moshe] was not able to enter. When the cloud lifted, he [Moshe] would enter and speak with Him:

The bolded words represent the portion of RaShI’s comment included in the design.

2]
Starting from the bottom right of the circle and heading right and upwards and then into the Star of David, the words read:

לעיני כל בני / י' / ישר[א]ל בכל מסעי/הם בכל מסע ש? / שהיו נוסעים ה[י]ה הענן שוכן ב / במקום אשר יחנו שם מקום ח / חנייתם אף הוא קרוי מסע וכן / וילך למס/עיו וכן / אלה מסעי לפי ש[מ]מ/קום הח/נייה חזרו / ונסעו ל / לפיכך / נקראו
Before the eyes of all the Children of Israel in all their journeys in every journey that they journeyed the cloud would rest in the place that they were to encamp the place that they encamped is also called a journey and so and he went according to his journeys and so these are the journeys because from the place of encampment they again journeyed therefore they were called

The meaning of the forward-slashes, small italicized letters, and brackets has been discussed above. The question mark signifies that the preceding letter is unclear and conjectured. The text in blue indicate words that deviate from the version found in the source text I examined.
This part of the design is a quote (with some minor differences) of most of RaShI’s commentary to Exodus 40:38:

לעיני כל בית ישראל בכל מסעיהם – בכל מסע שהיו נוסעים היה הענן שוכן במקום אשר יחנו שם. מקום חנייתן אף הוא קרוי מסע, וכן (בראשית יג ג) וילך למסעיו, וכן (במדבר לג א) אלה מסעי לפי שממקום החנייה חזרו ונסעו, לכך נקראו כולן מסעות:
Before the eyes of all the House of Israel in all their journeys - In every journey that they journeyed the cloud would rest in the place that they were to encamp. The place that they encamped is also called a “journey” and so [we find this expression used elsewhere, as in] “and he went according to his journeys” (Genesis 13:3) and so [as in] “these are the journeys” (Numbers 33:1). [The reason for the word journey being used to mean encampment is] because from the place of encampment they again journeyed, therefore [the places of encampment] were all called “journeys”:

Again, the bolded words represent the portion of RaShI’s commentary included in the design and the text in blue indicates differences from the wording or spelling found in the design.

Despite the identification of the text on which this design is based. We have not yet been able to find the source of the image or understand its significance. If anyone can assist us in doing so, please, let us know in the comments section. Thank you

Bibliography of the works of Rabbi Yaakov Hayim Sofer, rosh Yeshivat Kaf ha-Hayim - Part II

The Bibliography

As I mentioned in a post on 7/18/2011, I have prepared a preliminary bibliography of the works of the contemporary rabbinic scholar, Rabbi Yaakov Hayim Sofer (rosh Yeshivat Kaf ha-Hayim in Israel). See that post for more information about Rabbi Sofer's writings and the methodology of the bibliography. Here is a link to a downloadable PDF of the bibliography:

https://www.yousendit.com/sharedFolder?phi_action=app/orchestrateSharedFolder&id=A4Y6wi9CEaUcHSVZD-Mk2ckQtjWm0JQWme6o8gT8lUU

Demons in the House?

Question:

I'm moving to a new house, and friends begged me to be sure previous owners had not remodeled, causing doors or windows to be closed up. They urged me not to make such door or window changes either -- all because of Jewish law. I am not familiar with these laws, so please provide me with more information.

Answer:

This may suprise you, but your friend is probably urging you to avoid provoking demons.

According to Rabbi Yehudah HeChasid (of 12-century Germany) in his Sefer Chasidim: The Book of the Pious and his Ethical Will and Testament, translated by Avraham Finkel (Jason Aronson, 1997) demons travel via habitual and unwavering paths, and one must avoid blocking their paths. "...angels and demons cannot deviate from the route to which they are assigned" (p. 76). "One should not seal up a window or door completely, otherwise the demons that usually pass through these openings will cause harm. One should make a hole in the sealed door or window [to allow the demons passage]" (p. 378)

It may be difficult for many readers to take seriously the notion that demons exist and could harm us--or that these concepts are part of Judaism. Indeed, Finkel points out that "many of the instructions in Rabbi Yehudah's...ethical will...are based on Kabbalah and do not have the binding character of halachah" [Jewish law] (p. xxxiii).

Although Biblical, Rabbinic and Kabbalistic texts mention demons, the text of the Tanakh makes it clear that the source of misfortune is the Lord, and sorcery is not to be tolerated. Popular belief in demons has waxed and waned over the centuries, often reflecting the beliefs of surrounding communities. Notably, Maimonides and Ibn Ezra have rejected the the existence of demons. The article on "Demons and Demonology" in the Encyclopedia Judaica provides an overview on the topic of demons in Judaism, and how the concept has varied in different eras and geographic areas.

Joshua Trachtenberg, in Jewish Magic and Superstition (1939), prefaces his book saying that "alongside ...[the]... formal development [of Judaism] there was a constant elaboration of what we may call 'folk religion' -- ideas and practices that never met with the whole-hearted approval of the religious leaders, but which enjoyed such wide popularity that they could not be altogether excluded from the field of religion. Of this sort were the beliefs concerning demons and angels, and the many superstitious usages based on these beliefs...(p. vii). Trachtenberg discusses demons, and avoiding demons in the home, on pages 32-33.

A more recent scholarly treatment of the supernatural (including demons) in ancient rabbinic literature is Yuval Harari's "The sages and the occult" in The Literature of the Sages, part 2 (2006) p. 521-564.

Bibliography of the works of Rabbi Yaakov Hayim Sofer, rosh Yeshivat Kaf ha-Hayim - Part I

Introduction

Rabbi Yaakov Hayim Sofer, rosh yeshivah of Yeshivat Kaf ha-Hayim in Yerushalayim (http://kafhahaim.streenet.com/he/home.htm), is a prolific author who writes on a myriad of topics relating to all aspects of Torah study (including important bio-bibliographic studies). His works are distinguished by a very impressive command of the entire corpus of rabbinic writings - from the writings of the Tanaim up until the writings of present day scholars.

Although Rabbi Sofer has published many works containing his own essays, much of his output has been in the form of extensive notes written on the works of previous scholars. These notes have often been published at the backs of new editions of these scholars’ publications. Contemporary scholars who receive approbations from Rabbi Sofer for their works are often rewarded with his comments on their book’s subject, appended to his approbation. These practices make the identification and collation of all Rabbi Sofer’s writings difficult. In addition, Rabbi Sofer shares his name with his grandfather, the famous posek and kabbalist who wrote Kaf ha-Hayim and other works. This may confuse some people.

In order to distinguish them, the Library of Congress authority file lists the contemporary rosh yeshivah as: “Sofer, Yaakov Haim”. The author of Kaf ha-Hayim is identified in the authority record as: “Sofer, Ya‘akov Hayim, 1869 or 70-1939”. Another difference recorded by the Library of Congress is that the contemporary rosh yeshivah is “ben Yitshak Shalom” whereas the author of Kaf ha-Hayim is “ben Yitshak Barukh”.

In order to assist in the recognition of the contemporary Rabbi Sofer’s writings, I have prepared a bibliography of his publications. It can only be said to be a preliminary bibliography since I have been unable to personally examine some of the works and editions. Furthermore, I have not taken what would, surely, be the great amount of time necessary to compare the contents of all the books and note what, if any, essays or notes appear in multiple publications. It is, also, to be presumed that many of Rabbi Sofer’s articles that have been published in periodical literature, have been reprinted in his self-published works. Again, I have not taken the time to ascertain when this has occurred. Finally, I am certain that due to their lack of mention in the databases I have consulted, I have completely omitted many of Rabbi Sofer’s articles printed in periodical literature.

I have divided the bibliography into three sections:
1) Books containing primarily Rabbi Sofer’s own writings
2) Books written primarily by other authors that have been published together with Rabbi Sofer’s notes and comments. Each section is arranged alphabetically. I have generally listed only the latest edition of each work, except where the Jewish Theological Seminary Library has only an earlier edition, in which case I have listed the edition that we have and the later edition. Where the JTS Library owns a copy of the work, I have noted the call number assigned to the item. Where the JTS Library does not own a copy, I have so noted.
3) Periodicals (and other collections of articles, such as festschriften) containing articles and notes written by Rabbi Sofer. The periodicals have been arranged alphabetically by periodical title and the articles within each periodical have been arranged alphabetically by article title.

In preparing the bibliography I made use of the list of Rabbi Sofer’s works published at the back of the various volumes of his work, Sefer Hadar Yaakov. I have also used the following catalogs and databases: JTS Library catalogue, JNUL catalogue, RAMBI, RAMBISH, COTAR, and the index to periodicals (and other collections of articles), on the "Bar Ilan ShuT Project CD" (version 15). I have also made use of the index to the journal Mekabtsiel (issues 1-30) published in v.30 (Adar II 5765) of that journal. I have, also, examined many of the works and items personally. I would like to thank my colleague, Ina Rubin Cohen, for her helpful suggestions of databases to search.

I intend, be-ezrat HaShem, to publish the bibliography on this blog over the coming weeks.

As mentioned above, there are certainly many lacunae to be found in this preliminary bibliography. (One desideratum is articles by Rabbi Sofer published in v.35-36 of Mekabtsiel, which I have been unable to examine.) I welcome any additions or corrections that can be supplied by our readers. I also welcome any biographical information regarding Rabbi Yaakov Hayim Sofer that can be supplied by our readers.

Digital Articles from Beit Mikra

Question: How can I access a digital version of articles from the journal Beit Mikra, published by the World Jewish Bible Center?

Answer: Electronic access to selected Beit Mikra articles from the 1960's - 1980's is available from daat.ac.il here (by date) and here (alphabetically by author).

A quick way to access digitized Hebrew articles, including these Beit Mikra articles, is from the English/Hebrew Periodicals section of the website of the JTS Library

Beit Mikra is indexed in RAMBI without the full text -- RAMBI just provides the citations. Be sure to search RAMBI in the Hebrew alphabet to retrieve results for Beit Mikra.

Beit Mikra is also indexed in our subscription database ATLA/ATLAS, also just providing the citations. It includes articles published from 1998-2010. ATLA/ATLAS has transliterated the titles and authors of the Beit Mikra articles; you must search using the English alphabet. ATLA/ATLAS has spelled the journal "Bet Mikra".

On the JTS campus, you can access ATLA/ATLAS here. ATLA/ATLAS is available remotely to JTS students and faculty via our Remote Access service.

Rabbis During The Depression

Question: I have a 1937 pamphlet published by Temple Emanu-el of Boro Park, Brooklyn, the synagogue of my childhood. This pamphlet was published to mark an anniversary of the synagogue's founding. There is no mention of any rabbis, past or present, in this pamphlet, and I am concerned that during the depression the synagogue was unable to hire a rabbi. This publication includes a history of the temple, it lists past & present presidents and committee members; it also inludes sections on educating oneself and one's children about Judaism. But no rabbis are mentioned at all!

Can you please tell me if Emanu-el had a rabbi during the depression years?

Answer: Temple Emanu-el certainly did have rabbis in the 1930's: The proceedings of the Rabbinical Assembly 1930-32 volume lists Rabbi Moses J. S. Abels as being at Temple Emanuel; the 1933-38 volumes list Rabbi Jesse Bienenfeld as being at Temple Emanuel. Who's Who in American Jewry (1938-39) states that Rabbi Abels served from 1927-1935 and Rabbi Bienenfeld served beginning in 1935.

Jewish Renewal Movement in Secular Israel

Question: Can you recommend research materials on the recent interest in studying classical Jewish texts among secular Israelis.

Answer: The following resources focus your topic and have all been published within the last two years.

Ackerman, Ari. "Eliezer Schweid on the Religious Dimension of a Secular Jewish Renewal" Modern Judaism 30:2 (2010) p . 209-228.

Sheleg, Yair. מעברי ישן ליהודי חדש : רנסנס היהדות בחברה הישראלית Jerusalem, Ha-Makhon ha-Yisraeli lle-demokratyah, 2010.

Sheleg, Yair.

קץ המרד החילוני : מקהילות תפילה חדשניות, בתי מדרש חילוניים ותיקוני ליל שבועות אינטלקטואליים ועד חוגי קבלה, טורי פרשת שבוע, וחידוש פיוטי תפילה עתיקים על ידי זמרי פופ - ישראל עוברת רנסנס יהודי

דרשני

2 (2010) p. 10-16.

Werczberger, Rachel and Na'ama Azulay. "The Jewish Renewal Movement in Israeli Secular Society" Contemporary Jewry [forthcoming in 2011].

"Jewish Renewal in Israel" [3 articles in] Journal of Jewish Communal Service 85:1 (2010):

Hartmen, Donniel. "Renewing Jewish Identity in Israel" p. 73-76

Calderon, Ruth. "Tel Aviv and the Flowering of Jewish Renewal" p. 77-80.

Kelman, Naamah. "Seeding the Field of Jewish Renewal in Israel" p. 81-83.

When the wicked perish, there is song?

Question:
I am searching for a rabbinic teaching in which God tells the angels not to rejoice over the destruction of the Egyptians at the Reed Sea. Would you help me locate an English translation of this teaching?

Answer:
The teaching can be found in the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin, folio 39b. Here is a copy of the Soncino translation(with notes)of the relevant passage (from here: http://www.halakhah.com/sanhedrin/sanhedrin_39.html#PARTb):

THEREFORE EVERY SINGLE PERSON etc. And there went out the song5 throughout the host:6 R. Aha b. Hanina said: [It is the song referred to in the verse.] When the wicked perish, there is song;7 [thus] when Ahab b. Omri perished there was 'song'. But does the Holy One, blessed be He, rejoice over the downfall of the wicked? Is it not written, [That they should praise] as they went out before the army, and say, Give thanks unto the Lord for His mercy endureth for ever;8 concerning which R. Jonathan asked: Why are the words, He is good9 omitted from this expression of thanks? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, does not rejoice in the downfall of the wicked.10 For R. Samuel b. Nahman said in R. Jonathan's name: What is meant by, And one approached not the other all night?11 In that hour the ministering angels wished to utter the song [of praise]12 before the Holy One, blessed be He, but He rebuked them, saying: My handiwork [the Egyptians] is drowning in the sea; would ye utter song before me!13 — Said R. Jose b. Hanina: He Himself does not rejoice, yet He causes others to rejoice. Scripture supports this too, for it is written, [And it shall come to pass, that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do good … so yasis will the Lord] cause rejoicing [over you by destroying you],14 and not yasus [so will the Lord rejoice etc.]15 This prove it.

1. [H], E.V. 'cry'.
2. I Kings XXII, 36, with reference to Ahab's death at Ramoth in Gilead.
3. [H] Prov. XI, 10.
4. II. Chron. XX, 21, with reference to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, when he went to engage in war with the Ammonites and Moabites.
5. [H], as in Ps. CVII, 1.
6. [H], can also be rendered 'it is good'.
7. Ex. XIV, 20.
8. Cf. Isa. VI, 3. And one (angel) called unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, etc.
9. The verse is thus taken to mean that one (angel) did not approach the other, calling upon him to join in the Song (Maharsha).
10. Deut. XXVIII, 63. [H], in the Hiphil (causative).
11. [H], in the Kal.

Dots in Rashi

Question:
I am interested in the dots used to separate the various sections of Rashi's commentary to Torah and Talmud. Are these dots found in early printed editions of Rashi or are they a later innovation?
Answer:
There are two considerations in separators, one is the marker of the end of the lemma, the other is the marker of the end of the comment. Usage has not been consistent, but development may be seen. There is enough variation to suggest that a wider range may even be found in mss., but that would be another inquiry. In Rashi on the Torah, I looked at ed. Rome 1489/92 and Soncino 1487. Ed. Rome used no punctuation only spaces to separate lemmata and commentary, as well as divisions within commentary, nothing even at the end of a chapter. Soncino, OTOH, separated lemma with one dot and marked end of comment with two vertical ones or one. In Talmud, progress went from nothing after lemma to marking it. Soncino 1487 used one dot to mark end of comment. An unkown Spanish edition, ca. 1482, used two vertical dits or two horizontal ones (sometimes just one). Other printed edns. (random sampling of 16th & 17th cent., items) separated comments with two vertical dots, but did not mark end of lemmata, except for Cracow 1603 Pesahim which sometimes separated lemma with single dot. By the 18th cent., many editions separated comments with two dots and ended lemmata with single dot, e.g., Frankfurt a/M 1720, Berlin 1734, Sulsbach, 1766, and so into the 19th cent. (except that Slavuta 1817 did not mark end of lemmata). It should be noted that some editions also used spacing to separate comments. Also noteworthy is that single dots can come at top of line, bottom, and center.
(Answer provided by Dr. Jay Rovner, JTS Library's Manuscript Bibliographer.)

The Number Thirteen in Judaism

Question: An ecumenical organization in our community is planning a Spring holiday event on April 13, and the Jewish part of the program will be a model seder. They would like to mention the significance of the number thirteen in connection with Passover, since the event is taking place on the 13th of the month. What should I tell them? Answer: The number thirteen has few connections to Passover and the seder. A notable exception is the Ehad Mi Yodea (Who Knows One) song traditionally sung at the end of the Seder. This song has thirteen stanzas and the thirteenth stanza proclaims there are thirteen attributes of God. The full text of God's thirteen attributes are recited during specific prayers over the course of the year, including during Yom Kippur, other fast days, and on the three Pilgrimage Festivals (Passover being one of these festivals). The number thirteen has a few other connections to Judaism in general, not specifically Passover: A boy becomes Bar Mitzvah at age thirteen. Maimonides summarized Jewish belief in his Thirteen Articles of Faith. In Ashkenazi tradition, the Yigdal hymn of 13 verses (based on Maimonides' Thirteen Articles of Faith) is recited during daily prayers. The ancient sage, Rabbi Ishmael, organized Biblical analysis into 13 Rules of Interpretation.